OK, say you have a basic idea of what words you want in your song... but how do you decide WHICH words? Here's one very, very useful hint from personal experience: DO NOT LOCK YOURSELF into your originally selected words... Be flexible. After you have written the music and start fitting the lyrics syllables into the music (see earlier blog Lyrics 101a), test the words to be sure you or someone else can actually sing them with that music. Be willing to change them if needed. Surely some other wording can get across the same point?
Remember those old tongue-twister riddles of your childhood? "She sells sea shells by the sea shore"? Well, some word combinations are just as hard... especially when you try to fit them into music. A practical example from my current song in progress, "Amniotic Rest":
ORIGINAL WORDS, in 4/4 time showing one measure per line (eight 8th notes), where an underscore shows a half-count rest note:
"Mark __ 9's ex-am-ple that God
un-der-stands my ques-tion-ing __"
Those are great words, referencing a cool story in the Bible, in Mark 9:24 where Jesus didn't zap the guy for saying he didn't quite believe Jesus... Jesus simply healed the man's child. Sadly, my head disagreed with this wording for the lyrics as I tried to sing this-- even in a rather slow song. I had just a half-count to breathe before starting the next line, even if I managed to shove all of those syllables into two measures without stuttering.
RE-WRITTEN WORDS that are far easier to sing;
"Mark _ 9's __Word __God __
un-der-stands my doubts __ __ __"
This says the same and basically misses only one word, "THAT God understands..." In our common language, our head will hear that word anyway, so there's a needed rest by deleted an unnecessary little word "that." And don't be afraid to change your lyrics at the last minute: So often I've gotten to the studio to record a song and found myself tongue-tied trying to get out a line that seemed to work at home during practice. Hey...it's your song, you get to enjoy making any changes you want!
By the way-- ONLY you can change the lyrics if you've copyrighted your song.... see future blogs for hints from personal experience. Much Joy in Easy Songwriting to you!
©2011 DianaDee Osborne.com
Monday, May 30, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Lyrics 101 a: Accented counts
How do you know where to divide a word in your melody? Each syllable needs a note, but which note? (see 101b) Which count? In all time signatures, count 1 gets an accent, so put accented syllable there if it fits. Example: "Resounding drum crashes puncture the air."
(1) Since "-sound-" is the accented (louder) syllable of the the first word, it needs to be on count 1. So "Re-" is the last count of your previous measure. At this point, it doesn't matter if it's 3/4 or 4/4 or etc. time.
(2) Both "crashes" and "puncture" are cool color-packing words. Which goes on an accented count? This is where you the songwriter get to decide your time signature -- how many counts will be in each measure. But first: WHAT is an accented count? Quick guide below:
Accented count just means which one is louder, which helps you keep the beat.
-- 3/4 time (also called waltz time since you can sway to it... think of cobra dances:), puts the accented count first, on 1 so you have (LOUD soft soft), Lss, in your measure.
-- 4/4, Count 1 is louder but count 3 is medium loud, more than others, not as much as Count 1: LsMs.
-- 6/8 time is similar to 3/4 except that the 4th count is not as loud as the first: LssMss.
-- 7/4 time is a cool off-beat I love for my rock songs... LssMsss OR you can choose LsssMss. Just add up to 7.
These all assume "quarter notes" but that's perhaps TMI (too much info... not really needed unless you want to count half notes in 2/2 time, etc..... let's not, shall we?!)
(3) So, back to the question, which syllable do you next accent in: "Resounding drum crashes puncture the air"? It's your fun as the songwriter to decide what sounds good to you, what matches the 'music in your head'. Here are some possibilities, where underlines represent music rests:
EXAMPLE 1 ... 3/4 time (3 counts per measure)
Emphasize the syllables "CRASH" and "PUNC-ture" and AIR:
___ ___ Re-
SOUND- ing drum
CRASH - es ___
PUNC- ture the
AIR ___ ___
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXAMPLE 2 ... 6/8 time sounds milder.
Emphasize only the syllables "PUNC-ture" and AIR:
__ __ __ __ __ Re-
SOUND- ing drum Crash- es __
PUNC- ture the Air __ __
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXAMPLE 3 ... 4/4 time (4 counts per measure)
__ __ Re-
SOUND- ing __ __
DRUM crash- es ___
PUNC- ture ___ the
AIR __ __ __
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXAMPLE 4 ... 7/4 time (suggested for hard rock)...
and this example begins differently, on RE, for different feeling,
and the accent is heavy on count 1, somewhat heavy on count 4:
RE- sound- ing __ Drum crash- es
PUNC- ture __ __ Thun- der through
AIR split- ting Ears of all....
HINT: it is easier to write 7/4 songs against a drum machine to be sure you put the syllables where they make the most impact... if you can program the beat to give a slight accent to either count 4 or 5. However, the built-in metronome accents only count 1 since it doesn't know whether you'll be giving the slight accenting to 4 or 5.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHICH example is right or best? There IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG. Hey -- this is YOUR song... Enjoy! Create whatever music your hear and want to share. And it's a joy for me to share ideas that might bring you Joy in Easy Songwriting for Us all.
--DianaDee Osborne ©2011
www.DiDoReflections.com has free examples with downloadable MP3's, templates, easy text-based music notation method.
(1) Since "-sound-" is the accented (louder) syllable of the the first word, it needs to be on count 1. So "Re-" is the last count of your previous measure. At this point, it doesn't matter if it's 3/4 or 4/4 or etc. time.
(2) Both "crashes" and "puncture" are cool color-packing words. Which goes on an accented count? This is where you the songwriter get to decide your time signature -- how many counts will be in each measure. But first: WHAT is an accented count? Quick guide below:
Accented count just means which one is louder, which helps you keep the beat.
-- 3/4 time (also called waltz time since you can sway to it... think of cobra dances:), puts the accented count first, on 1 so you have (LOUD soft soft), Lss, in your measure.
-- 4/4, Count 1 is louder but count 3 is medium loud, more than others, not as much as Count 1: LsMs.
-- 6/8 time is similar to 3/4 except that the 4th count is not as loud as the first: LssMss.
-- 7/4 time is a cool off-beat I love for my rock songs... LssMsss OR you can choose LsssMss. Just add up to 7.
These all assume "quarter notes" but that's perhaps TMI (too much info... not really needed unless you want to count half notes in 2/2 time, etc..... let's not, shall we?!)
(3) So, back to the question, which syllable do you next accent in: "Resounding drum crashes puncture the air"? It's your fun as the songwriter to decide what sounds good to you, what matches the 'music in your head'. Here are some possibilities, where underlines represent music rests:
EXAMPLE 1 ... 3/4 time (3 counts per measure)
Emphasize the syllables "CRASH" and "PUNC-ture" and AIR:
___ ___ Re-
SOUND- ing drum
CRASH - es ___
PUNC- ture the
AIR ___ ___
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXAMPLE 2 ... 6/8 time sounds milder.
Emphasize only the syllables "PUNC-ture" and AIR:
__ __ __ __ __ Re-
SOUND- ing drum Crash- es __
PUNC- ture the Air __ __
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXAMPLE 3 ... 4/4 time (4 counts per measure)
__ __ Re-
SOUND- ing __ __
DRUM crash- es ___
PUNC- ture ___ the
AIR __ __ __
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXAMPLE 4 ... 7/4 time (suggested for hard rock)...
and this example begins differently, on RE, for different feeling,
and the accent is heavy on count 1, somewhat heavy on count 4:
RE- sound- ing __ Drum crash- es
PUNC- ture __ __ Thun- der through
AIR split- ting Ears of all....
HINT: it is easier to write 7/4 songs against a drum machine to be sure you put the syllables where they make the most impact... if you can program the beat to give a slight accent to either count 4 or 5. However, the built-in metronome accents only count 1 since it doesn't know whether you'll be giving the slight accenting to 4 or 5.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHICH example is right or best? There IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG. Hey -- this is YOUR song... Enjoy! Create whatever music your hear and want to share. And it's a joy for me to share ideas that might bring you Joy in Easy Songwriting for Us all.
--DianaDee Osborne ©2011
www.DiDoReflections.com has free examples with downloadable MP3's, templates, easy text-based music notation method.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Lyrics 101 - Where to put word?
You've got a great melody, cool chords, cool lyrics ideas to plug into the melody. What next?
WHERE YOU PUT WORDS will change your song's sound and meaning! People hear the emphasis of the keyboardist... so that's where important words fit well. (Notice that the drummer is often on alternate counts - like 2 and 4 in 4/4 time).
3/4 time is easy... start the word on count 1. If it has more than one syllable, put the emphasized syllable on count 1. Example: REFLECTIONS would put RE on count 3 of the previous measure and FLECT on count 1 and IONS on count 2. Little words and syllables are best on count 3.
6/8 is similar except there is a bit less emphasis on count 4 (123456) than on the count 3's (123123). This works well for SHUFFLE patterns to avoid dotted notes. (If you don't understand that, you'll enjoy using 6/8 for irregular shuffle beats.
4/4 time - Impt words still start on 1, and there's a slight emphasis on count 3.
2/4 time - Impt words start on 1, and every other syllable is getting emphasis.
HAVE FUN! More hints at DianaDeeOsborne.com/Resources
WHERE YOU PUT WORDS will change your song's sound and meaning! People hear the emphasis of the keyboardist... so that's where important words fit well. (Notice that the drummer is often on alternate counts - like 2 and 4 in 4/4 time).
3/4 time is easy... start the word on count 1. If it has more than one syllable, put the emphasized syllable on count 1. Example: REFLECTIONS would put RE on count 3 of the previous measure and FLECT on count 1 and IONS on count 2. Little words and syllables are best on count 3.
6/8 is similar except there is a bit less emphasis on count 4 (123456) than on the count 3's (123123). This works well for SHUFFLE patterns to avoid dotted notes. (If you don't understand that, you'll enjoy using 6/8 for irregular shuffle beats.
4/4 time - Impt words still start on 1, and there's a slight emphasis on count 3.
2/4 time - Impt words start on 1, and every other syllable is getting emphasis.
HAVE FUN! More hints at DianaDeeOsborne.com/Resources
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Easy Lyrics - Basic Introduction
How do you decide which word? A hint I've learned amid much laughter in front of a microphone trying to stumble through my poorly chosen lyrics:
Sing your words a lot before locking into those specific word choices. You don't want to struggle with tongue twisters like I finally changed in CALCULATED TRUST. Just try singing clearly my original line 2c---- “set six cells in one spreadsheet...” and "last cell." Ouch. Not yet recorded but will be soon. Free music sheet shows final, sing-able! word selection:
http://www.didoreflections.com/song/calculated-trust
Have fun with Easy Songwriting!
©2011 DianaDee Osborne.com
Sing your words a lot before locking into those specific word choices. You don't want to struggle with tongue twisters like I finally changed in CALCULATED TRUST. Just try singing clearly my original line 2c---- “set six cells in one spreadsheet...” and "last cell." Ouch. Not yet recorded but will be soon. Free music sheet shows final, sing-able! word selection:
http://www.didoreflections.com/song/calculated-trust
Have fun with Easy Songwriting!
©2011 DianaDee Osborne.com
Where can you find Song Inspiration?
Many people ask "how do you get the inspiration for a song?" The answer: pretty much anything can. Helpful ideas:
10-001. SONGWRITING INSPIRATION - journaling. If an idea comes, write it down! Many songs aren't written until months after the initial idea... which was re-found by flipping through a journal. Any notebook, including electronic ones, that works for you.....
10-002. SONGWRITING INSPIRATION - nature.
Just look around you for fun or for deep song ideas! The humor song HERE KITTY was inspired by calling two cats that were both crying for me: one came, the other didn't. Add some personal concept message, and you've got a great song foundation!
10-003 SONGWRITING INSPIRATION - Books of quotations
Books full of quotes can jog a lot of lyrics ideas. Be wary of recent authors; their material probably is copyrighted. Thomas Hardy's old poem inspired the autobiographic reflections that turned into the song using Hardy's title -- IMPERCIPIENT (Amazing Big Words 'n' Big God album, at www.DiDoReflections.com).
10-001. SONGWRITING INSPIRATION - journaling. If an idea comes, write it down! Many songs aren't written until months after the initial idea... which was re-found by flipping through a journal. Any notebook, including electronic ones, that works for you.....
10-002. SONGWRITING INSPIRATION - nature.
Just look around you for fun or for deep song ideas! The humor song HERE KITTY was inspired by calling two cats that were both crying for me: one came, the other didn't. Add some personal concept message, and you've got a great song foundation!
10-003 SONGWRITING INSPIRATION - Books of quotations
Books full of quotes can jog a lot of lyrics ideas. Be wary of recent authors; their material probably is copyrighted. Thomas Hardy's old poem inspired the autobiographic reflections that turned into the song using Hardy's title -- IMPERCIPIENT (Amazing Big Words 'n' Big God album, at www.DiDoReflections.com).
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Fun Songwriting - Odd Melody Notes
Afraid you'll goof when writing your songs? There's NO wrong way. Hey, it's YOUR song. Here's a fun hint that might help you find JOY in YOUR music for the World! --
USE ODD NOTES. Be different in *yYyour* way, your uniqueness of ideas!
1. Deliberately throw odd notes into your melody that are not in the scale of your chord. I accidentally left the sharp mark off an F in song Claxton and I recorded last night, FEAR FREE PRAYER (http://www.didoreflections.com/song/fear-free-prayer). While practicing, I tried that weird F note I'd typed into the interlude melody line. It was a really cool mistake, maybe even God-guided?
2. Really weird, unexpected (not in the scale!) notes create a dark mood for dark words like fear, sorrow, sin, or pain. Odd notes add excitement to your song--- avoid ho-hum predictable melodies.
USE ODD NOTES. Be different in *yYyour* way, your uniqueness of ideas!
1. Deliberately throw odd notes into your melody that are not in the scale of your chord. I accidentally left the sharp mark off an F in song Claxton and I recorded last night, FEAR FREE PRAYER (http://www.didoreflections.com/song/fear-free-prayer). While practicing, I tried that weird F note I'd typed into the interlude melody line. It was a really cool mistake, maybe even God-guided?
2. Really weird, unexpected (not in the scale!) notes create a dark mood for dark words like fear, sorrow, sin, or pain. Odd notes add excitement to your song--- avoid ho-hum predictable melodies.
Friday, June 4, 2010
DianaDee Fear-fighting song... free download
Free song to download for fighting fears. www.didoreflections.com/song/fear-free-prayer.Awakened early praying for dear friends who are fighting fears. Not being very 'full of wisdom', I'd been praying hard for God's wisdom on how to share my thoughts with them.
Immediately thought of the scriptures used in this song. Wrote the lyrics in about 15 minutes. At the keyboard, the melody took about 6 minutes at the most. Written music was online three hours later (both lyrics and music files), and the audio was recorded at the studio the same night and put online at DiDoReflections.com.
God our Heavenly Father DOES play favorites with His children---- We are EACH ONE His favorite child! When you ask God for wisdom, God SHALL answer. “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23. God's PROMISE to you in
Jeremiah 33: 3 (an easy verse pattern to remember!): 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.' ”
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