A Conversation

Hi, All

A conversation on song writing.

I've found the muse finds you and your passion for the guitar allows us the ability to express our emotions though riffs, lyric and song writing.

Myself after finding the song inspiration I try to stay to a theme: Example I just wrote a Christmas song ( What a hopeful, joyful Christmas). My theme being Christmas Eve and the hope of the new year.

I then framed the song in upbeat major scale " yours could be a dark minor key" that accompanies your lyric's. I then followed the I IV V progression in the scale for a turnaround to each verse.

For continued structure I followed an A B progression with an intro and ending without a bridge.

I built the lyric up both by rhyming and meter (Count of each syllable for each line being the same).

I then edit and re edit making sure the song tells a story progression and each line strengthens the next and supports the chorus.

I'm now at the stage of recording by finding my tempo, drum line and additional instruments to add to my DAW's. Along with changing to piano over the guitar for the recording.

Well that brings me back to me and you can see I'm pragmatic in my writing approach which works for me. So with that said I hope this helps someone in their approach to writing. I also hope you never give up as music is our soul and getting your soul out there is the heart beat of a song writer.

Earthone.

Great info! I am working on something and was having some difficulty on the approach. I am going to try this approach to it now.

If I'm being honest, the rules at the beginning of this post are good but are not particularly organic. It's easy to say 'don't write with a formula' if you're trying to write songs and feel a bit lost.

For me, when I tried writing songs following a format, I wrote garbage. Pure junk. What's the solution?

Well..............................not that easy of an answer.

I recall trying to write cool lyrics and then trying to put cool riffs to them and like I said above, yuk. I would suggest that the best songs come from small ideas. A single melody. A catchy line or two you've thought up. Then it build organically from there. Whatever story the song tries to tell, the music will find it place.

Today driving home, I had an idea for a country song. I'm not a country guy, really. Still, the idea rang as country and the melody that built around the small lyric had a twang. That's what's inside my head so I didn't stop it.

It was a small chorus lyric/couple of lines. I then started humming a little rock/country riff just because that's what came next to my head...It was a good verse riff...then I started rolling a few verse lyric lines that would work with the song idea and riff.

I didn't think in terms of actual structure. Years of listening to music sorta built that in. I just started to let the marriage of song and lyric build itself.

Sure, it sounds nice to have an organic process but the reality is, the further away from organic you become, the less inspired your songs will be. Something has to get your interest.

I don't really much listen to country but the song in my head would be pretty radio friendly. Hit? Who knows. The thing is, I didn't stop the process to fit it in to what I perceived as my style and in to a specified process.

I took the kernel of an idea and let a grow without trying to wrangle it in to something that it is not.

Hey, that is great it works for you. I also do free style then go to a format to bring it all together. What ever works for you. A lot of song are not formulated and are big hits. it just helps me find the next step up in the music progression of the scale I'm in and hone my poetic chops. Sometimes I hear a tag or a word combination or just feel the muse or it magically comes out of my guitar. Thanks for the comments.