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Esau
New member
Sup.. I been told i got a good voice but i wanna get into writing songs. How do i get started?
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nickjc
New member
wooooah
well dam, mr friend you just opened a MASSIVE can o' worms . . .
it's kind of hard to give advice on where to start from cold. Do you play an instrument, bro? don't matter if you don't, but it makes it different if you're writing without accompaniment . . .
well dam, mr friend you just opened a MASSIVE can o' worms . . .
it's kind of hard to give advice on where to start from cold. Do you play an instrument, bro? don't matter if you don't, but it makes it different if you're writing without accompaniment . . .
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Esau
New member
play the piano but not that great
distortedrumble
all up in yo grill!
songs come to life with music but have a meaning with lyrics. are you talking about writing lyrics and music or just lyrics. if you dont play guitar or piano then you will need to make a stop by local music shops and look on the want ads board and try to find someone who does. but let me take this time to explain a few things.
1. poetry is not "lyrics". it can be lyrics. it can be cut, molded and shaped into a song but its not usually "lyrics" in its normal state.
2. don't get discouraged if your first song isnt a hit...or your second song either. it seems to me that you are starting from scratch. i've been writing songs since '98 and i still hate some of the stuff i write and throw it in the trash before anyone ever sees it.
3. finding someone to work with may take a little time unless you buy beats from someone. as someone who comes up with rhythms and beats, I get hit up by people with "lyrics" and they want me to work with them. I'll sell a rhythm to them but unless they can play an instrument and contribute something besides just "lyrics" its kinda frustrating to find a good fit between what they want and what i think would fit.
4. please please please please dont say "I want the music to go like this. boo boo booboobbooo booobooo boo boo boo." or " daaa daaaa daaadaaaa daaadaaa". learn how to play an instrument....whether it be piano or guitar, it is a great step in finding rhythms you like and you can work with by yourself. not everyone was born with a talent to play instruments. but if people learn how to play by practicing then it puts you in a better spot for people to understand what you want. it also makes you easier to work with.
5. read up on copywrite laws. just in case you come up with something good, you dont want R Kelly to get ahold of it and not pay you for it when he sings it to some 15 year old hoochie
1. poetry is not "lyrics". it can be lyrics. it can be cut, molded and shaped into a song but its not usually "lyrics" in its normal state.
2. don't get discouraged if your first song isnt a hit...or your second song either. it seems to me that you are starting from scratch. i've been writing songs since '98 and i still hate some of the stuff i write and throw it in the trash before anyone ever sees it.
3. finding someone to work with may take a little time unless you buy beats from someone. as someone who comes up with rhythms and beats, I get hit up by people with "lyrics" and they want me to work with them. I'll sell a rhythm to them but unless they can play an instrument and contribute something besides just "lyrics" its kinda frustrating to find a good fit between what they want and what i think would fit.
4. please please please please dont say "I want the music to go like this. boo boo booboobbooo booobooo boo boo boo." or " daaa daaaa daaadaaaa daaadaaa". learn how to play an instrument....whether it be piano or guitar, it is a great step in finding rhythms you like and you can work with by yourself. not everyone was born with a talent to play instruments. but if people learn how to play by practicing then it puts you in a better spot for people to understand what you want. it also makes you easier to work with.
5. read up on copywrite laws. just in case you come up with something good, you dont want R Kelly to get ahold of it and not pay you for it when he sings it to some 15 year old hoochie
distortedrumble
all up in yo grill!
ok cool you play piano....but not that great. take a few lessons but fire the teacher right on the spot if he/she/video tries to teach you how to play "she'll commin' around the mountain" or "michael row your boat to shore" i took piano lessons before and got so damn tired of learning those two songs that i quit. i picked up a guitar and learned how to play songs from nirvana, third eye blind and the rest of those bands and it got better from there.
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nickjc
New member
i agree
I agree with "distorted rumble". It is good to have an instruymnt under your belt. that way you can note down your ideas more easily communicate them better to others.
the best way to learn is just to write. the first and many more songs you write will be a bunch of shite, but they all help you to grow as a writer. one thing I'm big on is writing just for the sake of it. even if you don't have something particularly burning to say, it's good to write whatever trash comes into your head. usually you'll find that whatever's inside you at that point will come out in its own way (sometimes good, sometimes not so good).
keep playing piano whenever you get the chance. distorted rumble is probably right in that it's good to get lessons if you can stomach them. I got frustrated by guitar lessons and taught myself, which worked for me, but sometimes I'm frustrated by my limitations as a player. so yeah, lessons are good as long as you're not learning "mary had a little lamb".
the next thing to do is to start really listening to the structure and the melody of songs on the radio and in your record collection. most songs are structured ver similarly, if not exactly the same as each other. this structure can seem restrictive at first. I wanted to rebel against it when I first started, but in time I learnt that if you know the structure you can use it as a tool to free up your writing. sometimes I try to "re-write" sonigs I really like, which ends in disaster sometimes, because I ruin the song I loved so much, but sometimes it can turn into somehting different and unexpected. "copying" seems wrong, but it's a good way to learn - Bruce Springsteen was really well known in his younger days for being able to replicate songs exactly, which probably helped him to write his own songs in the future. (although that whether you like the Boss or not I dunno . . .)
in the end though, no-one can tell you how to write, and the bottom line is, if you like it, go with it. so yeah, that's my two cents anyways, so I'lkl shut up now
I agree with "distorted rumble". It is good to have an instruymnt under your belt. that way you can note down your ideas more easily communicate them better to others.
the best way to learn is just to write. the first and many more songs you write will be a bunch of shite, but they all help you to grow as a writer. one thing I'm big on is writing just for the sake of it. even if you don't have something particularly burning to say, it's good to write whatever trash comes into your head. usually you'll find that whatever's inside you at that point will come out in its own way (sometimes good, sometimes not so good).
keep playing piano whenever you get the chance. distorted rumble is probably right in that it's good to get lessons if you can stomach them. I got frustrated by guitar lessons and taught myself, which worked for me, but sometimes I'm frustrated by my limitations as a player. so yeah, lessons are good as long as you're not learning "mary had a little lamb".
the next thing to do is to start really listening to the structure and the melody of songs on the radio and in your record collection. most songs are structured ver similarly, if not exactly the same as each other. this structure can seem restrictive at first. I wanted to rebel against it when I first started, but in time I learnt that if you know the structure you can use it as a tool to free up your writing. sometimes I try to "re-write" sonigs I really like, which ends in disaster sometimes, because I ruin the song I loved so much, but sometimes it can turn into somehting different and unexpected. "copying" seems wrong, but it's a good way to learn - Bruce Springsteen was really well known in his younger days for being able to replicate songs exactly, which probably helped him to write his own songs in the future. (although that whether you like the Boss or not I dunno . . .)
in the end though, no-one can tell you how to write, and the bottom line is, if you like it, go with it. so yeah, that's my two cents anyways, so I'lkl shut up now
distortedrumble
all up in yo grill!
mary had a little lamb...i forgot about that......yeah I'm a self taught guitarist also and i still get a little frustrated with my limitations. i agree with listening to the radio and cds and hearing song structure. it helps alot. listening to other forms of music besides R&B and Hip Hop actually help too. even that christian screaming nu-metal shit has its uses. you know that kind of music where all the kids beat the snot out of each other during the songs? well i actually learned something from it. in some of the songs it starts off fast and chaotic with a constant snare hit and the guitars and bass are playing some riff that just seems to become background noise while you listen to some guy growl into the mic. then it has a quick 1-2 bar slow down to a very heavy melodic but slow. this period usually called the breakdown ends up sounding like something that twista, and various other fast rappers could come right in on. this is also the part of the song where its really dangerous to be in the crowd cause they get to throwin them bows. now that same idea is applied to rock and some rap but i never noticed it before. i have plans to use that in a song I'm working on and in my head it sounds like its going to be good. oh yeah and another thing.
in your head, most things sound good.
in your head, most things sound good.
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nickjc
New member
haha good call on the christian nu-metal.distortedrumble said:
yeah, stuff usuallu does sound good in your head, which brings up another point. it's probably handy also to get a way crappy dictaphone or something to use while writing stuff. that way you can take down ideas quickly so you don't forget them, and also get them out of your head, so you know whether it actually sounds good or not . .
distortedrumble
all up in yo grill!
i get some of my best ideas in the shower.....if i keep the beat going in my head the i can get back to my computer and record it.....lyrics on the other hand i always seem to lose the quickest. so if you come up with something, get it down quick
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Smile
New member
I'm just a lyricist..other than playing keyboard..I have no other musical talents lol..except listening 
On writing lyrics...
the first thing I would mention is the Hook is very important if you are thinking commercially.
Don't just write a song...and quote a line from the chorus or verses as your hook.
a good hook is..GOOD..memorable..repeated often..a thought..a twist on something old and cliche in a new way..etc.
Don't use excessive words.. to many *ands..I's..do's..don't..the..* unless you have to.. using to many will break flow in a lyric..and make it to wordy to sing.
in ballads a good storyline is important..R&B..country..things like that..
Make your songs unique..not the same thing thats been said 100 times before... use imagery...SHOW..not tell...paint a picture with words..very important in writing good lyrics IMO..
Rhyme scheme..I personally am big on rhymes.
Don't use the same rhyme scheme throughout the whole song...change it..it adds variation.
also don't overuse one word...find different words that say the same thing..
like the word *hold*..embrace... or Look...gaze...ect.
Just some tips..hope they help..and goodluck in your ventures
Smile
On writing lyrics...
the first thing I would mention is the Hook is very important if you are thinking commercially.
Don't just write a song...and quote a line from the chorus or verses as your hook.
a good hook is..GOOD..memorable..repeated often..a thought..a twist on something old and cliche in a new way..etc.
Don't use excessive words.. to many *ands..I's..do's..don't..the..* unless you have to.. using to many will break flow in a lyric..and make it to wordy to sing.
in ballads a good storyline is important..R&B..country..things like that..
Make your songs unique..not the same thing thats been said 100 times before... use imagery...SHOW..not tell...paint a picture with words..very important in writing good lyrics IMO..
Rhyme scheme..I personally am big on rhymes.
Don't use the same rhyme scheme throughout the whole song...change it..it adds variation.
also don't overuse one word...find different words that say the same thing..
like the word *hold*..embrace... or Look...gaze...ect.
Just some tips..hope they help..and goodluck in your ventures
Smile