Listen To Your Listener

   Think about your listener. What would your listener want to hear? Would they want to hear a stressed out, heartless song about pancakes? No, or maybe they would, who knows? Chances are they are going to want to hear you express yourself in an intimate way. Your particular individuality on the current landscape of personalities and lifestyles is exactly what they want out of your music. They want to incorporate it into their landscape of personalities and lifestyles. Bottom line, listen to your listener, but don't forget about yourself. There should be a balance.

Listen to Yourself

   What do you want to accomplish with your song? What picture do you want to paint with your lyrics, and melody? What kinds of setting or situation do you think your music will be most appropriate? Is your music party music? Is it calm music? These are all relevant questions when trying to understand what you yourself want out of your music. Personally, I would always want to portray my true self, and the heart and soul that can be tapped into when giving thanks, and meditating upon the original concept or story I am trying to tell. I think people are attracted to a song that has a good storyline, or a lesson to be learned. Identify with your everyday personality, and chances are you will be identifying with a lot of other people too. Just be yourself.

Keeping The Balance

   It's important to just not think, and to live in the moment. I shouldn't worry about keeping the balance too much because I know within my conscious mind, it's almost as if it's a muscle memory built into my minds eye. The new technology of consciousness as a collective memory will continue to elude the common musicians communication of intangible experience. So don't worry to much about keeping the balance. Just have fun, and be true to who you are deep down inside of your soul.

  So next time you're stressed out, and you're trying to get a song written. Go for a walk, do some breathing exercise, if you believe in God, say a prayer. Or better yet, turn it all around and use your bad experience to write a satisfying song to help you remember rainy days. Just remember...

"Clear your mind and something will come to it."

Well, okay some people may not be musically inclined or can't hit the right note most of the time.  But the truth is, all these people need is just some good old fashioned practice.  Yes, that's right practice makes perfect.  If you can't get it right the first time, then probably you'll get it at the 100th time. Just like songwriting, you don't get it the first time and have a number 1 hit.  It takes time, effort, and lots of love for music and your message.  Here are some songwriting tips that should help you in your songwriting journey:

S - sing always

O - orchestrate inspiration

N - note take

G - gather inputs

Sing Always. Yes, sing in the shower, sing in the garden, sing while working.  Sing, sing, sing.  As you do this, try singing or humming a new tune.  Do this habitually.  Sing a new song everyday, regardless of its structure and logic.  Just get the knack of always creating new melodies.  What's even more important is to record your songs.  You can use a portable cassette recorder or if your cell phone has a recording feature, go ahead and record your tunes.  Anytime, you can go back to your tunes and plan it better until you are able to make the desired sequence, theme, and melody.

Orchestrate Inspiration. To orchestrate, according to the dictionary is "to arrange or manipulate, esp. by means of clever or thorough planning or maneuvering." Yes, we can orchestrate inspiration.  The usual excuse of people not being able to write songs is that they are "not inpspired."  I believe that inspiration doesn't just come.  Inspiration is something we set up.  Different people have different ways to be inspired.  Some plan a trip.  Some read a book.  Some surround themselves with nature. Some pray.  Some meet someone they love.  What's important is, you set yourself up and anticipate inspiration.  You don't wait to be inspired, because the thing is, it might never come at all, unless you do something.

Note Take.  It's crucial to have a little notebook that you carry always.  You'll never know when words suddenly pop up in your brain, in the most inappropriate of situations like being in school or at work.  It happens to me all the time.  Suddenly I sense a line of song lyrics.  Or words that fit in the tune I created a month ago.  Most of the time, if we just store it in our memory bank, we tend to forget and spend most of our songwriting time just recalling what it was.  Writing lyrics doesn't have to be poetic right away.  It can be written in free verse and if you want, you can improve the endings by changing it to a rhyming pattern.  Just have a notebook with you all the time.

Gather Inputs.  Some songwriters just like to keep songs only for themselves.  Not because its a private thing, but because they are afraid to be criticized.  But the truth is gathering inputs is the the only way you can improve.  If we are willing to take some blows and be humble enough to heed advice, then we can only become better.  Of course, there are some comments that are totally non constructive, this is because each of us have our own preferences in melody and message.  What's important is to get inputs from somebody you respect and it would also be good if you talk to a fellow songwriter who doesn't hold back his opinions.

Well, that's it.  Hope you learned something about songwriting.  Now, get that pen and paper and put some lyrics into that humming melody inside your head.

Closer

This is an uptempo song. This is the lead single off the cd. He seems to be talking about getting closer to a woman. It's a great song to dance to.

Nobody

This is another uptempo song. This song is about no one being better than the woman he wants. He is really channeling Michael Jackson in this song. This is also a great song to dance to.

Single

This is a cross between ballad and midtempo song. He is singing about being a single woman's boyfriend for a night and until the song goes off. Guess that's not really a long time to be someone's boyfriend.

Mad

This is a ballad. This song is about reaching out to his woman to make up since they are constantly fighting. I can see this song being the third single released. It is really good in my opinion.

Miss Independent

This is another uptempo song. It's the second single released off the cd. This song is about a woman taking care of herself. This can be a woman's anthem from a man's point of view.

Why Does She Stay

This song is a ballad. It's about a woman who puts up with his schedule and their lack of time together as well as his attitude. He really sounds like Michael Jackson in this song too. I think it's a really pretty song.

Fade Into the Background

This is an uptempo song. It's about watching his woman moving on with someone else. This reminds me of the 80s or early 90s song called “Congratulations” by Vesta.

So You Can Cry

This is a mid to uptempo song. It's a song about him being there for a woman going through a breakup.

Part Of The List

This is a ballad. He makes a list of things he misses about the girl he lost. This is another song where he sounds like Michael Jackson. This is one of my favorite songs on the cd.

Back To What You Know

This is an uptempo song. This is a song about a woman going back to the other man she really loves. I thought this song was going to be about something else. I thought it would have been about things he missed as a kid.

Lie To Me

This is a ballad. He suspects his woman is cheating on him and he doesn't want it to be true. He wants her to lie to him instead. He really sounds like Michael Jackson in this song. This is another one of my favorite songs.

Stop This World

This is a ballad. This is a love song. He doesn't want anyone to stop his love with his woman. He feels like he's in heaven and doesn't deserve the woman he loves. I thought this song would have been about saving the world or something. I didn't expect it to be a love song.

Overall

I enjoyed every song on the cd. In my opinion, there are no filler songs. There are no interludes or guest appearances with the exception of the beginning of “Single”. If you're a fan of Ne-Yo or a new listener to his music, I think you'll enjoy the cd.

First off before writing a melody try and think of lyrics first. It works very well. For some people this doesn't work but trust me it will help a lot and it works for almost everyone that tries it. Don't even get a melody try and write the lyrics. Sometimes we simultaneously sing our lyrics with a melody but try your hardest not too do this. First write the lyrics.

There are three3 main structures to a song the first one is the ABAB which A-Verse and B-Chorus. It is a very common structure in the music on the radio. The next one is the ABABC which is just a C-Bridge the bridge is usually after the second chorus. The last one is the ABC which is verse, pre-chorus, chorus

Having trouble thinking of songs to write about then just remember this. A very easy way is to tell a story in past tense such as your first girlfriend or what happen to you as a kid and stuff like that. Another one is to write a story about what's happening to you RIGHT now in the present. Like how you are mad at someone or something or what's happening on the news. Another way is to write about what might happen in the future like what would happen if you broke up with your girlfriend etc. There isn't anything that works better than the other. You can even mix these different things like tell a story in past tense then go to the present then the future etc. Mix it up.

A good song always grabs its listener. The songs that make it big are usually about Pain, Confusion, Desire, Drama, Excitement, Anger, Sorrow, Regret, and Happiness. It is very common for a songwriter to start a song in the past and then end in the present like how someone had a great time then they broke up with their girlfriend/boyfriend and now they are in despair.

Lyrics are usually able to rhyme more often than not a song will rhyme and when you are stuck on something rhyming with another word just go to a rhyming dictionary. Don't worry amateurs aren't the only ones that use this, even professionals use this like sting for example he uses one so if he can I'm sure a beginner could. Plus if a song rhymes it is much more memorable than if it doesn't.

If you can't think of anything to write about just take a break go outside and get a breath of fresh air. It is very good for your mind and sometimes you can get ideas from just what you see outside. I know i have done that and it helps a lot but it is different from person to person. Some people have to stay in their room for hours until they think of one but it is great to take a break and usually the ideas start coming as you relax. Or even when you aren't trying to write a song that's how many famous people get their songs.

A good song is a song that has an introduction for 10-15 seconds or so. If it's after that most people will get bored and turn the radio station. For the chorus you would probably want to start that in the first 50 seconds probably 40-50 seconds. These are just the songs that make it on the radio im not saying it is bad to write a 10 minute song but if you want it to be played on the radio it shouldn't be longer than 4minutes and 30 seconds.

If you happen to be stuck just trying to figure out where to get the perfect chord progression but you don't want to copy someone else's well that's your problem. Most of the tunes are have been made by someone, sometime, someplace, so your tune will never be:"original". Most melodies are re-used so instead of trying for hours and hours to figure one out just take a tune that you know and change it up a bit. Most of the famous singers do this too I actually can't even think of an artist who hasn't. If you like a certain type of music then listen to lots of that type of music and then hear what sounds good and what doesn't and use that.

Honestly there are some who stick to a "rule of thumb" approach they have learned or developed. One common critique I have seen and heard is those who believe that lyrics can be too veiled or cryptic. "If I don't get the message than the words are not good". They say that although the writer knows the message the lyrics need to be explicit, concise and/or specific or the words are not efficacious.

Why there may or may not be merit to that I have a few questions. Doesn't the age of video kind of take care of that obstacle? Why not all videos are made to explain the song, there certainly is the option of doing just that. I mean often songs from a soundtrack mean more if you saw the movie.

In fact I tend to like songs that stop short of spelling it out. With the exception of it being an experience or story of course. What I am saying is why does it matter either way? Isn't the expression coming from the writer and not the hearer? Whether we understand the intended meaning or not doesn't mean we can't love a song does it? Maybe there really wasn't a significant point to begin with. Not all art is neatly wrapped in it's presentation.

Then again although I consider myself a very good lyricist and have written songs both specific and somewhat ambiguous, I relate to the music before I listen closely to the words. Even my own songs if the music isn't happening I don't care how awesome the lyrics are.

So what do you think? Do you have to have unequivocal definitive lyrics to consider the lyrics great or do you believe a philosophical style lyric can be just as effective and enjoyable?

For example is "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" have bad lyrics cause it really has no inherent meaning? Or do you consider say "Before He Cheats" a better lyric because it has a specific point?

Personally I find them both great lyrics.

The Killers first came together in 2002. Brandon Flowers, the lead singer, had just been kicked out of his former band, Flush Response, when he met David Keuning, the soon-to-be Killer's guitarist. Flowers and Keuning got along particularly well and immediately began to collaborate and write music. Two weeks after they first met, Flowers' synth-pop background and Keuning's Oasis obsession came together to create the eventual commercial hit, “Mr. Brightside.” After composing more songs the two newfound friends decided to play a few shows, but before they could do so, they needed a full band. That is when they found ex-medical courier, Mark Stoermer, and a classical percussion major at the University of Nevada - Las Vegas, Ronnie Vannucci. On the new band's first album, each musician's distinct musical background contributed to their developing sound. Flowers was obviously influenced by his prior band's synth-pop style while Keuning was heavily inspired by Oasis. Stoermer was a trumpet and guitar player before he was asked to play in the band, as well as the son of a big band-style musician. Vannucci was classically trained and was thus influenced by classical music. These multiple influences merged to create the Killers' debut album, Hot Fuss.

Hot Fuss was released in 2004 on Island Records, and for a first album, it was a respectable effort. Although the band had not been together for a long time and each member had varying opinions about music, it successfully brought the Killers into the public eye. With Hot Fuss, the Killers managed to introduce a well-tailored new wave sound that would inspire, or spark interest in, a brief musical movement that would be christened as the 80's revival. More importantly, Hot Fuss was essentially an album with four towering singles and seven other distinct songs. It did not have fluidity; nor did it have a concept that could be applied to the album's entirety. Even band members, on several occasions, have commented on Hot Fuss's disjointed nature. For example, in an interview with the Artisan News Service, Ronnie Vannucci says, “Hot Fuss was basically a demo.” After listening to the singles off this album, it becomes clear that the singles released off of it ultimately defined Hot Fuss.

The first single, “Mr. Brightside,” features layers of synthesizers and a generally upbeat easy-to-dance-to sound. The lyrics, however, contrast the glam of the musical backdrop of the song with gloom. The song suggests that the protagonist loves a girl who has fallen for another guy. The protagonist then proceeds to imagine what could be going on between the girl and the other man. Essentially, the theme of the song is jealousy, and is well portrayed by the gloomy lyrics in the song.

The second single, “Somebody Told Me,” is a far more aggressive song, with a melody that is driven by the guitars, as opposed to the synthesizer-led melody of “Mr. Brightside.” It is also a less serious song. For example, “Mr. Brightside” can be appreciated as a legitimately worthy song, but some of the instrumental aspects of “Somebody Told Me,” are almost laughable, as well as the lyrics. The distorted guitar during the verses is something one might find in a punk song. The synthesizer intro sounds somewhat childish and ridiculous, and one could argue that the song's overall purpose is to be a radio hit. The only interesting part about the song is the bass riff. The immature lyrics succeed at being catchy, but have no further substance. The chorus,

Somebody told me,
That you had a boyfriend,
Who looked like a girlfriend,
That I had in February of last year.
It's not confidential,
I've got potential.

is clearly something not be analyzed as art, or even be taken seriously.

The third single, “Smile Like You Mean It,” features an excessive amount of synthesizers, which is a common attribute in all three other singles. Unlike their previous single, the lyrics of this song actually make a strong statement as the band references society's tendency to feign happiness only so others do not know they are having problems. The lyrics also appear to make reference to “The Great Gatsby.” Many of the song's lyrics correlate to the plot line found in F. Scott Fitzgerald's highly regarded novel.

The fourth single, “All These Things That I've Done,” is drastically different from the rest of the singles. It features a primarily gospel tone, and the band obviously focuses more so on the vocals then in their earlier released singles. The gospel influence especially stands out when the Killers, as well as a small gospel choir, begin singing, “I got soul, but I'm not a soldier.” Aside from this pro-peace section, the rest of the song seems to carry a coming-of-age theme, thus the title, “All These Things That I've Done.” Comparing all four singles off the album, one can see the aforementioned disjointedness. Brandon Flowers has even mentioned Hot Fuss only being a “collection of songs” in an interview. However, despite its lack of fluidity the album is still very good.

Somewhere along the line, the Killers realized that regardless of Hot Fuss' success, they wanted to make a change. The 80's revival movement had died out and the Killers were beginning to feel like a cohesive unit instead of an assembly of musicians. They wanted to prove that they were serious, and with their sophomore album they did just that. Sam's Town showed progression in not only lyrics, but also in their music sound. It proved that The Killers weren't all about European-sounding synthesizers and paying homage to 80's bands. Instead they released an album with a theme, and general sound that was far more ambitious than Hot Fuss.

After receiving multiple criticisms for being “the best European band from America,” The Killers wanted to be respected as an American band. The first single off of the 2006 released Sam's Town, “When You Were Young,” employs a less-produced sounding vocal track. The synthesizers, which are still present, play a significantly minor role in comparison to all the singles released off Hot Fuss. When compared to the singles off of the Hot Fuss album, there is a certain degree of authenticity tied to this song. It feels more important, and it is more important. The lyrics provide supple amounts of imagery, and are not just there for the sake of being there. It sounds like the Killers finally calmed down and left their over-the-top electro-pop behind, found in Hot Fuss, for a more serious and mature sound rooted in rock.

The second single, “Bones,” starts off with a choral sounding vocals only introduction, which is followed by guitar, drums, bass, and a short synthesizer riff. The feeling of maturity immediately ensues when Flowers' under-produced voice enters. There is also something about the lyrics that seems to connect the song itself with this place called Sam's Town. Whether it is the grandeur of the horns and string-like synthesizers in the song, or the fact that each song somehow ties into a life lived in Sam's Town, this song fits into the albums concept. It plays the part of the love song in the story.

The third single, “Read My Mind,” utilizes many similar qualities to singles off the first album, but there is still the major difference in the production of the voice. It employs the synthesizers but instead uses them as a chord instrument as opposed to a lead. The lyrics of “Read My Mind,” are not childish at all, and fit well with the other songs found on Sam's Town. It feels like it is referencing a past personal experience of one of the band members that took place in Sam's Town. It also employs a more mature language, with more descriptive words and imagery. For example, towards the end of the song Flowers' sings, “The stars are blazing like rebel diamonds cut out of the sun.” This wordiness is often found in a Bob Dylan song, or Bruce Springsteen song.

The fourth single off of Sam's Town, “For Reasons Unknown,” is an odd song for the Killers because it features multiple vocal tracks throughout a large part of the song, but the extra tracks are synthesized. The song also uses synthesizers more dominantly then most songs do on the album, however, the song still stars the lead guitar and bass. The lyrics again tie into the story of Sam's Town, this time talking about a life changing experience, or realization. The Killers are no longer singing about somebody telling them that a girl has a boyfriend who looks like a girlfriend, they are actually singing about a serious relationship issue, and show maturity in doing so.

In conclusion, the Killers have matured since their first album. With Sam's Town the Killers boldly proved to they were no longer the new kids on the block. With Sam's Town the Killers created a confident, new sound that differed in sound from their debut album. The Killers were able to move away from their over-the-top electro-pop sound to a more American sound with fewer synthesizers and less reverb on the voice. Since the Killers had already rose to the top of the charts, the band no longer felt they needed to conform to the popular sounds of the times and were able to take the music in whichever direction they pleased.

 

“A Day In The Life,” off of the Beatles' album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, is actually two separate songs mashed together masterfully using a 41-piece orchestra. Of the two separate songs, Lennon wrote one and McCartney the other. The song begins with simple strumming of the guitar, and complementing piano riffs playing in a ¾ time signature. Lennon's cheerless voice then enters, and the first line ends with an exhausted, “oh boy;” the feeling of pessimism and depression is palpable. From here on McCartney compliments Lennon's sadness with a continually descending bass riff, and Ringo Starr offers a drumbeat that seems to drags along. Then a roar of orchestral instruments crescendos into the song, and when it settles there is nothing but a bouncing piano part playing one chord steadily and a constant bass riff playing in a new time signature, 4/4.

Then an alarm sounds, and Paul enters with a cheerful voice to match the lively movement by the piano. He sings, “I woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head,” and a full sentence later he playfully pants. When McCartney's jovial contribution is finally complete, there is an epic-sounding orchestra sound on top of Lennon's "ahhs," and then the song returns to Lennon's melodramatic style. The title, “A Day in the Life,” may signify the differences between McCartney and Lennon's everyday lives. While Lennon is reading sad stories in the newspaper, McCartney is simply preparing himself for the day that lies ahead. Both Lennon and McCartney wrote their portions of the songs individually, and there is an obvious difference in both the lyrics and the aesthetics in these portions that hints at Lennon's style being more pessimistic.

Off the same album, and primarily written by Lennon is, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” The first thing that is heard is a strange sounding organ, followed by Lennon's once again nasally voice. His psychedelic lyrics are well supported by a sitar that plays the same notes as Lennon sings creating a bizarre overtone. The lyrics that are sung refer to surreal imagery, and when Lennon sings, “Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes, and she's gone,” a snare hits four times and a new time signature is introduced along with an optimistic bass riff and lyrical hook. McCartney's songwriting shines through in this portion but only for a short time. The song quickly returns to its psychedelic state. The lyrics of this song suggest the use of hallucinogens, but whether or not this is true, the beautiful girl that Lennon is looking for, Lucy, disappears whenever he is looking for her. This pessimistic viewpoint conveys the belief that something so beautiful does not actually exist; it is merely a hallucination. Although McCartney's portion does not have any lyrics that may support my argument the music he has written is laden with optimism. Lennon's music and lyrics are both extremely dreamlike, and acknowledge Lennon's desire to escape the “horrible” real world for a surrealistic one, which he can create. Similar to many of the other songs written individually, there are verses written by Lennon and a chorus written by McCartney.

The juxtaposition of McCartney and Lennon's writing styles is evident again on another single released by the Beatles. “Strawberry Fields Forever,” written by John Lennon, was released as a single alongside McCartney's, “Penny Lane,” in 1967. Looking at the two songs in comparison, “Penny Lane” is a much more delightful sounding song with some "pep" in it's step, and “Strawberry Fields Forever,” has a romantic and reminiscent sound to it. “Strawberry Fields Forever,” does not necessarily have the most depressing lyrics, nor is the saddest sounding song, but when you listen to the style of lyrics in comparison to McCartney's song, it is very pessimistic. In “Penny Lane,” McCartney describes a place in a very literal and straightforward sense, and the songs catchphrase, “Penny Lane is in my ears, and in my eyes,” has a joyful and optimistic outlook. In “Strawberry Fields Forever,” Lennon talks about everything as if it is not real and how it is easier to live with your eyes closed. The message in this song is consistently a pessimistic one. Lennon seems to be saying that the world and everything in it is bad, and the idea that something good exists in this world can only be a dream. That dream is “going to strawberry fields forever.” The idea that a happy life can only be lived in a dream world, in comparison to the idea that a single place can have such an impact on someone that it is engraved in their memory, is very pessimistic.

Toward the end of the Beatles' career there was a brief period in which Lennon was writing songs such as, “Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey,” “Glass Onion,” and “Happiness is a Warm Gun.” Which, despite some of the depressing names, are surprisingly happy when compared to Lennon's earlier material. However, Lennon continued to write depressing songs like “Julia,” a song about Lennon's mother's death in 1958. McCartney continued to write his the optimistic pop, as seen in “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” and had fun with songs like “Rocky Raccoon.” Finally, Paul publicly left the band saying only that it was due to “personal, business, and musical differences,” and the Beatles came to an end. The team of Lennon and McCartney was one of the most fascinating and exceptional songwriting duos. When placed next to each other, McCartney's playful pop makes Lennon's pessimism become apparent, however, the merging of the two styles created extremely intriguing music.

When writing a song there are a lot of things to consider at first, not just what it'll be about. “There are five elements that frame every well-written lyric: a genuine idea, a memorable title, a strong part, a payoff, and the correct form" (Davis6). No matter what your piece of art is about it should always be believable unless it is clear that what you're creating is a fantasy world. A must when beginning is as Davis says, “Consider for whom am I writing this song? Can I fulfill this song with my voice or what artist cans I imagine in my mind's ear singing these words?" Writing a song isn't like writing a paper for school, you don't have to worry about punctuation or perfect grammar which is always a great thing, especially when you're impaired!

To begin with, writing a song isn't a piece of cake. The fundamentals of music in general are something to learn before trying to write a work of art. Just like being taught how to read and write in grade school, stories weren't written by us then. “A start that pulls the listener in, establishes the who, what when, and where in the first few lines is needed" (Davis 10). When writing a song, a piece of art, consider what it is the listener should feel, the purpose of the song. A song is just like a story in a way it needs a beginning, middle, and end. There's a plot, a build up, something that connects beginning to end, a contrast. “The importance of contrast enables songs to keep fresh and original, while still sounding familiar enough to sing along with “(Josefs1). Every well-written song gives the listener an experience (Davis 10).The listener should feel what the main character is feeling. Imagery is very important in this aspect to give the listener not only a sweet sound, great vocabulary, but an amazing

Picture as an artist does. A lot of writer's foreshadow events or findings. This is a great technique to keep that fresh, original feeling. Surprising the listener even works in this aspect.

“There are three ways to surprise the listener: One being the turnaround, a last-line effect that's often accomplished by reversing a key word in the title with its antonym. Two being the discovery, the dramatic technique of which the truth of drama is not revealed until the end. Three being the twist, the same way as the discovery, withholding truth until the end with an unexpected conclusion" (Davis 13). All important steps to making this song believable and original.

The listener wants to know the meaning of the writer's song. This meaning can be implied or the interpretation of the meaning could be left up to the listener.

Getting down to business, those were just small things compared to what comes in after them. Only the correct form will support, enhance, and deliver the desired result of the song" (Davis15). There are many song forms. Having an understanding of them first will help in determining the right one, after determining the right one, work from there.

"Early in the songwriting process four decisions are made. One - What viewpoint will the story be told from? First person, second person or third person. Two- will the singer be talking to someone or thinking out loud? Three- will the action be set in the past, present, or future? Four- Will the lyric happen in a specific (implied) place or simply in the singer's mind? (Setting)" (Davis16). For this

Viewpoint information and time frame information are important to understand. It's very hard to write a convincing song if the listener doesn't know whose speaking or if it's past, present, or future. Keeping those in mind will help the structure of a song. Consider creating convincing characters to help keep everything in balance.

To keep a listener's attention there are many things to consider and follow up on. Such as simplicity, so as not to confuse the listener, keep to one idea. Clarity is also involved in this, establish the identity of a person or group of people before using he/she, or they (Davis20). Compression, don't use a bunch of little words, aim to say a lot in just a few words (Davis20). Emphasis, avoid certain things

Such as exaggeration, pluralizing and overblown clichés. Everything should be in its natural order. Coherence, a matter of logic, put all ideas in an easy to follow sequence because if the listener gets confused they will no longer be a listener (Davis21). Repetition is a must when writing a song. Repeat important words and/or lines for emphasis (Davis21). Especially the title. Unity is very critical in the songwriting process it gives a balanced/relation of parts to one

Another and to the whole (Davis24). Don't be afraid to experiment with metaphors and similes they are helpful, when having a hidden meaning within a song. The true meaning can come out with them. But, always be you when writing music because if someone else's work is created than it's not "yours" it's not original.

Write what you know, what's in your heart, as you learn more your style will change (Cobain). Words from a very talented singer/songwriter. He's always written what was in his heart and television tried to ban it.But the truth is as a writer being able to take risks is a freedom issue. A freedom of speech to express in a way never thought possible. A way not every person can do that's why it is called a

Talent.

After learning all of these different things to write a song, a song needs to be found. AS Branheny says, “Songs can be found in the simplest things such as the tones of a telephone" (Branheny4).

Let the approval of people around the world, friends, family etc. become your motivation. Inspiration is not needed if it's there great! But, it is not a must have. The craft of songwriting is described as a

Game of organizing ideas, a kind of word engineering and problem solving experience (Branheny5). A popular theory suggests that the human mind is like a computer it responds according to the way it's been programmed.

Consider the length, no less than three minutes, usually no longer than five minutes. Always have a sense of audience; imagine whom it is the singer is speaking to or for. Rhyme; don't ignore it, its needed.

There are many different types of rhyme depending on the style of music and what needs to be said, and how easy it is to match words up.

Last but not least consider the following while doing finishing touches on the work of art, a song. Range, does the actual singer have a modest, average or wide range? Scale context scale tones are used in the melody; they have a great deal to do with style.

Harmony, a very important piece of the big puzzle, unites pleasing sounds. Pulse, recurring beat if there isn't one it's hard to follow. Tempo-speed of the pulse. Meter, the way the pulses are grouped in bars. Syncopation occurs when there are rhythmic accents on the weak inner beats .Texture a finer point of distinction. These are all very important, keep in mind that with out them songs are near impossible.

Songwriting, an art itself, is highly intellectualized activity. It takes a lot of talent to build beautiful songs and a lot of thinking. There are many different things to consider. But, when starting off let all the emotions out first then rewrite or fix. A song is an

Intellectual property: There's a big piece of the writer in it each time.

First and foremost you need a strong melody. That is the lyrical part of the song that is presented by way of vocals. An instrumental song will present the melody by using a solo insturment like a saxophone, guitar, trumpet, frenchhorn, clarinet, flute, piano, etc. In fact the melody is usually the part you play with your right hand on a piano.

Many times the "catchy" part of the singing is known as the "hook". Obviously this is the part you expect most people to catch on to when first hearing the song. In fact whether people love, hate or waffle in between, the goal is for people to have at least part of your song stick in their head.

Now that you have their attention and they are hooked you need to try and reel them in. Normally unless you are a musician it is the vocals that most listeners first focus in on. So aside from having a strong "hook" you need good lyrics. Now that doesn't mean they have to be a masterpeice. They just have to be catchy and somewhat to the point. It is a bonus if they contain some emotion in the message. This way the listener is identifying with your words. Picturing or reflecting on a similar experience he or she had with these same feelings.

A simple way of looking at this is like this. Picture your song as a model home set up by a contractor. They never show you an empty house. They decorate the house as if someone is living there. Then as people go through they picture their family and their life in that house. They will obviously decorate it differently but they could relate to the way the house was presented to them.

After you have the melody and lyrics polished you can concentrate on the music that will enhance or emphasize them. It is possible that you wrote the music first and put the words to your music. You still need to go over the lyrics and melody and make sure it is jumping out of the song in a inviting fashion. People should want to sing along with your song.

As for the music it can be very simple or more challenging. Regardless of the genre' the music should "match" the lyrics. Whatever tone you are setting the two should compliment one another. Remember even if you are a monster guitar player or a great drummer the average person has to be sold on the vocals, the melody first. The more complicated the arrangement the harder it is to keep in our memory as a listener.

So as unbelievable as Mozart was for instance we only hum the simpler parts of his arrangements. Same goes for say Eddie Van Halen. The average person listens to his solos and says "wow that guy can play" not "hey was that a D Dorian scale he just used?" So the musicianship is the icing on this cake.

At the same time a better musician may be better at enchancing the melody with adept phrasing or voicing. This may manifest itself in alternate chord positions or additional accompaniment. So although this too may be icing on your cake it also may change the structure of your song and improve it to a tangible degree. There have been songs rejected at first and then excepted because of something as simple as making the piano the main instrument instead of a guitar.

Finally there is production. To some extent this is a roll of the dice. You may have a great producer but he may choose a poor direction to go in. Take a song like the "Wind Beneath My Wings". That song was actually written many, many years and recorded by numerous artists before it became a hit with Bette Midler singing it. You may or may not like that particular song but the point is you see the basic components and how they were tweaked to get the right combination. I personally do not care for that song but I have heard some of the other versions and the Midler version is so much better.

Another classic example is a song written by Daryl Hall and John Oates called "Everytime You Go Away". It was on their 1980 Voices LP. However it was in 1985 that an artist named Paul Young covered the song with a slightly different arrangment and it became a hit. It reached #1 in the US and #4 in the UK. It wasn't even a single for Hall and Oates.

If you compare the two you will see an example of all that I have explained here. The original has a nice melody and lyrics that most people can relate to but the musical arrangment although it is good it is produced in a fashion that does not bring out the emotion and overall lyrics of the song. Check it out.

One day when I win a Grammy you can look back and say "hey he did know what he was talking about". For a glimpse of what I have done you can visit my page for some sample tracks from my 2002 release.

So keep writing those songs and let me know where I can hear or get your work. Let's all support the aspiring artist.