[Pete_H]

All these tips are pretty good, so I guess I'll just add don't try to write in verse. Not very many people can do it. I know I can't. I once read an interview with Mick Jagger, and he said he writes random thoughts all day long. Then later on he'll go over them and try to put a song together.

[Mark]

hey pete, did you get my pm?

[Scott]

Lol, I write in verse....

And writing a happy song is very difficult, well, a good happy song. I've been trying to write more of them recently, and it's really challenging. Once you've been writing for a while you should try and write in different styles like that, it'll stretch your boundaries and make you a better writer.

Not just mood styles, different styles of music too, such as rock if you write ska songs, indie if you write rock songs etc. It'll force you to analyse the different conventions and deliberately try to conform to them, rather than writing from natural feeling of a genre. Very important for anyone who wants to be a pro.

[DStogner]

Hey, alot of these are good tips, but there is one I would have to disagree with. I would not suggest listening to other bands while trying to write. I dont think that is a good idea, I think if you do that you run the risk of stealing ideas and thoughts from other artists instead of being original. In fact I suggest that maybe when you want to write you avoid music as much as possible. Creed did this when they wrote Weathered.

[Scott]

There is an argument for this, but there is also an argument for listening to music, since all human achievement is built on the achievement of others. There is nothing new under the sun, so why pretend that we could create something new?

Wow, so many great tips! Thanks everybody!
I just thought I'd post some tips that I learned by taking a songwriting course.
You need a good hook. The hook sums up the entire song. For instance in Shout to the Lord, the first line of the chorus, "Shout to the Lord" totally is the hook. It's just a short phrase that says what the whole song is about. The hook is usually the first or sometimes the last line of the chorus.
Every song needs a catchy chorus that people can remember. You also need a good climax in every song. The climax lifts or pulls on people's spirits or emotions.
For good lyric writing, Write the way you normally talk. Be clear in your message, don't have fifty different messages in one song. Aim to say a lot in a few words. Keep your lyrics centered on the topic. Avoid repeating he same word too much. Make sure the song flows evenly into each verse and line. Be real, be true, to have your songs liked. To move and convince others, the writer must be moved and convinced.

So yeah, that's about it.

[PlayinBass4God]

Hey, does anyone have any tips for writing good music? I mean, I know you have to get something catchy and the notes can't sound horrible. But does anyone have any tips on how to go about doing this sort of thing?

[Tup]

I always get a tune in my head, or a beat. And then the words just flow from there. In ym oppinion you gata know what you want it to sound like before you write it.

[hotdogboy]

write music first. then worry about lyrics.

dont try to make rhymes. you usually sound cheesy when you do.

[Punkmin]

Arnt Song supposed to ryhme?????

[Janyse]

about as much as poetry is supposed to..


Sometimes it helps sometimes it hinders the song. It depends on the song, they lyrics, the intent, rythym.

Sometimes the words as opposed to the lyrics.

If all you can rhyme for "eye" is "I" it might be best not to rhyme.

It really depends on the song - sometimes you can get away with rhyming the verse OR chorus and not both sometimes it really pays to be consistant throughout.

[reags]

hey guys/gals, you're all legends writing down God breathed songs & blessing the world.

i was soooo lucky to get songwriting tips, etc. from Hillsong artists, lincoln brewster, delirious, & 2wks ago - paul baloche & graham kendrick. yes, as it says on the left i do go to hillsong church, which is how i met them all - at the hillsong conference '01 & '02.

anyways i got many many pages with tips from them & bible verses on worship leading/etc. which i'll post up l8r after i chomp down my freezing cold pizza.

:ksmile:

take care

[outlawnemesis]

Quickly scanning over many posts here...

"Such & such band has one song that doesn't rhyme, and it's poetic!"



Oh wow, go listen to Opeth, or In Flames, or Nevermore, or Sypmhony X, or the billions of unrecognized bands that are top-notch. All their songs are very well-written and poetic, very deep.



As for the idea of listening to other artists while writing, I do it all the time, especially while writing lyrics, not very much (or at all) while writing the actual music. During a sad time in the lyrics I'll listen to a very depressing song, etc. It really helps to feel what you're writing; that way it's real, and not forced.

Don't write when you don't want to; don't force your writing. Don't say, "I'm going to write an hour a day from 5:00 to 6:00". That doesn't work, a good tip is to carry around a notebook with you and write down every idea you get. You'd be suprised how many you come up with. Look for inspiration anywhere and everywhere. Just make it natural.

Read, read, read, and read some more!! Read 50 books over the summer and you will be very, very suprised at how much more fluidly you can write. And write every chance you get - who cares whether it sucks or not? Just write it all down. Practice makes perfect; and you can always revise your work.

As for the musical aspect - listen to everything. It doesn't matter whether you like it or not, there is something good about every genre. Even if you don't listen to pop and despise it (well, at lease the pop that you don't even write kinda stuff), you could use that to make your ultra-complex song easier to listen to. Listen to Blues, listen to Jazz, listen to Bluegrass, listen to Rock, listen to Heavy Metal, listen to Opera, listen to Classical, listen to everything. Like reading, the more diverse your listening, the more diverse and deep your music will be. And same rule goes for music - write all the time, whether or not you think it's good is moot. It will help you get better, and you can still go back and revise earlier works.

These are my experiences, I'll post some more maybe later.

[THT_RED_HOUSE]

write a story about your day then change some stuff around put it away for a couple of days then take it out and sing it:kshock:

[bighairyfro]

my best advice is to start just writing in a small notebook when ever a topic hits you (it doesn't have to rhyme) and then put it to music. you can start with puting your words with other song that you already know untill you can write your own.

-----------MAKE SURE IT COMES FROM THE HEART-------------------