Song-writing is a skill that not every musician possesses. Some are more comfortable in stringing together words into poetic prose, while others find themselves best-suited to figuring out chord progressions and crafting beautiful melodies out of thin air.
While one or the other may not be your forte, there are simple ways to go about doing both in conjunction. Like any art form, it requires patience, effort, and a direct emotional line from your heart!
Writing Lyrics
Before you set about writing lyrics, if you want to play it by the book then it’s important to understand that each song is made up of several parts. The standard layout includes an introduction, a verse, a chorus, and a bridge.
While the introduction is self-explanatory, the verse is what you would consider the highlight of the song. Generally, the melodies of verses are the same, with different lyrics. The chorus is the part of the song that remains unchanged throughout, in both lyrics as well as melody.
The bridge is present in some songs but not others, and is generally something brief and different from the entire song.
Whether you’re writing the lyrics first or basing them off a melody, it’s important to open up your mind to various ideas. Try to use stream of consciousness exercises, where you just put down onto paper whatever comes to mind, and make sense of them later.
Stay away from basic rhymes and feel free to experiment with sentence structure that is unusual. The most important thing is to stay true to your own voice as an artist.
Composing Melodies
If you’re looking to create a melody for your lyrics, then that might require a bit more effort than if you were to mastermind lyrics based on a tune. However, it’s entirely possible if you have skills in the composition department!
The first thing is to try to establish a rhythm for the words by reading them out loud multiple times, using different tempos and varied styles. Pick out the words that stand out and have more emotional emphasis.
Experiment around with chords, deciding which syllables are held longer and how long each chord should be played accordingly. It could help to create melodic leaps at points where the words hold a strong emotional impact. Make sure to write down your music as you go along!
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Music Jotter has a host of features that make your music composition experience as simple as possible. It also includes a simplistic lyrics entry system, making it all the more easy for you to create and complete your piece!
You can purchase our music composition and notation software by getting in touch with us—we even offer two different payment plans for the convenience of our customers!
