Tuesday, July 15, 2014

JOY of Pseudo Rhymes in Songs ... by DianaDee Osborne

We learned it around 3rd grade:
           Make your poem rhyme,  above all.
We kept remembering it after high school:
           When writing songs, make the lyrics rhyme, above all.

EXCITING NEWS!  You don't have to make true rhymes in songs!
No more struggles to rhyme the next song line with 
               "The /  orange flow- er /  bulb _ _ / ....
Pseudo rhymes work fine in songs especially...
     the music helps to obscure the lack of perfect rhyme.

So in the above example, your 3/4 time song can continue,
               "The /  orange flow- er /  bulb _ had /
                           the wrong la-   /  bel,  __ so
                           in the spring    /  it bloomed  hot
                           pink."  __  __  /  __  __  __    :)     
 obviously a humor song!                    

Much joy to you in growing your music!
©2014 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved - BUT feel free to share with copyright info.
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Monday, April 14, 2014

Easy Way to Make Your Own Song Melody Loops

Here's an EASY WAY TO WRITE A SONG by
MAKING YOUR OWN SONG MELODY LOOPS
This hint is for those who use a home studio...

1.  Sit at your keyboard or whatever instrument you use to record music
into your computer. Bring up your program and in a new file, create a track.

2. Hit Record and "Just Play" -- With a metronome / click track, to keep in time.

3.  Make all the notes "quantized" -- see my GARAGEBand HINTS blog for instructions... to make each quarter note exactly equal 1 count, not 1-1/8th!
             Click here for blog instructions:         HOME STUDIO HINTS

4.  Divide into sets measures, in places where you change to a new chord or pattern.
Be sure that "Snap to Grid" is on     (see blog if needed), 
and that you divide measures in front of Count 1 for each measure.

5.  For each section of chords or patterns:   Make a new track for each
division (Step 4) by creating a DUPLICATE TRACK.

6.  Move each section onto its own individual track. I like to label the tracks, such as  
F# minor riff   for one section,  A major riff     for another...

7.  "Play dominoes" -- In a NEW TRACK, start randomly 
copying pieces, sometimes duplicating them so melodies repeat.
Delete what you don't like, add more that you do.
Then, after you have a basic music track of what you like:

8.  Add any fills in between pieces -- whatever you like...
Flute or violin, bass...  Just have fun! It's called  PLAY music!
=============

HINTS FOR ABOVE STEPS, to go directly to my blog:
"Why won't that STUPID Track Split Right???"  --    CLICK  HERE   :}

"ENHANCE TIMING HINT 1"  --    CLICK  HERE   :}
"ENHANCE TIMING HINT 2"  --                               CLICK  HERE   :}
Much joy to you in growing your music!
©2014 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved - BUT feel free to share with copyright info.
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Saturday, March 8, 2014

Sometimes Smush Song Syllables

Sometimes you need to spread out syllables
in your song lyrics  so that you can enunciate well at the tempo.
But sometimes you need to smush syllables together.
Long time spaces between  syllables -- especially in  slow song --
might give the song listener a few moments to reach a
    wrong guess    about what the next word will be....
       and like in conversations,  we do often "fill in the blank" and
       ANTICIPATE (Guess)  what the next song WORD might be -- 
              with the extra clue that it probably rhymes! -- then we should
be sure to    make those syllables closer together in time.     

Since it's hard to explain the very important concept, here's an example
for a rather slow 4/4 time prayer song to God 
                             (Psalm 119 LLW 33 He - on my website DianaDeeOsborneSongs.com ):
Each syllable is a quarter note for a steady pace:
In - cline  my heart to Your Word. __
I'd   be    self- ish   with- out You. __

As the singer slowly shares the message of the last line,
the listener has time to "fill in the blanks" with some phrase like
I'd   be    self- ish  with  the  LORD   (rhymes with line 1).

Obviously that concept does not match what's in the Bible.
Easy quick fix:   Sing the words "selfish" and "without"
         as 1/8th notes  instead of steady quarter notes:
In - cline  my heart to Your Word. __
I'd   be  (self- ish) __ (with- out) __  You. __

That also gives an energy to the slow song... and
a  dramatic pause that emphasizes each key word.

Much joy to you in calculating strategies into the lyrics for your music!
©2014 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved - BUT feel free to share with copyright info
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Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Busy Songs To Avoid... by DianaDee Osborne

How do you get all of your message into one song?
It's a big temptation to try to do.
After all, your goal is probably more than money as a songwriter.
You're an intelligent person with lots of ideas.
NO one thinks exactly as you.  So ....  how do you
       share all your ideas  in your own unique song?

Probably, you can't.  But hey, this is good news!
          It just means you get to write a 2nd (or etc.) song!

Hint... not from an "expert" but from a fellow musician with some experience.  There are over 300 full samples that you can hear at no cost at my website (click on link below).
EXAMPLES   at   DianaDeeOsborneSongs.com      (link)      
       All are copyrighted, but you may use privately    (see ABOUT US tab for details):
  
Specific Song Example,  copyright 2014 by DianaDee Osborne; all rights reserved
LO  AND  BEHOLD  BLESSINGS      Click here for lyrics

I began this gospel style fusion rock song planning to use the following pattern:
   Verse 1:      This Morning I woke up, Put my feet....   [what happened]
   Verse 2:      This Afternoon, I ....  [what happened]
   Verse 3:      This Evening, I .....    [what happened]

But what I found was that many things fit into morning activities that could have been perceived as blessings -- too many to fit into a single verse.
And two verses per time period?  No, a  6-verse song can annoy listeners...
          especially if each time period was followed by a chorus!

So, to avoid being too "busy", I limited this song to only
 "THIS MORNING"  for each verse.
Afternoon and Evening must wait 'til another day, another song:)
 I suggest that you too may want to avoid   "BUSY"  songs,      
       to better    share  the  HEART  OF  YOUR  MESSAGE          
                            to your  future song  listeners.                          

Much joy to you in designing art patterns  into your song lyrics! 
--------------
©2014 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved - BUT feel free to share with copyright info.
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Thursday, January 16, 2014

Easy Way to BLOG Draft Song Lyrics

Hello!  The following songs are listed on my blog 
                     DianaDee Osborne Song Stories
that is linked to my  main  website:  
         http://dianadeeosbornesongs.com/Home.php
BUT  these do not yet have completed music.

For SONGWRITERS -- This is a very efficient way to 
(1) Publish AND thus copyright protect (because publication date is included) drafts before you have completed the music;  and
(2) Keep a Record of what songs you still are working on!
It's easy to lose track when you are always getting ideas for new songs!    
                                      May you find much joy in knowing this:
  NOTHING  is  impossible 
when you humbly ask God to help you.  Philippians 4:13, "I can do ALL things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me."

And I'll add that   EPHESIANS 3:20-21    is a KEY PROMISE FROM GOD in my Life:
 God "is able to do FAR MORE THAN WE ASK OR THINK"
(for HIS glory, verse 21).  I assuredly never would have dreamed even 5 years ago that God would honor me with developing...
I think the 2 studios have now recorded close to 350 songs that I wrote and prepared initial music tracks for -- with COMPLETED, partially mastered song recordings now.
           I quit counting... No need. It's God's Working.

BLOG  DRAFTS  LIST   Example:  
As always, all information on this blog is copyrighted.
Example also shows update to  existing list when a song's lyrics are recorded:
This entry is copyright 2014 by DianaDee Osborne, all rights reserved.

CLICK ON LINKS to go directly to song lyrics:

Gonna Be One Of Those Days (song lyrics), by DianaDee Osborne  1-15-2014 

EARLIER LYRICS drafts-- MUSIC STILL BEING WORKED:

     (oops- gotta compare and delete one!  This is ALSO good way to find duplicates!)

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Friday, June 7, 2013

How to DESIGN song lyrics: PATTERNS.... by DianaDee Osborne

        I like patterns and logical flow.  
So in many "DianaDee" songs, you'll see verses develop using similar words but deeper meaning as the song moves forward.  This blog will use as its example my 2009 song "Standing On My Knees".  To obtain the AUDIO ONLY  download (FREE),  CLICK HERE .

To obtain the written lyrics as well as a link  for the audio (still free),
         CLICK HERE   .

1)  In this song is a pattern of physical position: 
       Stand >  Walk > Sit > Lie.  Notice that I also used logic in the order...
       You must Stand before you can Walk.
       After you walk, you may be tired and want to Sit.
       And,  most often,  you will sit before you Lie down.

2)  This song also takes a lyric line that expands a concept  as the song develops.
      "Protect me from THOUGHTS that hurt you"    is expanded through the verses to
              "..... WORDS.....   DEEDS .......  A  HEART. "

But often I will create a cohesion among the verses.  For example, in this song,
  I  begin with a concept that is common to every verse   
            ("HOW YOU AWE ME, MY GOD") 
 and then circle them back to a common conclusion   
           ("I need YOUR help lest I hurt You"). 

==============================================================
FULL EXAMPLE:
STANDING ON MY KNEES,  ©2009 DianaDee Osborne,  all rights reserved.
1
I stand on my knees in awe of You. Though I must stand, still my heart prays.
When I think about all that You have been, though standing, my heart kneels in praise.
HOW YOU AWE ME, MY GOD!  No words can explain
the peace and great joy you bring me!
Please rest in my love, I beg on my knees.
   Protect me from THOUGHTS that hurt you.   
I need YOUR help lest I hurt You.

2
I walk on my knees in awe of You. Though I must walk, still my heart prays.
When I think about all that You promised, though walking, my heart kneels in praise.
HOW YOU AWE ME, MY GOD! No words can explain
the peace and great joy you bring me!
Please rest in my love, I beg on my knees.
Protect me from WORDS that hurt you.
I need YOUR help lest I hurt You.

3
I sit on my knees in awe of You. Though I must sit, still my heart prays.
When I think about all that You have done, though sitting, my heart kneels in praise.
HOW YOU AWE ME, MY GOD! No words can explain
the peace and great joy you bring me!
Please rest in my love, I beg on my knees.
   Protect me from DEEDS that hurt you.     
I need YOUR help lest I hurt You.

4
I lie on my knees in awe of You. Though in my bed, still my heart prays.
When I think about all that You shall do, though weak in bed, still my heart prays.
HOW YOU AWE ME, MY GOD! No words can explain
the peace and great joy you bring me!
Please rest in my love,  I beg on my knees.
   Protect me from a HEART that hurts you.   
I need YOUR help lest I hurt You.
==============================================================
Much joy to you in growing your music!
©2013 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved - BUT feel free to share with copyright info.
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Saturday, May 11, 2013

Creating a Pattern Track ..... by DianaDee Osborne

One of the old jokes about country songs:
All you have to be able to play are the chords  G, C, and D.
Not a very humorous joke.... but sometimes this GCD skeleton is the basic type of structure for a song. 

 On a short, easy song, it's easy to record a rhythm guitar track and then add lyrics on the vocal track.  But for a longer song, I myself keep "getting Lost"... losing count of how many times I played that C chord before the next chord change.

 I've found this hint to be more work at the start, but tremendously easier in the project development:  
Simply 
1.   Sing   a DRAFT vocal track WITH the guitar, recorded as one track.  

2.   Then go back and -- using this  (draft) PATTERN TRACK along with your CLICK track in the headphones,  record the guitar track.  You can easily hear chord changes in the Pattern Track.  No more counting measures to remember how long to play one chord before the next change.

 3.  Finally,  using the new guitar track, record your vocal track  as usual.

EASY 2nd hint --  If desired, sing verse 1's words for every verse of the pattern track.  You don't care about words for this disposable track anyway.... and it's less distracting as you play the "real" guitar track.

Much joy to you in growing music easily without getting lost in the chords!
©2013 DianaDee Osborne;  all rights reserved
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