Lyrics and Words?!
Question: I'm learning to play guitar but i want to write songs.Does anyone know how to come up with the words and how to make the words and tune and any ideas how to come up with the words and put it together into lyrics? I'm not good at this stuff yet.I need some help and ideas or a jump start please? Thanks
Answers: I'm learning to play guitar but i want to write songs.Does anyone know how to come up with the words and how to make the words and tune and any ideas how to come up with the words and put it together into lyrics? I'm not good at this stuff yet.I need some help and ideas or a jump start please? Thanks
Learn music theory. You don't want to write a song without any knowledge of how music works. It's best to learn from someone who knows about writing music.
Stop thinking about writing a song, and start writing songs. You daydream about being on stage and hearing the roar of the crowd. Only trouble is, gee whiz, you're dreaming your life away. If you want to write a really good song, you're going to have to work for it. Start today.
Listen actively to a lot of music. Good writers read books. Good songwriters listen to songs. As you listen, think about what you like about a song. Are the lyrics unique? Do the song's chord changes perfectly capture a mood? Do you like the transition from one part of the song to another?
Get technical. You don't have to have a degree in music theory to write a good song, but you should have an understanding of how songs are built. There are infinite ways to structure a song, but there's a common sequence found in most of them (see Tips). As you listen to songs, try to identify the different parts. Check yourself by looking at lyrics online or in a music book; the parts of songs are often labeled in the media.
Be ready when inspiration comes calling. Unfortunately, inspiration usually doesn't strike at the most convenient times, so it's important that you be able to remember each new song that pops into your head, no matter where you are.
Carry a pen and paper with you wherever you go, or better yet, carry a tape recorder or digital audio recorder. Melodies can be extremely difficult to capture on paper unless you have a strong music background.
Figure out what you've got. Once in a while, inspiration will hit you like a full force gale, and suddenly you've got a full song out of nowhere. Most of the time, however, just a small piece of a potential song will come to you, leaving you to do the hard, but fun work of fleshing it out. You should have a feel for what part of the song you've come up with.
If it's super catchy (either a lyrical phrase or a snippet of music), and you can envision it being a repeated theme in the song, you've got the chorus—the climax or summary of your musical story—and you need to write verses to tell the story.
If what you've come up with seems more narrative lyrically or subtler musically — a part of a story rather than the main idea — you've probably got a verse, and you'll need to write the rest of the story (more verses) and, usually, a chorus.
Set the mood. Make sure your music fits the story. If it's a sad song, you may want your melody to evoke sadness (by slowing it down or adding some minor chords, for example) or you might want to add a twist and combine sad lyrics to upbeat music in order to create a sense of tension and ambiguity.
Say something. A song can get by with poor lyrics, but you've got a better chance of writing a really good song if your lyrics are great. This doesn't mean they have to be serious, but they should not be cliché or ho-hum. Write your lyrics as though you're talking to somebody who you want to impress or to someone toward whom you feel some sort of deep emotion.
Make your words sing. Lyrics can appeal to emotions, but they should also appeal to the ear. Rhyming is the most obvious way to accomplish this, and there are a number of rhyme schemes you can employ (see "Tips"). Learn about these and other tools of poetry, and try putting them to work for you.
Strike a balance between repetition and variety. Repetition is what makes a song catchy; repeated choruses, for example, stick in our heads even when the rest of a song doesn't. That's why so many people know just a few lines of so many songs. While there are good songs that are so simple that they have no chorus and have the same line length, the same rhyme schemes, and the same chord progressions repeated throughout them, most people get bored with that. The most common way to add variety is to insert a "bridge" into your song.
Look for the hook. The hook is that elusive part of a great song that captures your very soul and makes you want to listen to that song over and over. Hooks are frequently found in the chorus and often become the title of the song. Sadly, there's no recipe for hooks, but you'll know when you have one. Better yet, your friends will tell you, because it's the part of a song they can't seem to get out of their head.
Smooth the rough edges. If the pieces don't fit together, try building a transition. Put all the sections of your song in the same key. If there's a sudden change in tempo (speed) between the two parts, try gradually changing the speed as you enter and exit the section that doesn't fit with the rest of the song. Try adding a short instrumental interlude that will carry you from one part to the next. Ultimately, if you find it ridiculously difficult to smooth the edges, the reason could be that those two parts just shouldn't be in the same song.
Get feedback. Play and/or sing your song for people and get their opinions. You'll probably get a better idea of what they really think after you've written a few songs: friends and family may tell you that your first song is great even if it's awful, but as they hear more of your songs, they'll probably give you hints like, "It's good, but I liked that first one you wrote better" or "Wow, that's the best song you've written" and "That's a really good song!"
Once you've finished your first song, don't stop. Keep writing and practicing, and you'll find yourself getting better and better. You may need to write a lot of songs before you hit on one you really like, and even after that, you may need to write a lot more before you get another good one. Work hard and have fun doing it!
Other Tips:
It depends if you want to write a happy song or a sad song. Whatever it is, make sure that when your writing the song that you write it in the very strong emotion you are feeling at the moment. Lyrics will pop into your head so much easier and you won't even have to think
Currently most popular songs have some variation on the following sequence: intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus. Sometimes the order of these components is different, and sometimes one or more of them is absent. Dynamics are a good tool to utilize to separate out the different sections of the song. Quieter for verses, louder in the choruses. Dynamics can also help to create that chorus hook that everyone will remember when listening to your song.
A verse to a song is usually a rhythmical phrase. Take a chord from the key you decide on and strum it in any pattern that feels natural to you. Find a chord that sounds nice when played after your first chord. Keep adding chords like this until you have 3 or 4 chords that satisfy you. This is called a chord progression. Take the chords in your chord progression one by one and play them over your strumming pattern. Do this about 4 times and you have a verse.
If you're going to try something unconventional in the mood, make sure you've got a reason to do so.
You can rhyme at the end of every line or every other line, or your rhymes can come more sporadically. You can also rhyme within lines for a more subtle effect. There are also other poetic devices you can use, such as alliteration ("They paved paradise, put up a parking lot"). The "p" sound is repeated. And, assonance ("...honesty, promise me I'm never gonna find you fake it"). The repeated "ah" sound in "honesty", "promise" and "gonna").
A bridge is a section of music, sometimes instrumental, that differs in its construction from the verses and the chorus, and is usually placed near the end of the song before the final chorus, where a verse would typically be. The bridge can be in a different key &mdash using a different set of chords — than the rest of the song, but it doesn't need to be. It can also be faster or slower, shorter or longer, or otherwise different from the other sections.
If you don't play an instrument, learn one. Knowing how to play a guitar or piano, for instance, will make songwriting immeasurably easier. Plus, you'll be able to accompany yourself when you sing for others, and you'll feel like a star.
If you do play an instrument, try putting it down. Spend more time singing to come up with melodies and sounds. This way you eliminate the possibility of just playing the "same old licks."
Experiment with lots of ways of making sound. Try to play an instrument you are less familiar with. The "mistakes" you make may prove inspiring.
Songs either tell a story (think "Out in the west Texas town of El Paso, I fell in love with a Mexican girl ...") or express an emotion (Don't go changin' to try to please me; I love you just the way you are). Make your first line or two of your song really let the listener know what they're going to be experiencing.
While a lot of musicians and songwriters don't know much about music theory—and some can't even read music—a good knowledge of the essentials of music can help you harness your creativity and develop your own style. Even if you can play and sing by ear amazingly, knowing at least how to read and write music will help you play with others and communicate your music to your band members (if you plan to start a band).
Don't be afraid to take a break from a song. If you run into a dead end or it seems like you're suddenly writing music that just isn't that good, take a walk, clean the house, go to work; anything that will get your mind off the song for awhile. Sometimes you're jus
just play the guitar and let the lyrics come to you
Many people are good at one or the other: music or words. If you are good with music, be aware of any friends who write poetry. Give them the rhythm and mood and see what they can come up with.
Well what I do is a play the beat then I just sit there for 1 to 3 min. And then i think really hard about the words. I now because I have made 5 songs like Does he notice me and those lyrics go like this Does he notice me with my golden brown hair and my shiny brown eyes that shins in the sky and that is all I am telling P.s If you take those lyrics I well hunt you down and kill you