| Songwriting
Tips and Ideas: |
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Give your song a strong opening-
You only have a few seconds to grab the listeners' attention so
give them an opening that'll make them WANT to hear more. You're
saying something with meaning, right? You're not just creating background
noise, are you? Then you need to grab their attention early or you'll
lose them even before your song gets to the chorus.
Where to get song ideas-
Write about your own life, write about someone else's life, make
up a life. Don't be afraid to write a totally fictional story. Although
real-life is often more interesting then fantasy (believe it or
not), sometimes a true story is too complicated to fit in a 3-minute
song unless you write about just one aspect. Whatever you do, have
a clear vision of what the song is about. Because if you don't,
the listener sure isn't going to figure it out for you.
Sweat the hook-
The hook is the catchy part of the song. It's the repetitious part
that's implanted in your mind after hearing the song just once.
It's the words that everyone remembers, the melodic line you can't
get out of your mind. No matter whom you play your song for, everyone's
ears are conditioned to listen for your song's hook. And since everyone's
waiting to hear it, it's best not to make them wait too long. Typically,
a song is structured with the hook as its chorus, and many song
titles are lifted from the hook. Remember the purpose is to reel
in the listener, so utilize your hook. The hook is what will sell
your song to the music executive and it will ultimately sell your
record to the public.
Listen to the radio-
Whether you like what they are playing or not, if you want your
songs to someday be on the radio you have to know the level of quality
you need to aspire to. Pick apart the hit songs and figure what
it is that makes people want to keep hearing them over and over.
Sure, it's hard to believe that all songs on the radio are great
(because they're not). But pretty much every song that bubbles up
to the Top 40 Pop or Rock has familiar song structure, catchy lyrics
and or music or an amazing production. Hype by the labels will get
a song on the radio, but it won't keep it there.
Keep it short-
Face it... radio plays short songs (2 1/2 - 3 1/2 minutes). If your
song is longer then this you are drastically reducing your chances
that radio will ever play it. Now of course you can always have
a longer version on your full CD and send radio a shorter edited
version (that's what the big labels do). But unless you can afford
to do different version of your songs at this stage... keep it short.
The same holds true for getting publishers, record companies, producers
or almost anyone that matters to listen to your song (yes, fans
too). They didn't make up the saying "Get to the chorus, don't
bore us" for nothing. The quickest way for them to jump to
the next tape or CD is to not grab their attention right away and
then keep it.
Don't use cliches, or at least keep them to a bare minimum-
Try a turn-around on a cliche like Diane Warren's "UnBreak
my Heart". Tell a real, honest to goodness story and make people
believe it. Two other quick notes on lyric writing... don't repeat
words in the same line, and don't be afraid to use sound-alike rhymes
instead of exact rhymes.
A Lyric Is Not A Poem-
Professional songwriters refer to the words of a song as the "lyric",
not as the "poem'". Although a lyric and poem share the
features of words, rhyme, and meter, the two should not be confused
and often are. The differences between a poem and lyric: A poem
is designed to be read, it's length can vary, and it can be complex
in its language. Readers have time to stop, reread and mull over
a poem. A finished lyric however, is an unfinished product. Only
half a potential song. The meaning of the lyric should be instantly
clear. Unlike a poem, a song exists in time. The listener gets no
footnotes, and must understand the lyric as it's being performed.
And a lyric is designed to be sung, and every word should sing.
Select words carefully-
There's a limited time to tell your story, so you can't afford to
waste a word. Carefully select each word so that you can get across
all that you set out to say. Additionally, each line should build
on the previous one. If your verses are well communicated, anyone
should be able to come along and read them and have a general idea
about what the retort in the chorus will be.
Write to your song's topic and market-
Lyrics should be tailored to the type of music it is being created
for, the song topic you've chosen, and the market you're trying
to reach. The words you choose should also reflect the language
of the market you're aiming for.
Be conversational-
Today's lyrics are more conversational than ever. The public wants
to hear things expressed the way they would say them.
Never give up-
Some days you're bound to feel like a sheer genius working at your
craft. And then other days, writer's block comes along. Writer's
block visits everyone from time to time. If an idea isn't working
out, go on to another one. And if that doesn't work out, take a
day off. Sometimes, all it takes is a fresh, aired-out mind to put
your creative flow back into motion again. Never be afraid to revise
your songs or start them completely over. After all, great songs
are not written, they are rewritten. No one writes a song perfectly
on the first go. Good material has always been revised and fine-tuned
by the time you hear it.
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