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#Post#: 515--------------------------------------------------
How to: Write Songs
By: Red Date: May 21, 2013, 3:55 pm
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Songwriting is fun but hard lol
To write a song, you really gotta commit, i mean, if you're just
going to quit halfway through, we can't have that
letmeshowyouthedoor.
Alright, firstly, get in touch with your inner being. I mean,
ask it if it's hungry or something and wants food because that's
something to write about, yeah? Look deep inside yourself i mean
ew that's gross and pull out things that you want like a
[s]hydrophobic plunger, like seriously, I can't have stuff stick
to the rubber thing at the end that's unacceptable.[/s]
[hr]
Who are you Writing for?
This is the big question you have to ask yourself. You can't
simply write a song and have it exist, you need to figure out
who you're addressing it to. A song is like a story, and it
communicates thoughts and feelings untranslatable with words.
Even if you're the only person who's ever going to hear it, your
construction needs to have a receiving end.
[hr]
NOTE: Some form of musical theory knowledge is recommended.
[hr]
Why are you Writing?
You should have some sort of reason, even if it's only because
you're bored or want to try your hand at something new. You
could write to speak out against a social issue, or inform
people about the time that yada yada yada, whatever your
feeling. Try to narrow this down and be as specific as possible.
[hr]
What are you Writing About?
How do you plan on communicating your feelings? Through metaphor
and analogy, or maybe with as little words as possible? Maybe
with no words at all, letting the music speak for itself and
give people around you an imprint of emotions through that
expression of sound. There's nothing wrong with telling your
audience straight up what you mean, it's not being un-creative
at all. If you have something specific you want to say, let it
ring out. If you're just messing around, be yourself. Keep it
real, and don't try to be something you're not when writing
music.
[hr]
Let your Imagination Run Wild!
If you're starved of ideas, start a new note in your phone, send
texts to yourself, or start a notebook of just random thoughts.
Whenever you think of something stupid, funny, good enough,
absolutely pathetic, write it down. If you need to rant, do it
on your document, but just keep it together. The point is to try
and create a pool of random inspiration. Whether you're feeling
happy, sad, angry, or otherwise, you should try to keep the
emotions expressed in the book as diverse as possible, so when
you do have time to sit down and write, you can flip through,
pick out what you like, and mix-match ideas and phrases you've
used in the book.
[hr]
Song Structure
In music, all songs have a structure. A song without a structure
doesn't have a skeleton to hold it up. You need the skeleton
before you can throw on the muscle and fat, and then you can
waste all the time you want on cosmetics and aesthetics. Typical
structures go something like this:
Intro - Can be anything really. Maybe you want to start out with
just vocals, or a harmony on a small line. Maybe you want
silence to fade into sound, or a sudden blast of music.
Pre-verse - Optional. You can go straight from the intro to the
verse if you want, or into the chorus.
Verse - This is where the meat of your song resides. This should
include almost anything you want to say. Songs normally have
multiple verses, and they can go on for a very long time,
sometimes.
Transitions - Oftentimes, you might want other areas in your
music where the music changes phrasing or a part needs to flow
into another. This can be virtually anywhere, and often
reoccurring.
Pre-Chorus - This warms up the listener and builds tension, or
relaxes them, and shows them what they should be expecting for
the chorus.
Chorus - You don't need a choir to sing a chorus, obviously.
This part of the song is normally the most memorable for popular
music. "Tonight, we are young, so let's set the world on fire,
we can burn brighter, than the sun." "Hey, I just met you, and
this is crazy, but here's my number, so call me, maybe." "When I
see your face, there's not a thing that I would change, because
you're amazing, just the way you are." "I was followin' the
pack, I was followin' their coats, their scarves of red tied
'round their throats, to keep their little heads, from falling
in the snow, and I turn round and there you go, and, Micheal,
you would fall, and turn the white snow red as strawberries in
the summertime."
This should put the nail in the coffin, or the melody in the
head of your listeners. This should catch them and show them you
mean business. This should also put your point of the song on a
pedestal.
Solo - This can be an area of the song where the main melody
dissolves slightly, and the rhythm section keeps going, or maybe
you want everything to stop and have only one voice playing, or
maybe you want all of the sounds saying the same thing. This is
a block for musical freedom and expression usually. In jazz
music, this is extremely important.
Bridge - This normally includes a change of key or other musical
variation. The lyrics here can sway away from what you intend
and provide a different look at your topic. This is normally
short, and oftentimes, it isn't repeated. It's a "bridge"
because it "bridges" two end of the song.
Outro - This is the final farewell of the song, letting
everything die off or end somehow. This should be a sort of
"resolve" or conclusion to your musical essay.
[hr]
Genre
Different genres have different aspects and forms which set them
apart. If you're writing a song in a certain genre, look at what
instruments or lack thereof you need before trying to imagine
voicings for it. Ultimately, don't let genre slow you down. If
your song doesn't fit, so be it, it's its own special thing.
[hr]
Chord Progression
Depending on your genre, your song may have an underlying chord
progression. A chord progressing is a moving line of music
that's normally held by supporting and rhythmic instruments in
the background that keeps it moving forward and keeps it
colorful. The most commmon chord progression in popular music is
the I, V, VI, IV, or the 1 5 6 4 progression. I guarantee you
that you've heard it before. It's used in the songs Don't Stop
Believing by Journey and When I Come Around by Green Day.
[hr]
Melody and Harmony
When you're writing the final lyrics for your song, you need to
keep in mind what melody will go over the chord progression.
This can be any note in the scale of the key that you're in. The
melody line is normally every changing, and is normally sung by
the strongest voice in the ensemble, but often changes.
Harmonies and like melody lines, but moved up intervals to
create moving chords along the music. Vocal groups rely on
harmonies to sound full and altogether brilliant.
Dynamics
Dynamics are rises and falls in the song's volume. This is
different from "texture", which illustrates the thickness of the
music, or how much silence you can hear behind the sound. The
rising and falling of volume of the music can be used for
various effects.
[hr]
Ultimately, the knowledge you have about music, the more
efficiently you'll be able to organize your thoughts in a
musical environment. When it comes to writing songs as a form of
expression, practice makes perfect.
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