# Song writing



## Teco (Mar 19, 2010)

I often thought about seeing if I could actually do it.
However I have no clue the proper way to do so.

Anyone got hints or tips or links on the process of creating lyrics?


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## Nyisi Seryn (Mar 31, 2010)

What kind of music do you want to write? Pop? Blues? R&B? Rap? God forbid, Country? Many similarities in most radio played genres. If I had to pick the most important thing to work on first, it would be building a strong vocabulary, one in which you can just pick off words from the top of your head. The bigger your vocabulary, the better you'll be able to fit words together, rhyming them or not. Don't just go thumb through a thesaurus though, that's tedious, boring doesn't work well; pick up a rhyming dictionary instead, or use a good online one like Rhyme Zone.

Start without using that though and practice building your rhyming vocab from what you already know. For example, pick a simple word and then write down as many words that rhyme with that as you can; cat-hat-bat-rat-stat-mat-flat-scat. You get the idea. Keep doing that with different words, starting small and working up.

Once you get comfortable with simple rhymes, a more complex approach is the use of multis, or using multiple rhyming words in one bar, or sentence. An example would be "The elite force like army rangers and navy seals, I kick it operatic â€˜til that fat lady squeals" You can go much further in my next example "My chicks thighs thick cause I'm rich like Rick, big tits, drippy lips, sidekick really fits / Whats the dealy? Here I see some really silly chicks, always chilling smoking philles, sniffing yilly by the brick." It can be a very impressive skill when used well, but at the same time don't over use it.

You don't always have to rhyme though, most especially if you rap. Punchlines, which can be put anywhere, even within rhymes and multi-rhymes, are great. "_Your lyrics are stuffing, so now I know how gravy feel / Iâ€™ll call you Gerber â€˜cause ya spittinâ€™ up some baby meals"

_As far as sitting down to actually write a song, with all that in mind, it depends on the outcome you want. A lot of songs convey stories, the first verse the beginning, second the middle, and third the ending, obviously, with the hook intended to blend them together and add something of it's own. Actually WRITE a story, or at least an outline for onelike you would in school, then go from there. Once you have a strong idea of what you want the listener to get out of your track, the easier it will be for you to express it.

And just practice, a lot. Carry a notepad around with you everywhere, because you never know what that perfect bar pops into your head, or you see something in a store that makes you come up with a killer hook, only to forget it later. Freestyling is great practice too, even if you're jumping from topic to topic totally randomly at first. The more you work on it, the better you'll get. Also, writing to a beat you already have is a lot easier than composing a beat to match your lyrics, at least for me.

Here is a track that makes use of some heavy multis, including the one I gave as an example, and some decent punchlines. I'm a rapper though, so the advice I give is more geared toward that, but some of it will hopefully be of use to you. Stutter - Lyrical Fitness Practice


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## ThisisGabe (Apr 3, 2010)

For my personal writing style, I just write the first lyrics that pop into my head. I give myself no restraints, no limitations, and I turn off my personal editor. It works for me. 

Personal results of my process: Here

Also use the site http://www.rhymezone.com/ to make rhymes easier.

Google helps too:

http://www.wikihow.com/Write-Song-Lyrics
http://www.squidoo.com/how_to_write_lyrics
http://www.empiremusicco.com/writbetlyr.html


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## Teco (Apr 8, 2010)

Thanks you two, that helped a good bit

I attempted and got a draft going so far, obviously needs some refining but eh,

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/3675714/


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## GatodeCafe (Apr 9, 2010)

The best songs, IMHO, come out of jamming. Jamming is the best way to separate good ideas from bullshit, something many songwriters are unable to do properly solo.


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## Teco (Apr 9, 2010)

GatodeCafe said:


> The best songs, IMHO, come out of jamming. Jamming is the best way to separate good ideas from bullshit, something many songwriters are unable to do properly solo.


Im unfortunately solo at the moment though.


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## kurreltheraven (Apr 10, 2010)

Teco said:


> Anyone got hints or tips or links on the process of creating lyrics?



The technical stuff like rhyme and meter and so on you can learn from a good poetry-writing guide. Mine was "The Ode Less Travelled" by Stephen Fry. Love that book. 

Don't start out just trying to be technically adept and doing multi-rhymes - make sure your lyrics have some sort of soul, wit or other human emotion in them.

Tell a story, really try to take the listener and put them in someone else's shoes.

Definitely find some musicians whose lyrics rock your socks off and study them to bits, see what makes their stuff hit you the way it does.

Notepad has been mentioned - i second that. Try to double or even triple space as you write stuff down so you can cross out stuff that doesn't work and rearrange it.


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