Writing Effective Songs

"Songwriters and poets suffer from the same affliction . . . they both believe they have something to say."

Do any of the following statements describe you?

If these statements generally describe you, then read on, as we discuss "Writing Effective Songs".


Music and lyrics, comes from the heart. It's not something you can just do easily. Lyrics are created from events that have happened in your life, A.K.A. an ex lover, the present, dreams, or everyday life. All the different experiences you have had in your life can be written down as songs if you think hard enough.

The Mechanical Elements of a Song

For the beginning songwriter, it may be helpful to know something about the various elements of a song. Following are some definitions:

Usually, each song consists of the following:

Often, it is worth the effort to first invent a melody from a chord (or string for guitar) sequence around which your song will be focused. Song writing for the popular vote requires a 'hook' as it is known. The hook may be simply a melodic structure, but is perhaps preferably a mix of the melody coupled with a clever line of words.

For instance, in the well known 'Danny Boy' or 'Derry Air' as it is sometimes called, the 'hook' is found where the melody appears to try to surge forward into the chorus and the words "But come ye back" accompany that surge in chord progression.

The reverse process, putting music to words, is a lot more difficult and is also less successful in most formats.

But there are certain cases where putting music to words is a better option... for instance, a rhyming poem or free verse with a regular meter can easily be made a song. Basic chords lend themselves well, the I - IV - V progression and iv - IV - V - I chords work.

Popular music has several forms that are commonly used. These usually consist of four 8-bar phrases, making up the typical 32 bar form. Typically, this entire 32-bar is a chorus.

Example: Over the rainbow, Yesterday, Just the Way You Are, What'll I Do, Ain't Misbehavin', As Time Goes By.
Example: Material girl, "Sunrise, Sunset"
Example: Bouree in E minor

the other popular form, the 12-Bar Blues, is also common. See Music Theory/Blues for numerous type of 12-bar blues form.

Tools for Your Songwriting “Toolbox”

Some things that will help, but are not required:

Things that are not required, PERIOD

Some things that ARE required:

Becoming an Effective Songwriter

You need to know your subject matter, this is IMPERATIVE. After all, it is difficult at best to discuss subjects that you’re not knowledgeable of—and research, know about the subject matter as much as possible

Write about what you know. If your songs are not meaningful to you, they probably won't be meaningful to other people, and the lack of knowledge on your subject and your lack of enthusiasm for it will show through.

Write primarily as an expression of your own feelings, and who knows better about what you're feeling than you?

Strive to expand your vocabulary. While some phrases may be very meaningful, there are probably words that fit the image you are trying to create more appropriately. Also, if possible, try to live "in" the subject matter.

You need to be vulnerable; to be a good writer, you must remain vulnerable in your writing. If you hide, then the song hides. There is no safe haven for songwriters. If you choose to play it safe and not lay it on the line, your songs will be cliché-ridden, shallow and boring.

You need to practice and you need to be persistent; Yes, sometimes, the words and melody simply flow. But most of the time songwriting is hard work. Songwriting requires work, practice, mentors, study, diligence, and commitment. We should give ourselves to the development of our writing skills.

Practice, sing and write constantly. Write something every day, even if you come up with something that might initially sound trite. You can revise it and make it something good later. Whatever musical impulse lies within will come out.

Important Elements of a Song

The most important aspect of a song is "sing-ability"

Making the Connection

Simplicity

Simple images cut deep like a sharp knife. One of the most common mistakes made by beginning songwriters is trying to say too much. The simplest songs are usually the most powerful.

Complex writing in "code" that sounds like some other good song somewhere doesn't cut it. Many writers play it safe behind vague or complex lyrics.

If you try to say in three minutes or less how you feel about everything in your life, you will lose people. It is more powerful to show how you feel about ONE thing, right now.

Once you've gained considerable experience in writing songs, you may decide to add some elements of symbolism, metaphor, or irony into your work. A song with several layers grows progressively interesting; if there is more to the song than first meets the ear, it will stay fresh.

Sparking the Creative Flow

Meditation is a very effective way to do this. There is no more creative expressiveness than your inner voice. Inner voice can both flow and be shaped: you can let ideas come to you and you can alter them. It usually comes when you quiet your mind. As you open to your inner voice, it becomes easier to hear, grasp and shape ideas.

This is important in folk-style songs, such as Blues and Country Music. Negative stories with a positive resolution can be very inspirational. Angry lyrics can be the release a listener is looking for.

If you are a lyricist, write or sing whatever comes to mind. Even seemingly boring or strange lyrics must be written down, to open your mind to the more interesting and familiar lyrics. It is important to at least consider everything that comes to mind. You can rewrite and reshape the lyrics later, as it becomes more and more clear, what you were trying to say or realized you could say instead.

Put those feelings into words and music. Either you must look for situations to match the feeling or feelings to match the words, Be emotionally well-rounded: write songs of varying feelings, but realize what emotions won't fit, Don't write funny if you consider your genre very serious.

Flip the notes around: try the second note as a fifth then as a fourth and third. See what works. Remember that the more familiar always sounds better, so you have to try any new melody you wrote several times before throwing it out.

Single thoughts are a powerful way to write. The feeling is often already implied. An interesting story, onatomatopiea, or extended reasoning or metaphor, could easily be written around a simple thought with enough hours spent. Every little thought counts, that you have about every phrase, word, and sound. Don't be afraid to try anything that comes to mind. Use the satisfaction from improving your thoughts to continue to improve your thoughts.

and don’t ever throw anything away. Bob Dylan is quoted in his famous deal with a higher power interview, as saying that he would move onto other songs if a new song wasn't happening. In another interview about Dylan's song Tangled Up In Blue, he said he spent years on the song graphting various women into one character, so sometimes move on, but keep every idea for some use somewhere.

Listen to the recording. Does it have a linear thread through the whole song? Or is it like this wiki: a patchwork of many seperate ideas under one umbrella? Are there any phrases that don't quite make sense? Is there another phrase you could replace it with? Is there anything you cring at? Do you talk about your muffin in a song about poker?

Is there a clunky bunch of words? Is there anything that means something very powerful, but doesn't sound that way outloud? What is that powerful meaning and can you just write that instead?

Remember theme is the universal meaning behind the details like love, bravery, good, evil, etc. There is always a theme, you just have to make it consistent.

There are actually a limited number of simple good progressions, and they've all been written already, which explains why you wrote that really cool song, and then realized you took it from so and so, They "took" it too, because we ran out of "new" simple chord pregressions centuries ago, and the more complex ones are really combinations of simple ones.

We don't waste your time in music, there are a lot of other professions that immediately pay a lot more than 99.99% of musicians ever make. Even many supposedly rich musicians never made a dime, because of too much money spent on production, touring, and distribution. If you want to get rich, then check out any profession with a lot of demand. Yes you can become a millionaire from music, but count the number of hit songs and then think of the total number of songs written ever, and then think of the number of hit songs that were profitable. Also, consider that even if you wrote a hit level song, how do you get the national audience needed to become a millionare? Record labels don't even listen to submissions anymore. You have to tour relentlessly after you spent years begging friends, to come to shows amd not even listen your perfectly written songs. And then consider that everyone has an ego, and that your song is not as good as it at first seems. Actually success depends on you opening your ego, unless you just happen to part of a social movement, and then nobody is really listening anyway. One exercise in ego would be to take the first two lines of your favorite song and break it down, then break down the language and poetry of your best song. And even opening up to better writing still doesn't guarantee success, There are countless songwriters that pop up years after there death as being great writing, but yet unacknowledged in their lifetime.

If you make songs just to get rich, there’s a strong chance you’re going to be terribly frustrated. We have little control over how others receive what we create. And if you try to change to fit what you think they want, you will never be happy with it, and they will never be happy with you. But at the same time, if you are unwillingly to change your lyrics to make more sense, because of some intangible lofty feeling, then you might be fooling yourself, and your success depends on deaf ears.

A Word Concerning Originality...

As songwriters, we don't have to re-invent the wheel; we just need to spin it our own way. A composer fails to be original when he or she does not listen to his or her own musical voice. Composers frequently re-create melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic tapestries that lie deep in their sub-conscious. Initially this is not a problem, since all music must take off from somewhere. We must be able to take it to a NEW place . . . one that it is original to our "take" on the style. Sometimes a composer is successful with a song only to find it has already been written.

Alternatively, it is common for a songwriter to use the same (or similar) well known melody. for example, Gekkoka (Moonlight Flower) and Tsubasa (wings) are both based on a classical piano piece, Midori no haze. However, with variations on melody (one is more melodramatic, while Tsubasa is more upbeat), and different lyrics, they become two distinct songs. Still, one should be very careful about using another person's melody, especially in countries in the developed world, which usually have the toughest copyright laws.

Conclusion

Meter is something not always fully understood, by learning writers, briefly meter in songs is the measurement of each note, Study the best writers and see where they relieve any chance of metric boredom , by inserting contrasting sections in each stanza.

Style Reference

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