SONGWRITING.......WHERE DO I START

ALWAYS RHYME YOUR LYRICS

A good way to learn to write lyrics is to "borrow" from other songs. For example take a song you really like and mimic the rhyme scheme and meter. When I say meter I mean syllables per word. Thinking in terms of nouns and verbs really helps in rewriting the borrowed lyric. The use of adverbs never really works in lyrical writings. For example "She was 'swiftly' running" swiftly being the adverb modifying the verb. Adjectives and all the other parts of speech are great at painting a picture so use them freely. Once the lyrics are starting to come together begin making your own chord progressions, or if you can't come up with a chord progression borrow one of those too. I must say it's best not to borrow the chord progression and the lyric scheme from the same song because that starts sounding too much like a pastiche. If you change the drums and rhythm up enough when borrowing both the chords and lyrics, that may be enough to create something totally fresh and new, but be cautious. When facing writers block borrowing a line here or there from a well written poem might get you out of a rut. Below is a rough example. The song was picked randomly from one of billboard's top new albums lists. The lyrics I wrote under Prince's are a bit goofy, but I wrote them fast and didn't focus on meter as much as you probably should. If you just let go and don't worry too much about the taboo of "borrowing" great songs are in your future. Throughout history all the famous composers borrowed. It was not until the late 1900's that "borrowing" is sometimes thought of synonymously with plagiarism. All the music you like would have never been written if the writers had this concern. So, loosen up, have fun, and remember that music like art is never finished only abandoned.

Prince - Black Sweat

Verse

I don't want to take my clothes off but I (do)

YOU DON'T WANT ME TO BREAK YOUR HEART, BUT WHO (DOES)

I don't want to turn nobody on 'less it's (you)

SO YOU TAKE ANOTHER SHOT AND SMILE, JUST BE(CAUSE)

I don't want to dance too hard, but this is a (groove)

I KNOW THIS LOVIN'S HARD, BUT YOU GOT THE (BOOZE)

I'm hot, and I don't care who knows it I got a job to (do)

YOU'RE HOT, AND WE BOTH KNOW IT, THE WHISKEY'S GONNA (LOOSE)

Chorus

I'm (workin')

SHE'S (HURTIN')

(Workin') up a black sweat

(HURTIN') HERSELF AND EVERYONE ELSE

Verse

I don't want to break your pride but I got (to)

You better take your woman and hide her 'cuz I'm about (to)

Show you what's really (good)

Break you off like you knew I (would)

I got a brand new dance and it's called the ...

First I need to know weather you want it to

sound like a new country song or an old country

song.  If you want it to sound new write about

yourself and how you feel.  To make it so that

your the third person. what i mean by that is

dont write about yourself write so it sounds like

your writing about someone else. Other than

that you just need to know what to write about

Just start playing make the words up as you go

put the music on a recording device and when

you come up with something that you like you

just need to write it down and then go from there.