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Whether you're writing poetry or
lyrics there are a few tricks that can help to ensure you
capture good ideas, refine them and can help you add that
finishing touch to make it special.
The list below is by no means exhaustive
and you can pick and choose which to use or try. If you know
of any others send me an e-mail.
1. Always have a notebook to hand to jot down those song
titles, album titles, one off phrases, couplets etc. I have a
pen and a pad in most rooms of the house, next to the bed, in
the car and in my briefcase! If you think of a good idea write
it down. Review your notepads every month or so to consolidate
your ideas and incorporate them into your work.
2. As well as writing about what you know, try generating
ideas from areas that you aren't as comfortable with. For
example, write down your dreams. Write down the conversations
that take place in your dreams. Use words or phrases that
other people use but you don't. A good source of these are
films (old and new), news broadcasts, adverts, newspaper and
magazine articles. All of these will help add diversity to
your lyrics or poems and make them more interesting. |
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3. Think who is narrating your song. Is it you?
Is it a character commenting on another character? If you are male,
try writing a song from a woman's perspective etc. Make your
narrator the bad guy trying to get his point of view across. In 'Jesse
Garon' the narrator is Elvis imagining a summer with his twin
brother, had he lived. In 'Let
the good times roll' the narrator is a guy in prison who is
remembering the old days and dreaming of being free again.
4. Past, present or future. When do the events in your poem or lyric
take place? Rather than writing about a love affair that has gone
horribly wrong (which most of mine seem to be!), try writing about a
relationship that is about to happen, what the future holds for both
of you. Examples of these are 'Capo
4th Fret' and 'Let
me Fall'. Check out the lyrics.
5. Analogies are a good way of getting an established idea across in
an interesting way. In 'There's
no such place as Russia' the end of a love affair is played
against the collapse of the Soviet Union. Try to weave two ideas
together, one real, one imaginary.
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6. If you usually work alone, try to
collaborate. Often your weaknesses will be somebody else's
strengths. They may also be able to play a different
instrument and help take the music in a different direction.
You could also try to write a song for two singers (or
characters) with different points of view on the same event or
tell a story with both characters commenting. This often works
well with a male and female singer, but it's not essential.
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7. If you mainly write chords and riffs on a
guitar, try using a capo to get a different sound and to help you
play in different keys. This will help to prevent your songs
sounding too much the same. Also, experiment with strumming or
picking the guitar near the bridge, over the sound hole and on the
12th fret to generate different sounds during a song.
8. If you've written the chords for the verse and chorus but are
struggling for the middle 8 or bridges, try playing the chord
sequence backwards. They usually fit! Then try playing this to a
slightly different rhythm.
9. Analyse your favourite songs or poems and try to understand why
they work. Who is narrating them? What's the story? Break them down
into their individual parts and try to construct your own songs in
this model.
10. Listen to as many diverse types of music as possible. Also go
back in history and listen to the great singers and bands of the
50s, 60s and 70s. Try to understand what made these artists so well
respected. Also, read traditional and modern poetry and try to have
a broad understanding of the techniques these poets use. I also make
a point of reading different newspapers and magazines to see what
style of dialogue they use. This may be useful for a character in a
song and to incorporate everyday words and phrases into my work.
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10. Listen to as many diverse types of
music as possible. Also go back in history and listen to the
great singers and bands of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Try to
understand what made these artists so well respected. Also,
read traditional and modern poetry and try to have a broad
understanding of the techniques these poets use. I also
make a point of reading different newspapers and magazines to
see what style of dialogue they use.
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| This may be useful for a character in a song and
to incorporate everyday words and phrases into my work. |
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