I need some tips on how to write a song!

[cocacolabottle]

Ok so basically, me and my friends started a band a few months ago (I play lead-guitar), and we've mostly been playing Led Zeppelin and Guns 'N Roses covers, and I'd say we're doing pretty good, but recently we've really been trying to take this seriously, and were thinking on writing a few songs of our own. While discussing this everything seemed fairly easy, but when it came down to the actual writing of the lyrics, nothing came to mind :P We've read thousands of lyrics in the past few weeks, went to places that might give us inspiration, read poetry, but we're still not getting the hang of it.

 

 

 

Are there any of you guys who've ever written a song? How do you get started with it? How did you get a good idea for something to write about?

 

 

 

Any help would be great :oops:

[Oy_the_Great]

If you can't do it now, you'll never be able to write a song. I make drawings from time to time, and they're always about something philosophical or about an opinion. Basically the same songs are about. If you don't have that inspiration, you won't get anywhere.

[Bubsa]

You should always start with a melody first, and then the lyrics.

[insane]

You should always start with a melody first, and then the lyrics.

 

 

 

Agreed here. But like Oy said, don't just sit down and try to write a song, else you'll end up with an unoriginal, uninspired song. It's got to come to you.

[BenBru]

Ive never written a song, but it seems that 80% of all songs Ive heard rhyme, guess you could make a point to do that lol, take my opinion lightly though.

[cocacolabottle]

Allright thanks for all the help everyone :)

[Ragen]

The best song writing advice I can give is keep a pen and pad next to your bed, so you can jot down anything that comes to you in sleep. I've made up some brilliant poems in my head and forgotten them as they never reached paper. That and plan out whatever songs you are going to write first.

[assassin_696]

Whenever I write down any lyrics, they're always about a situation I can relate to. Have you ever been in love? How did it feel, how did it turn out? Look deep inside of yourself and look at your rawest emotions (be honest) and try and turn them into lyrics.

 

 

 

It sounds hard, but it works well for me, whatever i'm feeling I can turn into lyrics. Make sure the lyrics sound kinda poetic, or fit the melody and your away. Don't be afraid to write about what you feel, lyrics from the heart are the best lyrics.

 

 

 

You should always start with a melody first, and then the lyrics.

 

 

 

Not always the case, i've written a couple of songs with emotionally charged lyrics which I wouldn't want to have to change to fit to a melody, so I stuck the rest of the melody onto them. Whatever works best.

[Bubsa]

Meh. I only know what the dude in 101 dalmations told me :P

[assassin_696]

Meh. I only know what the dude in 101 dalmations told me :P

 

 

 

Yeah well don't go by me, i'm no great songwriter by any means, but I think I heard someone like Paul McCartney once say that he sometimes wrote the lyrics first, sometimes the melody. I was always curious if there was a set pattern, there isn't, but it's probably easier to do the melody first to create a better overall song.

[Oy_the_Great]

Meh. I only know what the dude in 101 dalmations told me :P

 

 

 

Yeah well don't go by me, i'm no great songwriter by any means, but I think I heard someone like Paul McCartney once say that he sometimes wrote the lyrics first, sometimes the melody. I was always curious if there was a set pattern, there isn't, but it's probably easier to do the melody first to create a better overall song.

 

 

 

How much poetry has been transformed into a song? And most good songs are poetry. I think it's easier to come up with some good lyrics, then when you're certain what the song is about, think of a cheerful/sad/calm melody that fits with the lyrics than doing it vice versa.

[cocacolabottle]

The best song writing advice I can give is keep a pen and pad next to your bed, so you can jot down anything that comes to you in sleep.

 

 

 

Excellent idea I'll definitely try this :)

[sheepdean]

don't write the song, invent the story or basis for the song, come up with a couple of lines, then write te rythym. DO NOT try to write a song, just put words to the music. this is my way and works pretty damn well, although it can get tiring. and stream your song when you're done so we can have a listen!

[Oy_the_Great]

Or, just live.

 

AFAIK, Bob Dylan never did anything special to write his poetic stories. He's the best singer-songwriter according to me, not just because he's the father of hundreds of great songs, also because every single one of them is a revelation, certainly 40 years ago. He was the first person to critisize the world in a pleasant way, and he was very influential doing so.

 

He is the trigger behind our current critical point of view towards the entire world and its problems.

 

That's probably what every songwriter dreams about, or at least what I would want to achieve. I don't want to go all OT here, but being able to open the eyes of millions, possible billions of people, that's worth so much more than having 10 billion.

 

 

 

So if you're planning on writing about something more than love and being in love, just take your time to be out there, see the world, take the time to evaluate it and the lyrics will come without too much effort.

[xevanx]

I suggest not getting inspiration from the lyrics but rather the melody. the lyrics will screw you up ryally, because it messes up what you want to say for yourself instead of what it supposed to mean.

 

 

 

I always start with a nice melody. and remember songs dont have to mean anythign literally, but rather in a philosophical, not so understandable way. but if you take the literal route, remember dont write sentences, you want to write down what you want to say, and shorten it to about 4-5 words for each line. and also remember if your making up a lyric, it doesnt have to rhyme it jsut has to flow. soem things that sound good together are same syllables, and Suffix TH,and suffix PH.

 

 

 

If your in a song that has a repetitve melody, repeat a word, dont rhyme it.

 

 

 

ex.

 

Today your gonna lose it (make damn sure)

 

Today your gonna Screw Up (Mke Damn Sure)

 

She Was so Lonely (was no Cure)

 

She coudlnt Help her Ways (No Cure)

 

Feeling Trapped and helpess (Crucify Her)

 

dealing with all of her madness (crucify Her)

 

 

 

blah blah. its quite easy. BTW thats like nothing...i jsut wrote that in like 1 minutes..seriosuly. so dont take it seriosuly.

[sheepdean]

also, don't type it. write it, as every idea that you dleete off the computer could actually be the pinnacle of the song. and try to write on a large pice of paper, so you can edit it with big pretty arrows (my scrap book lives up to its name in that respect lol)

[xevanx]

nice idea. maybe an idea web aswell. nice method sheep