OT: How many of you guys are songwriters?

[WGTP]

Listen to some T. Rex and then don't worry about it.  HUB CAP DIAMOND STAR HALO

I don't know the words to some of my favorite songs, can't understand them.  

Is that what Plant is saying.

I love a great lyric, but I think the melody is more important.

The riff or chord pattern can make a song for me, then you just have some prissy lead singer hollering over the top of it.

Really, how many great songs have nonsense lyrics?

How many crummy songs have great lyrics?

IMHO  

[ryanscissorhands]

First thing, writing is personal. No matter what someone prescribes to help, YOU have to try all of the suggestions and decide for yourself. Someone can recommend things at a restaurant for you, but you don't know how the food will taste until you taste it yourself.

Something useful that I have learned is that lyrics are different from poetry, in my opinion. I can write poetry, I do that a lot. Not a problem. But music + poetry does not necessarily = song lyrics. Lyrics have melody and timing that have to fit well, and sometimes the poetry does not work well with certain music or in music in general. I find my best lyrical writing is made to fit my music, so that it isn't just imported poetry. If you manage to do otherwise, then i commend you, and probably envy you. But try a lot of methods. Now that you have some suggestions, try many of them, not the best sounding or "most logical" suggestion. Like sports, writing has to be done, not just thought about, in order to get better at it.

Ryanscissorhands

[troubledtom]

i didn't  think anyone here wasn't a songwriter .

get your own sound and say what's on your mind, keep it real.
 -tom

[zachary vex]

whenever i ran into trouble writing, i'd finish recording basic tracks and find a space outside the studio and simply force myself to write.  i wouldn't let myself go back in until i had something.  it works.  really.  8^)

[12afael]

lirics are the most hard part.

I make the melody singing LALALA with the rime of the song after I try to make a lirics with that rime is very hard to make some coerent.
that work for me making heavy metal very melodic music.

[PeterJ]

Tubebass wrote:

Most of the posters so far seem to be starting with music and writing lyrics to go with it. What about starting with lyrics and writing music to go with it? Anyone done that?

I'll start from either direction, although if I come up with a phrase that seems like it would fit in a song, I usually have a melody line with it. Most times, something will trigger a phrase that I use to build lyrics. Or I'll get a groove or chord progression in my head that makes me think of some words to go with it.

Oddly, I've only once come up with a song idea when I was actually playing an instrument. Every other time, I come up with the idea when I'm in the car and either try to remember or hum or sing it into a microcassette recorder that I keept forgetting to put new batteries in.

How do you guys prefer to work up songs? With or without an instrument?

[Hal]

alll instrumental here...i occationally record stuff on my computer.

its fun :-D

[Johan]

late night, candle light, bottle of wine, accoustic guitar and an old tape recorder...sort it out in the morning.  most of it gets trashed but there are usualy a few gems in there. many times I have to rewrite the lyrics becouse it feels too personal. I then use analogies and scatered phrases to discuise a little bit what I am singing about, so it doesnt seem so close..the rythm of the words always seemed much more important to me than any rhyme.
I always stay away from anything with more than 4 tracks when writing or else it is too easy to loose focus on the melodies and start to think about what all the instruments are going to do. if it doesnt work with just an accoustic guitar and vocals...
creativity is like a muscle, use it and it will grow stronger..

Johan

[WGTP]

On a more serious note, I come up with a phrase I like and go to the Rhyming Zone to find words that rhyme and come up with other phrases that match what I'm trying to say and end with a word that rhymes.

The words have never been difficult for me, the hard part is putting 3 different parts together, verse, chorus, bridge, whatever.  I'll be glad when they come up with software that you feed the parts into and it does the arranging for you.  

[Greg M.]

Tubebass,
I tend to write most of my songs lyrics first.  I'll get a line or two in my head, write them down, and if the song doesn't pour out pretty quickly and easily, I'll stick it in a folder and go back later--sometimes years later--to finish it.  All the while, the music is in my head.  When I finish the lyrics, I've got the song pretty much done.  How good it is--well, that's another question  :) .

As far as inspiration goes, I have two words:  beer and music.  I get a couple ales in my belly, put on some tunes, and pretty soon I've got some ideas.  Whiskeytown and Merle Haggard seem to work the best, but try the beer and music of your choice :roll: .

I can sympathize with the earlier poster who was having a little writer's block.  I'm there now.  Seems like everything I write lately has been written allready, so why bother.  Now, off to the store for some brewskies.

[Quackzed]

writing nonsense lyrics always helps me get out of the rut... just jot down some random phrases ,stick words together, make up your own lyriositic proaisma... i think it helps because instead of trying to think of the first line, or the perfect way to say something, your just letting your mind wander with no pressure to ryme etc...so everything is possible and it really gets the creative juices flowing... then youll find an idea or a perspective or maybee just a phrase that will inspire you...
jabberwoka jellyfishy jumalaya stew baby, get out of your head and you'll discover something new...dig
@#$% bob dylan

kidding!  dylan is fearless!

[WGTP]

I read the other day the Billy Gibbons and Dusty read the words across the room to Frank and then wrote down what he "thought" they said, which was better than what they "really" said.  I guess that explains a few things.   

[Arn C.]

I read the other day the Billy Gibbons and Dusty read the words across the room to Frank and then wrote down what he "thought" they said, which was better than what they "really" said.

Iron Butterfly "In the Gadda da vida"   was originally called "In the Garden of Eden" 
They liked the way it was sung so they kept it....

I have tons of songs (guitar work) and tons of short poems I wrote over the years, now to put it all together!

Peace!
Arn C.

[Eb7+9]

turn off your mind, relax and float downstream ...


http://www.guitarassociation.org/int_kim_mitchell.php

[phaeton]

  Crafting powerful words isn't something you can just 'do' IMO, i'ts more like something that kind of 'happens' to you.

Agreed.

  Well in 45 seconds the computer dies...system 32 lsass exe any ideas...I hate this puter///theres youre title ok Byr

Sounds like the Sasser worm (or similar).  There is a symantec fixit tool here for that.  Run it in Safe Mode, keep a terminal window open.  If the "this workstation will restart in T-minus 60 secs" thing comes up, type "shutdown -a [enter]" in the window.  that should let it finish.

Lemme know.

[phaeton]

whenever i ran into trouble writing, i'd finish recording basic tracks and find a space outside the studio and simply force myself to write.  i wouldn't let myself go back in until i had something.  it works.  really.  8^)

Especially in February. 

[christobean]

whenever me and my friends get a sweet jam going, we'll quick make up some lyrics about something goofy, KFC snackers, skateboarding, wooly mammoths, etc. then after playing it for a while youll have it in your head one day while thinking about something important, and poof! your thoughts fall into the same time as teh jam and you have yourself a serious jam.  thats how we swing it anyways

[MartyMart]

The music/melody is more my thing, I'm quite good at "hook" riffs having spent years
doing keyboard/synth sessions where the client says " make this sound good marty and
oh yeah .... it needs a hook line"  !!  ( AKA main top line ! .... for a session fee !)

I think this is where the phrase " turd polishing" originates from
Playing arpeggios etc, through a five minute track ( before the days of sequencing ) is
VERY good for your timing and dexterity too !!

If I'm working on a song with someone and they have some "holes" in the lyric or are
just short of an idea, I can usually contribute something that works well, just filling in
the gaps or improving an idea .

MM.

[rockgardenlove]

Just write a mess or rhyming nonsensical words, and then twist it into something that sounds like it might have an actual meaning.

("I Am The Walrus" anyone?)

[petesguitar1]

I am a full time singer songwriter, and have written hundreds of songs. Unfortunately only about 60 have ever been seen through to preproduction and only a few have actually been recorded (you can hear some at www.petedonohue.net. When I was single (yep, married now) I used to go driving, find a pub (bar) that I'd never been to. I'd then wander inside, order a beer and watch the world go by. Sometimes I would strike up conversations with people and these would lead to interesting stories which would be the basis for songs. Hey, I was young, and had a lot of time on my hands. Now I play music at night and write during the day....and play with pedals! Always trust yourself. And don't worry too much, it's way too much hassle