Any songwriters?

[Eagle]

I write songs. I can pop of lyrics pretty quick and the music just a bit slower.

 

[BlueScreen]

Exactly Well, alright, you CAN write in a different metre, but I don't know why anyone would want to who hadn't got a basic grasp of how to write words that fit to begin with. It's like trying to run before you can even crawl.

Yeh, it still has to relate to the music somehow though . So if he has the music, that has to be the base. Whether he goes simply with the flow of the music or interacts with it more strangely. He might take the strange option seeing he likes being creative. Orchestration is something I suck at. I wouldn't mind if someone taught me interactions between intruments more clearly.

Oh, I forgot something. My ISTP sister taught me a phobia of adjectives. It is quite healthy to avoid overusing them. I tend to almost never use them directly before nouns, unless they are necessary for meaning. It raises the impact when you use one, because the time you use it, "blue" sky is actually emphasised rather than being another pretty description.

 

[Wiley45]

I dunno, most of the so-called "great lyricists" are not writing in such obviously literal terms.

If you make something vague/abstract enough that anyone who enjoys the melody can make it mean anything he wants to him (and he will), then you've done your job.

A lot of times just stream of consciousness weird metaphors and such will come out with a fairly clear meaning that you didn't even realize.

Agree 100%.

Also, near-rhymes work well in songwriting. Sometimes they're better than exact rhymes. And do everything you can to avoid overused, cliche phrases.

 

[BlueScreen]

I like to use cliched phrases but redefine them. Or define them . I think they are okay as long as they are the most connecting, communicating phrase for what you are saying, or you use them for a reason. If they are just there because that is how other songs sound, then yeh get rid of them.

You'll find a lot of cliches in very famous lyricists writing. Sometimes used as a reference, sometimes used because it is exactly what they wanted to say, sometimes used because the cliche reminds the listener of something or takes them somewhere, etc. It just needs to be well thoughtout in the dynamic.

 

[Wiley45]

I can agree that finding a new angle on an old way of saying things might work. In my opinion, it's tricky to do, and beginning songwriters are better off trying to avoid cliches. However, I guess it also depends on what type of song you're trying to write. I'm sure writers for Rihanna and Britney Spears have a completely different aim than Radiohead, or Bob Dylan, who also differ greatly from Tim McGraw or Alan Jackson, or The Lonely Island, for that matter. Maybe it's a challenge to discuss the best songwriting techniques with a variety of people who likely enjoy varied styles of writing and music. Success might really depend on people's differing end goals.