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Lyric Writing
October 23, 2011 at 1:47 pm
So recently I decided to start a band. I've written a bunch of songs and I'm anxious to actually start searching for other members but I have hit a problem. I hate writing lyrics. Any fellow songwriters on the forum to offer advice? Also people who just love to listen to music; are the words important to you??? Or is it just the music? Honestly, I would be happy singing random nonsense to the songs I have written but I don't know if anyone will like that. So yeah this could honestly just be a discussion about song lyrics and what you prefer in them.
If I die and god is real, im so screwed.
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RE: Lyric Writing
October 23, 2011 at 2:06 pm
I have always felt one of my biggest weaknesses is writing lyrics. I really suck with imagery. My only advice therefore is to not make them whiny. Nobody likes angst. In terms of what's more important, obviously they're both important, but it depends on the song and style of music. What kind of music are you likely to be playing?
For me, I would probably give the nod to musicianship being more important than excellent lyrics. But you can fuck up an otherwise decent song with bad lyrics.
Good luck.
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RE: Lyric Writing
October 23, 2011 at 2:43 pm
Here is one key to writing poetry or song lyrics. Have a theme. Before you write anything down, figure out what you want to say and have a point behind what you say. Also, it helps to be subtle and abstract with what you are trying to say. Don't explicitly state your theme but layer it with an implied message. Maynard of Tool is great at this.
To me, lyrics can take good music and ruin it or make it great.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
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RE: Lyric Writing
October 23, 2011 at 4:12 pm
In response to ElDinero what I write really kinda jumps all over the place. I write a lot of upbeat funk type stuff but also have a bunch of straight alternative type songs. And yeah being whiny is what I want to try to avoid while also keeping it meaningful.
Faithnomore it seems you prefer songs with a message that isn't explicilty stated??? Do you mean like vague and open to interpetation?
hahaha I'd love to jam with the reverend if you lived close enough. and writing about sex seems so cliche. plus I'm not experienced enough to know what I am talking about.
If I die and god is real, im so screwed.
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RE: Lyric Writing
October 23, 2011 at 4:59 pm
Well the key is to not spoon feed the listener the message that you are trying to convey. It's not so much that you want to be vague, although to the outsider the lyrics might appear that way, it's that you want to be implicit. Although different people may come up with different explanations for the meaning of the lyrics, if the intended meaning were known, all of the lyrics would fall into place.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
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RE: Lyric Writing
October 23, 2011 at 8:26 pm
(October 23, 2011 at 4:59 pm)Faith No More Wrote: Well the key is to not spoon feed the listener the message that you are trying to convey. It's not so much that you want to be vague, although to the outsider the lyrics might appear that way, it's that you want to be implicit. Although different people may come up with different explanations for the meaning of the lyrics, if the intended meaning were known, all of the lyrics would fall into place.
good advice. I do think it would be great to be able to write lyrics that can be interpreted in multiple ways.
If I die and god is real, im so screwed.
