How to come up with great lyrics?

I'd say today has been a very good day, from a songwriting point of view, at least. Somehow managed to come up with an almost complete 80's Hair Metal-style song while on the train this morning. Only needs a cool solo, a Bass Guitar line and some great drum-beats and it's complete. The funny thing is that the lyrics came to me out of nowhere. I just sat on the train as usual, suddenly came up with a cool riff and before I knew it, I had come up with the lyrics for a complete song. Is it the best song ever written? I doubt that. It is, however, very satisfying, even after reading the lyrics three times with hours between each time. Especially considering that it just came to me spontaneously.

Now, time to find the best Tone for the song and record it ASAP. I plan to upload it and let you folks listen to it and let me know what you think. If only I had any idea where/how to get the drum and bass parts for the song, when I don't play in a band...

That's awesome!!! I bet it was satisfying!! I really look forward to hearing what you came up with. Sounds like you are really coming along.

Originally Posted by: maggiorThat's awesome!!! I bet it was satisfying!! I really look forward to hearing what you came up with. Sounds like you are really coming along.

I wouldn't quite say I came up with it. The basic idea for the intro-riff just came to me while I sat down, and without having to think of it, the lyrics for the first line came to me, and as I started writing down, the rest just followed.

I'll begin the recording tomorrow, hopefully, and if things go according to plan, I'll have a "Demo"-version of it ready some time next week. I'll most likely spend some time trying to set up my amp to work as an Audio Interface for whatever electric guitar I choose to use for the song... and after that, I'll need have to record it a few times so it sounds as good as possible. And that's after possibly having a chance to play the song for the family and some guests who're coming over this weekend...

Honestly, I have no idea if it's gonna sound as cool as it does in my head... The "Main Riff" is pretty simple, and sounds pretty damn awesome regardless of which of my guitars I use, somehow manages to sound a bit like Ratt, Motley Crue and Poison (which I consider to be a good thing, since I love their style). It's gonna be pretty cool to see how this song turns out... Improvising a solo will probably be a bigger challenge, due to speed being one of my biggest obstacles, and it's pretty hard to play a happy-sounding 80's Hair Metal-solo if I can't play fast, although Mick Mars of Motley Crue somehow manages to do so quite well on "Girls, Girls, Girls" (technically, it's pretty fast, but it has lots of notes played several times in a row) and "Kickstart My Heart", for example, and Slash did a pretty good job on the two interludes on "Sweet Child O' Mine", so it should be possible for me to pull it off as well.

And to think I was almost willing to just give up and sell my guitar 9 months ago, yet now I'm working on my first songs... I almost feel like a real Rock-musician now!

Originally Posted by: Kasperowand it's pretty hard to play a happy-sounding 80's Hair Metal-solo if I can't play fast, although Mick Mars of Motley Crue somehow manages to do so quite well on "Girls, Girls, Girls" (technically, it's pretty fast, but it has lots of notes played several times in a row) and "Kickstart My Heart", for example, and Slash did a pretty good job on the two interludes on "Sweet Child O' Mine", so it should be possible for me to pull it off as well.

And to think I was almost willing to just give up and sell my guitar 9 months ago, yet now I'm working on my first songs... I almost feel like a real Rock-musician now!

A lot of it is attitude! Take a technically simple riff and you can make awesome by just playing it with some attitude.

It would have been a real shame if you had given up 9 months ago - glad you stuck with it!

Enjoy laying down your demo. Recording is a lot of fun.

Originally Posted by: maggiorA lot of it is attitude! Take a technically simple riff and you can make awesome by just playing it with some attitude.

It would have been a real shame if you had given up 9 months ago - glad you stuck with it!

Enjoy laying down your demo. Recording is a lot of fun.

Hmm... I'm not quite sure what you mean with playing with attitude. If you wouldn't mind elaborating it, that would be nice.

I'm really glad that I didn't quit either of the two times I've hit a plateau. First time was 9 months ago which took me almost a month before I got past, the other time was a few weeks ago, where I was stuck playing the same things over and over. That took me half a week before I was moving forward again (except instead of complaining about being on a plateau, I just watched some tutorials and learned how to play Suspended Chords, because they're very used in the music I listen to the most).

I've honestly never tried recording before. I've got a pretty advanced piece of recording software, that I got with my amp, but maybe I should consider trying Garageband for the Demo. As far as I've understood, it will let me add pre-recorded Drum and Bass tracks, which would be very useful. And if it doesn't let me add those tracks, I'll just have to make the Demo Guitar-only. Either way, the pre-production starts today!

What I think of a songs attitude would be like you have and annoying sibling that wants you to play and you need to practice guitar.
First time They ask play you kindly reply, "sorry I'm busy"
The second time You say. a little louder, "I'm busy."
The third time you are up-set and scream, "I told you I'm busy"
Look up voice, tempo and dynamics

Terms can be found here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Italian_musical_terms_used_in_English#Voices
Keep working at it, you'll get it

Originally Posted by: compart1What I think of a songs attitude would be like you have and annoying sibling that wants you to play and you need to practice guitar.
First time They ask play you kindly reply, "sorry I'm busy"
The second time You say. a little louder, "I'm busy."
The third time you are up-set and scream, "I told you I'm busy"
Look up voice, tempo and dynamics

Terms can be found here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Italian_musical_terms_used_in_English#Voices
Keep working at it, you'll get it

Good analogy. It's hard to describe but it's real. It's also like when you see somebody walking with an attitude - they are just walking, but you can just tell they've got an attitude.

Think about making your guitar growl, cry, scream, wail, etc...like your voice. Bending, rakes, muting, varying your pick attack...these are tools you can use to give your playing attitude. As I learn some more Eagles songs, I'm finding that Joe Walsh is a good example of a player that plays with attitude - he can make his guitar growl like no other. Joe Perry for Aerosmith is another. Joe Bonamassa can get hit attitude on. Not a big GnR fan (I know, that's probably blasphemy to you kasperow :-), but Slash strike me as the type of player who would play with attitude. Watch some vidoes of SRV playing in the early days - it's like a physical assult on his guitar - amazing with tons of attitude! And let's not forget Jimmy Page who would strut with his guitar.

I'm certainly not an expert, but I find that if my playing becomes more animated with my picking and strumming, my sound relects that. I'm not talking about jumping around or windmilling arm (just not my personality), but hitting the strings a bit harder or picking with a little flourish in my picking strokes.

Originally Posted by: maggiorGood analogy. It's hard to describe but it's real. It's also like when you see somebody walking with an attitude - they are just walking, but you can just tell they've got an attitude.

Think about making your guitar growl, cry, scream, wail, etc...like your voice. Bending, rakes, muting, varying your pick attack...these are tools you can use to give your playing attitude. As I learn some more Eagles songs, I'm finding that Joe Walsh is a good example of a player that plays with attitude - he can make his guitar growl like no other. Joe Perry for Aerosmith is another. Joe Bonamassa can get hit attitude on. Not a big GnR fan (I know, that's probably blasphemy to you kasperow :-), but Slash strike me as the type of player who would play with attitude. Watch some vidoes of SRV playing in the early days - it's like a physical assult on his guitar - amazing with tons of attitude! And let's not forget Jimmy Page who would strut with his guitar.

I think I'm starting to understand what you mean. It's how I use the techniques at my disposal and use different amounts of force when picking a string, right?

I know quite a few guitarists, whom I deem to be pretty great, some underrated guitarists are among those. And just because I'm a huge fan of GNR, it doesn't mean I consider it blasphemy to say you're not a huge fan of them :) Everyone has their own taste. Most of the guitarists I listen to the most have some quite different styles, yet they seem pretty combinable. I'll try and check out SRV when I get the chance.

I'm starting to have the song ready. Only need to not screw up while recording it...

On the bright side, I learned something interesting today while testing a Peavey Tube Amp. Apparently, I can play a lot faster than I give myself credit for, as long as I don't think about playing fast. I tried playing a few different solos for the song, and most sounded pretty nice, until I started thinking about my speed, at which point things just went straight to hell. So when I start recording the solo, I should probably focus more on other things than my speed (like which chord is next, how long until I have to hit one of the Chord Notes, when does the solo end, and so on)... Apparently, it's true that the only limit is my mind... Just in a different way than normally...

As for the recording itself, it's going slowly... I doubt I'll manage to reach my deadline with a satisfying result... Or maybe I should just try to stop focusing on what I'm doing...

before i write a great song, the only way i can actually is if i feel really inspired and excited! great song writing comes from what you feel really strongly about! most people feel really strong about their relationships, about their significant other, and most christian artists feel really strongly about God. The more powerful the lyrics, the more powerful the song. By hearing the song, the listeners will begin to feel the same way the writer felt when writing the song. so if the writer felt strong when writing the song, so will the listeners. if the writer felt "eh, this song aint too shabby" then the listeners will fell that too. the point to writing a great song is to have the most powerful emotion possible. what do you feel strongly about? pour your heart into the writing. help others to really feel it!!

A really good tip I’ve found with lyrics/music in general is to:

1) Own a Hardcover book to record ideas & lyrics in as they come along. That way when you are scheduled to write you already have a bit of material ready to roll. So it takes the pressure off slightly and doesn’t feel like you’ve wasted so much time simply looking at a blank piece of paper.

Having a hardcover strangely assists as well, as you give it more respect and don’t loose it as easy as you would just a throw away exercise book.

Whenever I hear (or think I hear) something cool, I write it down in the book. As it’s all in the same place I actually do know I’ll come back to it when I’m writing. And thus the moment won’t be lost : )

2) Decide on a topic. Then brainstorm any kind of word or sentence you think of related to the topic. Write and write fast! It doesn’t matter if it’s messy or rubbish. It gives you a palate of options to work with.

Sometimes The Song Will Come To You!!!the Harder You Think The Harder It Becomes.good Luck,and Dont Think To Hard You Will Get It.

I think I'm starting to figure out a method that works for me. while on the way to the train station this morning, I found a song name generator online, and gave it a few shots. The suggestions it came with were actually not as horrible as some other random generators I've seen. One of the suggestions, however, was so profound that it got stuck inside my head for a while, and I tried to put a simple rhythm to it. Then the lyrics just came naturally (second time I've experienced this). The result: A complete song with a slightly altered standard structure. First off all, it doesn't rhyme just for the sake of rhyming. The Bridge section between the two solos doesn't even rhyme at all. It just sounded better without rhyming, so I chose to leave it out.

The lyrics aren't perfect, and there's plenty of room for improvement, but it helps me get something to work with. In short, what I've found out works is finding a title or a good line, then coming up with a riff that fits as an intro, and just forcing myself to improvise lyrics on-the-go. It has actually worked out pretty well so far.

Google 'Coursera' and sign up for Pat Pattison's (Berklee College) FREE course on Songwriting. It is excellent and if you were to take it through Berklee College instead of Coursera, it would cost $l,400.

I would never "sit down" to intentionally start writing a song. Everything that's good that I've come up with has either been while driving, in the shower, or while running. Just have some song in your head that you're making up as you go along. What matters more is the SOUND of the words and what they can rhyme with. Sometimes what's actually said is secondary to the sound of the words.

Originally Posted by: KasperowHey everybody

I've got a minor problem whenever it comes to writing songs, and I'm hoping someone here has some advice on how I get past it. I have tried doing some songwriting in the past few months, but I always find it incredibly difficult to come up with great lyrics for a song, or even not-too-shabby ones. Everytime I sit down with my laptop and say "Here we go, I'm gonna write a great song", I end up staring at a blank screen for hours before giving up, or end up with something that even a 4-year-old kid could write better and I decide to erase it because it's that badly written.

So I'm asking: Is there a great way to learn to come up with great lyrics on the spot? I've read that Sweet Child O' Mine was written in just 5 minutes (not sure if it's true, though), and Smoke On The Water just narrates an incident that Deep Purple witnessed. Those two examples make it seem so simple. It may just be that I'm suffering from Writer's Block (which I won't deny is a possibility), but I find it to be a real problem coming up with any half-way decent lyrics. Any advice is highly appreciated.

The Best suggestion I can advise is to go to www.robinfrederick.com buy her book , Shortcuts to hit Songwriting , she,s awesome at explainning how to write Lyrics, or Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison , or , John Braheny The Craft and Business of SongWriting. I wish you the Best

I guess I do things backwards. Normally I start playing something I like then come up with word to match what I am writing. To help me remember the rhythm I used. Writing down the chords does me no good if I do not have words to help me remember the rhythm I used.

A long time ago I was dating a girl I wanted to impress so I figured out some chords I liked and then put words to them. I played the song for the girl and sang the words. This October well will be married for 34 years.

The words:
1st verse
Won’t you be my baby now, won’t you be my lady, won’t you be my baby now, won’t you be my girl.

Chorus:
Lady of my days, lady of my night, lady of my days, I long to be holding you close tonight, close tonight, close tonight.

Verse 2
Come and fill my arms up girl, I love you all the time, come and fill my arms up girl you drive me out of my, my mind.

Chorus:

The song goes on of course, but the wording was built around the structure of the song. You might give that a try also.

I’m not sure what I would do if someone gave me words and said write a song to fit them. I guess I would come up with something, but it would feel strange.

I can come up with great little tunes and melodies while in the shower.

Something about being in such a vulnerable state that really brings out the music in me.

I can't wait until my skills line-up with my imagination.

for all you songwriters, buy robin fredicks book
SHORTCUTS TO HIT SONGWRITING best book i have ever found, can't say enough about it, i have been playing and writing 67 years
trapper

I can see how rhyming would seem like an arbitrary pain at times, I know that there are some powerful paths to facillitate song writting in there.

.

I was a Psych Nurse for 25 years. There is a charicteristic Psych symptom called "Clanging". This is where the person just starts stringing together sounds that sound alike. Meaning is usually lost in the process. It is a symptom of mental illness after all..

I have had some interesting experiences where I hit a wall while writting and got around it by just clanging words together. I then started listing all the Clang words I came up with, and letting the words just roll out in assorted tumbles. Much to my surprise this seems to open my mind to using words in unique ways. It seem this exercise opens my subconcious mind to unique turns of phrase. Here is an example of the unique phrasing it can produce....

"The blind of faith all come to the question "How long can this love still abide?"

and the tears that they find, they all flow from the answer

where reason and heart there collide.

Blossems awash with the tide."

That is not my voice!! I would never speak like that, and that is exactly what made the phrasing so interesting. Like a subliminal sidekick jumping right out into the light of day and dancing an amazing Jig, with a big grin on her face.

It was allmost as if I was having an out of body experience. Over the next hour the song simply wrote itself by clanging words aginst each other until they sorted themselves into a finished piece. It doesn't always work, but when it does... I really enjoy the ride! Maybe it is an indication of inherient mental illness, but if it can help me to write in a deeper, more powerful voice.... I don't really care

I remember being told that George Benard Shaw believed that language evolved from primal sounds that expressed primitive feelings... what he called Err Words. As language grew these Err Words differentiated into ever more specific sounds and meanings. Err Words were the porgenitors of language. This is where rhyming words come from, and using it, is a way to evoke those primal feelings. I could be full of bullshit, but boy it can be a great ride!