Shown below is only a small sample of what you'll learn in the full Play New Music Tutorial. These sample pages cover the subjects:

1. Reading Writing and Playing Notation

2. How To Read, Write, And Play Drum Notation

3. General Song Structures

4. General Songwriting Tips - From Songwriting Tips Online

5. Music Industries Prefered Song Criteria

6. Technical Songwriting Blunders

7. Oblique Strategies - Creative Arranging Strategies

8.  Creating Lyrics

9. Things That Can Be Done With The Rhythm and "Meter"

10. The Criteria for the Sections of a Song

11. Placing the Sections into a Song

12. The Typical Pop Song Structure

13. General Chord Creating Structures

14. D.J-ing And Pop Music

15. Creating The Drumming of a Song

16. Guitar And Bass Guitar Fingering (Including Tuning, Bends, Hammer-on's, Pull-off's etc)

Reading Writing and Playing Notation

Music is written on a staves/staffs consisting of five lines and four spaces.

Musical symbols that name lines and spaces are clefs. The two most common clefs are: TREBLE CLEF and BASS CLEF

 Treble Clef

Also called the "G" clef because the loop at the bottom wraps around the line on a stave/staff for the 'G' note above middle 'C'

 Bass Clef

Also called the "F" clef because the dots are placed above and below the line marking 'F' below middle 'C'

When both clefs are used together the treble clef appears above the lyrics, and the bass clef below, as shown below.

Mary had a little lamb

The clefs may appear at the start of every line of notation.

The SPACES and LINES on the stave/staff with the treble clef are named as follows:

The letters of the spaces from bottom to top spell the word F-A-C-E, and the letters of the lines from bottom to top can easily be remembered by the sentence Every Good Boy Does Fine.

The SPACES and LINES on the stave/staff with the bass clef are named as follows:

The letters of the spaces from bottom to top can easily be remembered by the sentence All Cows Eat Grass. The letters of the lines from bottom to top can easily be remembered by the sentence Good Boys Do Fine Always

In the picture below both notes with ledger lines indicate middle C. (Ledger lines are lines added on above or below the lines of a stave/staff to indicate notes that are a higher or lower pitch than the notes of a stave/staff. Ledger lines are usually only written in the location of the particular notes above or below the stave/staff.)

All together on keyboard/piano through the bass and treble staves/staffs are as follows.

Also, among other instruments, the treble stave/staff may be used for guitar, perhaps with ledger lines above and below the stave/staff, while the bass stave/staff may be used for bass guitar, perhaps with ledger lines above and below the stave/staff. If however you're using notes higher than normal on bass guitar, they may be written on the treble stave/staff, with the tales of the bass notes turned down and the tales of the treble notes turned up.

The STAVE/STAFF is divided into measures by vertical lines called BARS.

Double bar lines mark the end of a section of music.

Measures are even divisions of the song that musical phrases evenly fit into, or evenly spread across, that are the length of the number of BEATS of the top number of the time signature shown below. Beats are evenly spaced points in time.

The diagram below shows some examples of notes. Notes may be placed on the stave/staff. The lines connected to the circle of the symbols should either be written up or down. If the note head is above the center line of the stave/staff then the stem goes down, when the note is below the middle of the stave/staff the stem goes up and when the stave/staff is on the middle line common practice is to draw it down. (Braeburn Software. [http://www.muspub.com/])

Tempo

You will often run into this over the beginning of a score. This indicates that the quarter note gets 132 counts per minute, (this is different to the counts of the notes explained below) and the durations of all the other notes are relative to that note. The note indicated here is usually the bottom note of the time signature, so if we were in "6/8" time, we would see an eighth note here. However, if using a normal tempo, one beat of the measure is usually about half a second long.

The different types of notes are shown below, each shown with the tail up or down, although the labels only apply to one of the symbols. Each has a duration of a number of COUNTS. Counts are evenly spaced points in time, and the duration of each of these counts is indicated by the tempo above the first measure that it applies to.

Quarter Note = One Count:

Half Note = Two Counts:

Whole Note = Four Counts:

Eighth Note = Half A Count:

Sixteenth Note = Quarter of A Count:

Thirty Second Note = An Eighth of A Count:

Sixty Fourth Note = A Sixteenth Of A Count:

The different types of rests are shown below. Each has a duration of a number of COUNTS. Counts are evenly spaced points in time, and the duration of each count is indicated by the tempo above the first measure that it applies to.

Quarter Rest = One Count:

Half Rest = Two Counts:

Whole Rest = Four Counts:

Eighth Rest = Half A Count:

Sixteenth Rest = Quarter of A Count:

Thirty Second Rest = An Eighth of A Count:

Sixty Fourth Rest = A Sixteenth Of A Count:

All Symbols

(Top)

How To Read, Write, And Play Drum Notation

The rules for reading drum notation vary a lot from publication to publication, but will be explained in the publication in which they appear. (Graham Horne, "Shearer's Music Works" Hamilton employee and music expert) The method used in this tutorial is as follows.

Drumming is written on a stave (or the European equivalent "staff") consisting of five lines and four spaces.

The drum clef denotes that the following music is not written for a pitched instrument; that the position of the note indicates the drum, cymbal, or other percussion instrument played.

The STAVE/STAFF divided into measures by vertical lines called BARS.

Measures are even divisions of the song that musical phrases evenly fit into, or evenly spread across that are the length of the number of BEATS of the top number of the time signature shown below. Beats are evenly spaced points in time.

The notes will sit on various lines of the stave/staff, indicating which drum you are to play.

All Symbols

(Top)

General Song Structures

Generally, and in brief, these are all the structures of a song taught in this tutorial. You choose a scale with a feel appropriate to the inspiration behind the song, (major and mixolydian = happy, minor = sad, blues scale = bluesy, rock/pentatonic minor = rocky etc) and to create a chord root note or slow hook-line melody, (which is the sequence of main notes that a song is based on, and is the underlying structure that may not be played on any particular instrument) choose notes from the scale in any consecutive, (or unbroken succession) usually as well as non-consecutive, orders that sound good, (Ian McLaughlin, guitar studio professional tutor) (including jumping between any strings at times, and not necessarily from low to high pitch or vice versa) repeating any notes at any time, with any, usually quite long, duration of each note that sounds good as a "musical phrase," and perhaps continually resounding for their duration, resounding for a number of times appropriate and proportional to the measures/bars, or beats of the measures/bars. A measure (or bar) is an equal dividing of a musical sequence, the measure being the length of a division, and the bar being the ending or beginning of a division, usually used on the notation stave/staff. (See "How to Read, Write, And Play Notation") Also, at the end of various measures/bars various musical parts end, and at the start of various measures/bars various musical parts start or repeat. (Campbell Duncan, Hamilton musician) A musical phrase," or just "phrase," is a sequence of notes, chords, or a harmony-line, that form a recognizable unit.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_phrase) To create bass playing it's common to just play all the chord root notes with their timing, usually in relatively lower octaves, or else you may choose any single notes out of each chord of a chord progression, perhaps notes that seem to follow on from each other. (An octave is the twelve half step distance between a given note and a note that sounds the same, in a way, but which is exactly double the pitch, and has the same letter name. ["Progressive lead guitar" by Gary Turner and Brenton White] Pitch is the degree of highness or lowness of a sound ["Collins Gem Dictionary and Thesaurus"]. A half step or semi-tone is the difference in pitch between two adjacent frets [or two frets immediately next to each other] on guitar or bass guitar, or two keys on keyboard/piano, regardless of whether they're black or white) perhaps with other notes from the same scale as used for the chord progression or hook-line, played in between the chord root notes or hook notes, in any consecutive, (or unbroken succession) usually as well as non-consecutive, orders that sound good etc, (Ian McLaughlin, guitar studio professional tutor) and it's a good idea, but not necessary, for lead bass phrases (usually sub-phrases, as explained below) to start and/or end with any octave of the note of the scale that is the same as the chord root note or hook note being played at the time of the start or end of the "phrase" respectively, or else the third or fifth scale note counting higher from and including the chord root note or hook note in any octave at the time of the start or end of the "phrase" respectively, (For an explanation of the third and fifth scale notes, see the sections about bass guitar playing below) and/or you can play improvised non-scale notes in between if it sounds good. To create lead you would usually choose notes at a fast or medium speed, usually with any short or medium duration of each note that creates a good sounding "musical phrase," from the same scale as is used for the chord progressions and bass playing, in any consecutive, (or unbroken succession) usually as well as non-consecutive, orders that sound good etc, (Ian McLaughlin, guitar studio professional tutor) but usually creating musical phrases using notes between any octave of the note of the scale that is the same as the chord root note or hook note being played at any given time, and any of its immediately adjacent octaves (or octaves immediately next to it) located higher or lower through the scale, perhaps using any notes from other octaves for the same phrase, (perhaps using the section "How To Know Where Any Note Is On The Guitar Off By Heart" below) and, as explained above, it's a good idea for the lead phrases (usually sub-phrases, as explained below in this paragraph) to start and/or end with any octave of the note of the scale that is the same as the chord root note or hook note being played at the time of the start or end of the "phrase" respectively, or else the third or fifth scale note counting higher from and including the chord root note or hook note in any octave at the time of the start or end of the "phrase" respectively, (for an explanation of the third and fifth scale notes, see the sections about lead playing below) and you can perhaps also play improvised non-scale notes if it sounds good. Chords are usually played along with, and with the timing of, each chord root note or hook note, perhaps continually resounded for the duration of each chord root note or hook note, resounding for a number of times appropriate and proportional to the measures/bars, and/or beats of the measures/bars, and they usually contain the chord root note or hook note and some of every second scale note counting higher pitch than the chord root note or hook note, (in any octaves) usually having a minimum of three notes, ("triads") and if having more than three notes they are jazz chords, perhaps either type of chord having additional duplicates of various notes in various octaves, which may be innate or necessary for certain instruments. To know what groups of chords to use for this you may need to plot out the notes of each chord before hand, and/or see the page "The Scale Tone Chord Progression Method." Also chords can have any added notes that sound good. To create drumming see the heading "Creating The Drumming of a Song" below, and to create the lyrics see "Creating Lyrics" below. Each individual simultaneous musical part of a song, or each part played or sung at the same time, may as a good idea, use "sub-phrasing." "Sub-phrases" are, usually, but not always, evenly spaced, smaller musical phrases, that form a recognizable unit, or "phrase," and that make up a larger musical phrase, that also forms a recognizable unit, or "phrase." A phrase is a sequence of notes, chords, or a harmony-line, that form a recognizable unit. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_phrase) If a musical phrase lasts for four beats of a measure/bar, or four, or a multiple of four measures/bars, and may have quite a few notes, it should usually be divided into 2, 4, 8, 16 etc "sub-phrases," using an amount of divisions appropriate to the particular musical part, (each part usually played simultaneously or at the same time) usually independent of the rest, and if a musical phrase lasts for three beats of a measure/bar, or three, or a multiple of three measures/bars, and may have quite a few notes, it should usually be divided into 3, 6, 12, 24 etc "sub-phrases" using an amount of divisions appropriate to the particular musical part, (each part usually played simultaneously or at the same time) usually independent of the rest, and so on. If it sounds good to you a sub-phrase can be repeated immediately, or later, and if it sounds good to you, two sub-phrases in a row can be replaced by one sub-phrase that takes up the same amount of time, or any two, or three (depending on whether the musical phrase consists of four beats of a measure/bar, or of four, or a multiple of four measures/bars, or three beats of a measure/bar, or three, or a multiple of three measures/bars respectively) individual sub-phrases in a row can form a small "phrase," or recognizable unit, within the larger one. Also, any sub-phrase of a musical phrase can also be divided into smaller sub-phrases, the number of which will be the same as the beats of the measures/bars, or a division or multiple of them. When a musician is playing sub-phrases, and as long as they generally work within the structures explained for their instrument, it's a good idea for them to decide from one sub-phrase to another when it would sound good to repeat any previous sub-phrase, use a variation of a previous sub-phrase, or use a contrasting sub-phrase, as explained in the section "Improvising Chord Root Note or Slow Hook-Line Melodies." These are the main things going through a musicians mind when composing. (http://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=1242) Various musical parts occurring simultaneously, or at the same time, may have the same consistent rhythm throughout a song, however to create an interesting variation using an industrial standard structure within bass-lines, chord progressions, chord root note and/or slow hook-line melodies, and (within certain songs) lead playing and lyrics, but rarely drumming, it's a good idea to create each sub-phrase with a broken up rhythm, (or "rhythmic sub-phrasing") usually consisting of two or perhaps more different rhythms played one after the other with any duration of each rhythmic part that sounds good, and from each sub-phrase to the next you can decide whether to repeat, vary, or contrast the complete rhythm of each sub-phrase. (Usually repeated throughout every occurrence of a certain section, or throughout all parts of a song.) These are the main things going through a musicians mind when composing.(http://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=1242) However repetition, variation, or contrast of the rhythm from one sub-phrase to another may occur independent of the musical phrases of those sub-phrases, using your discretion as to what sounds good. If it sounds good to you the complete rhythm of a sub-phrase can be repeated immediately, or later, and if it sounds good to you, two sub-phrases in a row can be replaced by one sub-phrase that takes up the same amount of time, or any two, or three (depending on whether the musical phrase consists of four beats of a measure/bar, or of four, or a multiple of four measures/bars, or three beats of a measure/bar, or three, or a multiple of three measures/bars respectively) individual sub-phrases in a row can form a small "phrase," or recognizable unit, within the larger one. Also, any sub-phrase can be divided into smaller sub-phrases, the number of which will be the same as the beats of the measures/bars, or a division or multiple of them.

General

There are generally two types of instrument players or singers, those who were born with an ability to easily acquire instrument and/or singing skills, and those who are motivated enough to work at acquiring them, possibly through study, and song writers can either gain enough experience from listening to, and/or playing "covers" or famous songs to be able to imagine original songs, or else from using the section "Song Creation Exercises" and/or the instrument and/or singing lessons below. Whether using techniques or intuition to improvise, or whether planning music (as explained below) you should always focus on the sound and feel of the music as opposed to focusing on the techniques or fingering themselves, and to avoid sounding clinical but to sound musical when using musical structures you should have a fresh feel and sound. To give the music personality and emotional appeal, inspiration is necessary, and may be strong, and to make the music impressive and well liked, high technical skills are important, and ideally you should excel at both, (which will make your music special and exceptional.) Although you should excel in inspiration as well as technical skills, if you desire to make your songs magical I recommend to care more overpoweringly about the feel of the music than the sound. To create songs that have melodic and harmonious qualities that you can really flow with or "get into" within the singing or various other musical parts, (or as applicable in any case) you may base various songs on genuine emotions or inspirations etc, those emotions or inspirations being proactively used directly to create the style and melodic-ness of your songs (as well as the melodic-ness and/or harmoniousness of the singing) in a way that would represent the inspiration or emotion to you, and this may dictate various techniques that you choose to use, and the inspiration, emotion, style, and melodic-ness may all be aloft or on a high plain, or you may base various songs on the melodic-ness and/or harmoniousness of the sound. Although there is no specifically defined way of being melodic, try to have a strong grasp of, and mastery over being melodic and/or harmonious within your songs.

The following are important suggestions that a musician or musical group may aspire to. Your inspiration and/or sound should have the "X-factor", be special, significant, quite unique, charismatic, expressive, and should be in good taste, and perhaps popular and highly fashionable, and perhaps having lack of clutter to the sound in a serene or dramatic way by minimizing the number of musical parts played simultaneously (or at the same time) at any given time, mentally fresh, and mentally uncluttered, (music sounds mentally freshest when it's a pleasurable release, or break from ordinary life. This is because having too much of something stimulating or special desensitizes you to it, and also makes it become mundane or common place, so it's a good idea to go for several consecutive hours or days, or several hours or days in a row, without entertainment or recreation. To play music in a special charismatic way, you may want to be imaginative and creative) natural not forced, effortlessly psyched, perhaps intensely emotional, excited, passionate, euphoric, greatly elated, having a zest, meaningful, sentimental, deeply feeling, emotionally and/or mentally sensitive, quirky, crazy, trippy, negative whenever you're compelled to be but perhaps positive whenever possible, (this last suggestion will help you to be emotionally balanced, perhaps while integrally combined with a little pride in yourself and a measure of potency) and/or completely naturally psychologised, (this last one, and various others, may perhaps be achieved by trying to feel surreal, or dreamy and emotional, in your sub-conscious mind throughout every day, perhaps by listening to surreal music) down to earth, perhaps very pro-fulfillment and non-apathetic, you may perhaps want to be profoundly on the edge, and/or deep into your playing, and it's a good idea to be in touch with your deepest and true feelings at all times, perhaps without being unduly concerned about whether it displeases other people or not, but try to make people empathize with, or understand, your point of view. Also it's a good idea to strive for meaning in music as an extension of your life, etc. All of that should show in the way the music sounds. To make "singles" that will be promoted as the feature songs of your albums, you should be emotionally driven, and if a single is intended to be fairly exciting, it's a good idea for it to sound, and for your inspiration to be catchy, quite contagious, and perhaps perky to the core. All of that isn't accomplished by having lots of practice, but by directing your outlook and approach. The following may be accomplished by having lots of practice. The sound may be very melodic, and harmonious, tight, and perhaps punchy and unpredictable, and also it should be confined to its bare, simplest elements. etc (Wiremu Kora, Huntly musician) Melodic means a sweet sounding sequence of notes, and harmonious means sweet sounding combinations of notes usually played simultaneously.

(Top)

General Song Writing Tips - From Song Writing Tips Online

The musicians mindset

Use whatever experiences you have to write songs, even if they're negative and depressing. And it's a good idea to write about daily experiences.

A structure of your song

 Parts of song structures include "verse/pre-chorus/chorus" and "verse/chorus/verse/chorus" as well as including one or more bridges and/or lead breaks. (Usually one)

Don't procrastinate, or put off, song creation, but perhaps schedule regular times to create.

Set a mood with chord sequences

Don't make your chord progressions unnecessarily complicated; the structure of a song is more important than the chords that are chosen. A song that has the same chord progression for every section may still sound like it progresses perfectly through all parts, which may be decided on when you have made the first progression and are thinking of making others (or else one or more hooks) for other sections. (Free music tips [http://www.songwritingtipsonline.com/])

Tell a Story in the Past Tense

Writing about events that have already unfolded makes it much easier as the foundation for the story is more or less already there.

Tell a Story in the Present Tense

Write about a circumstance that you are involved in right now. Are you in some kind problem or predicament at the moment? Write about it! Maybe your friends or a member of your family are in a sticky situation. Write about it. It can also, be a 'made up' story in the present.

Tell a Story in the Future

Why not write about events that are going to unfold? You could either write about something that has happened in the present and then the possible outcome of that situation, or you could simply make up a story that is set in the future. Now of course all of the above methods can be mixed and matched to suite your own individual song, and most songs actually are treated this way.This doesn't mean that if you were writing about the present, you couldn't have past references. Or, it doesn't mean that you couldn't write words pertaining to the outcome of the present. (Which is the future of course :-) Now remember, it doesn't matter what style you are writing in. It could be pop, rock, R&B, country, etc. This is a method that can be used in any genre. For now, just look at how the tenses 'flow' to each other. So now - how do you grab and sustain attention? This is all very much linked to the other elements of writing a song, (i.e. melody, structure, etc) but having lyrics that are compelling should be a priority.Rhyming makes the lyrics more attractive. Performing a story in rhyming form will make listeners distinctively remember your song.

Now here, I'm going to SHARE a TACTIC that will help you with a Rhyming Scheme:

Take an already existing song (preferably one that you are fond of) and listen to the lyrics carefully. Take note of the lyrical structure (i.e. the rhyming scheme, how many lines there are in the verse/chorus and the rough syllable count). Use the 'pattern' of those lyrics; - copying the syllable counts in each line for your own writing and match the rhymes on where they occur in the other song.   This doesn't mean you copy their rhymes. You rhyme in the same place as they have - with your own words. Do this with your any of your own chosen subjects. Many songwriters from everywhere commonly use this method. Even I can't stop using it! Use this method all you want - but there is something to consider though...

Caution: Make sure when you do complete your lyrics (and eventually your song) that you do not tell others where you drew your influence from. Otherwise, it will be 'that song' that will stay in their minds! When you practice this method often, you will do it subconsciously! It's very powerful.

Here, I'll Share Methods That Will Jump start The Process Of Creating A Melody from scratch:

Pick a song that you like and know quite well, and when you are not listening to it, hum the tune of the song. Don't sing the words, just hum the melody. This way, you will think 'melodically'. Eventually, you should force yourself to sing certain variations of the melody (i.e. completely mess around with the tune). If you play an instrument (it doesn't matter which or what level you are at) try and figure out the melody of another song on the instrument. If you figure it out easily, then mess around and change certain parts of it. Then sing (hum, la, etc) this changed melody out loud. If you can't figure it out, then forget about it! Create a melody you feel is correct! Grab a song that you don't know at all. Listen to the song once, and then listen to it again. The second time around, sing along to it. More than likely, you won't remember the tune. This is normal! What do you do now? Yup. You guessed it. Make up your own melody to this obscure song.

NOTE: This one may work better if you bought a CD of backing tracks that have no guide vocals on the songs. This way, you have to make up your own melody to a track that's already playing. Just make
sure you don't know the songs.

You have no idea how powerful this is. I've written fresh songs on one's I had no clue about!

Keeping The Melody Simple

Ah, I bet you knew this one was coming. As with the lyrics, I put the same principle on creating melody as well. There is absolutely no point in making a melody that's 'musically clever'. You're not trying to impress musicians here. What you want is to create a melody that's simple yet interesting. So how do you do this? Well, melodies often re-occur several times in a song. In fact, the verses and choruses alone will often have the tune repeating itself.

To create your own melodies for lyrics or the tune of a song you can alter a melody of another song by changing the rhythm and adding and/or taking away notes etc.

If the melody sounds worthy enough to be repeated, then you're on to something.

One: Keeping the Message Simple

Write words that connect with other people! What is the point of having the most clever, thought-out, deep and poetic lyrics if nobody can relate to them? Well, there isn't much point. If you want a song that people can 'connect' with, then keep the lyrics simple. Even the most experienced songwriters will come back to this point over and over again - keep the lyrics simple. This doesn't mean that you have to write the obvious 'catch phrases', what it does mean, is that don't let your lyrics get too complicated so that nobody can understand what you're trying to say! While I certainly wouldn't disagree with using metaphors and similes, I wouldn't use them exclusively. So just there's no need to get too fancy.

Two: Review Your Song - But Don't Get Too Critical

Many of us cringe at the thought of something that we've written. This is why there is nothing more important then listening from another persons perspective. But we always assume that we should be critical of ourselves and scrutinize every piece of lyrics, melody of chord - *especially* when we listen from others peoples ears. But should we always do this? After all, 'most people' aren't songwriters, are they? I say this - don't be too hard on yourself. Listen to the song again, but do ask yourself these basics:

A) Does my song have good structure? A verse, chorus, verse, chorus? Perhaps a mid section or a bridge? Good structure is important from a listener's point of view.

B) Does my song get across the point of what I'm trying to say? No matter how poetic or direct - does it resolve an issue? Does it complicate an issue? Whatever it's intention is. Does it justify with your end result? (This is regardless of your genre).

C) Does you song 'sing well'? No Matter what level of a vocalist you are, does the syncopation of the words suite the way your melody flows?

Remember, no matter what your song 'sounds like', you must feel that it conveys what you're trying to say - through song & lyrics. Because if you don't, it's likely that not many others will. Believe in the song, and others will believe you.

Three: Get Things Done

I don't know about you, but when it comes to songwriting, more often than so, it can be a hard time just banging out an idea. Sometimes, it feels as is there aren't enough hours in the day. I feel tired. I can't be bothered. Hell, I'd rather just do nothing.

NO! BIG mistake.

This is the WRONG approach when it comes to songwriting.

What you should focus on is 'getting things going'. Do you have a melody inside your head? Get it down on tape or Dictaphone. Do you have some lyrics? Write it down. Do you have a chord sequence or have you written some music on an instrument that you feel is silly? It isn't silly. Record it somewhere. Anywhere. It doesn't matter what you use. Tape, CD - whatever. Get it down. Put ideas down as you get them. Stop thinking and start feeling.

Bonus: Write with Yourself

Have you ever started to write lyrics and didn't finish them? Have you ever started to write a tune and then you just 'left it'? Have you ever written a few chords only to not know where to go next? Of course you have. I have too, on many occasions. So often these unfinished ideas are left in a notebook or recorded somewhere never to be seen again. This is where 'self collaboration' comes in. Usually, we barely remember what we were working on back then and this is why you should go back to these ideas. So much time would have elapsed and you will feel like you're writing with someone else's idea. You will have the advantage on gaining a perspective that you didn't have the first time around. Funny enough, with the gap of time, we can almost always tell why we couldn't finish the song in the first place. But now we see the flaws and all the cracks that we completely missed first time around - and it now seems so obvious and apparent. (Free music tips [http://www.songwritingtipsonline.com/])

Incorporating Metaphors In Your Song Writing

For those who are new to the idea of a metaphor, here's a quick definition..

A metaphor is the expression of an understanding of one concept in terms of another concept, where there is some similarity or correlation between the two.

That was taken from an online dictionary.

Here's an extract metaphor taken from William Shakespeare:

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players
They have their exits and their entrances

Now there are a gazillion metaphors used in several songs today. So many of them sound over-used and a bit too familiar. This doesn't mean it's a bad thing... but what this DOES do is open up a opportunity for us to get a little creative a think a little bit outside the box.

Before we set out to do this, let's check out these cool metaphors... (in bold)

- On and on the rain will fall like tears from the sun (Sting)

- They paved paradise and put up a parking lot (Joni Mitchell)

- Here abandoned in my fame, armageddon of the brain (Michael Jackson)

Using metaphors, that can be seen in your mind, to represent a subject, helps the audience visualize and understand your subject.

I discovered a nice little exercise recently that helped me create more metaphors then I could ever dream about. The original concept is by the author Pat Pattison.

Write down a list of adjectives on one side and nouns on another. Make sure these words are somewhat created in impulse ie. don't think about it, just write it down. Start with the adjectives...

For example:

Adjectives

smoky
refried
decaffeinated
hollow
understated

Then do the nouns... for example:

Nouns

conversion
railroad
rainbow
rainforest
eyebrows

You will find the two lists will sound very disjointed and will eventually make some pretty strange combinations. This is good.

Now, take a look at both of your lists side by side. Think about each combination for a minute. They should stimulate some pretty interesting possibilities.

Take ANY combination and try to write sentences or short paragraphs from it.

Like this:

"Since I got your phone call, everything seems dull. My day has been bleached of sound and color. Even the rainbow this afternoon has been decaffeinated".

You want to write down at least 5 short paragraph incorporating a combination from your list.

So, I would probably write the remaining short paragraphs with these combo's:

smoky conversation
refried railroad
hollow rain forest
understated eyebrows

Now, we would jumble them up into different combinations (for example smoky eyebrows) and write a sentence or short paragraph for each one. The point of the exercise is to see what overtones (linking idea's, metaphors) are produced by this blind striking of notes.

Some wonderful accidents can happen this way :-)

Remember, we aren't writing a song here. We're focusing on metaphors which we will essentially be able to use at some point when writing. You can perform this exercise as many times as you like.

You will soon be pouring with metaphors.

Enjoy,

Shamir

Kicking Lines Around With A Theme

Today I was writing with my sister in a rather unconventional method. Rather then going line by line in song format, we were focusing on a theme. The theme was contradictions.

And it didn't matter whether they were good or crap - we just needed some idea's of contradictory lines tossed out in the air so we could get inspired to then write some lyrical phrases (ie. verse, chorus, etc) and melodies.

So for example here are a couple that we came out with:

" hate to see the world go hungry but I can't wait to cook"
" hate royalty but I wanna be treated like a princess"
"have so much time on my hands but I got none to spare"
"There's no such thing as a ugly person, but my man has to be fine"

As you can see, not the best lines. We had plenty more jargon that we had written down. (of course our best gems won't be published on this blog for obvious reasons).

As we were doing this, we would talk in between cracking jokes (humor is important in a writing session... to me anyway) and every time we cracked a joke we got a new idea. We would say words and then another contradictory line would stem from that. Writing seemed very easy and almost effortless.

Having said that, perhaps the red Thai curry I cooked before hand had something to do with the mood of the mind.

Never the less, we went from not having a word on paper, to around 15 solid lines we could then edit and format. How cool is that?

It took around 45 mins for this to happen.

It would have happened within 10 mins, but remember we were joking around... AND that was the important part in the session - as I said earlier. For us, the funny chit-chats in-between fueled our inspiration and BAM - we had a theme for a new song.

So why don't you work on a theme? It could be any theme. It could be irony, pessimism, cynicalism, feel-good, etc.

I just might play on to this way of writing and do it more often. Who knows the magic that it can produce.

Enjoy,

Shamir

A Common Problem That Song Writers Face

Here is a common problem that one of my subscribers expressed recently...

"I'm 16 and the main problem is, I know what I want to write, but when I do write it down I think it sounds lame"

Now she's 16 years old, but I'm pretty sure that this problem transcends all ages.

The truth is, nearly every thing *I* put down I also think sounds lame too... at least at first. We all have to understand that in most cases you will never write a 'great song' the first time around. It doesn't happen that way.

I always jokingly tell those who are aspiring songwriters that "you aren't in the business of writing a song"....but more like... "you're in the business of editing them".

By that I mean, you're not necessarily song'writing', but rather song'crafting'. That's how you should be thinking. It's about constantly editing and re-arranging your song until you see it fit to be heard by other listeners. When you have a song down, don't just let it stop there. Trust me, it ain't finished.

There may be exceptions to the rule, but mostly - you still have work to do.

Listen to the verse... could it do with a change of melody? Does it tie in well with the chorus or Pre-Chorus? Does the song make sense lyrically? Step out of the song for a moment... would you dig the song if you were an outsider listening in? Does the song bore YOU? What could you do to change that?

Now, you don't have to go mad here. Don't nit-pick every little knock and cranny - that will only drive you crazy. Take in the first instance of what you feel could do with re-working, then DO IT. Change it up... and make it better.

Critiquing your own song is probably one of the most difficult things to do in songwriting - but it CAN be done relatively easily. It involves you really having to stand apart from your song and looking at it a little objectively. By listening to the song from other people ears can do wonders for your songwriting.

After you have done this, it's time to let the cat out of the bag... BUT only for a limited audience.

What do I mean by that?..

...I mean, you should now play your song to a fellow musician, singer or songwriter. All three if you can. If it's somebody you respect, then even better. Here's the ticket: There is no better way to drastically improve your songwriting then when you actually begin to listen to your song though another songwriters/musician's ears - of whom you respect. That's the ultimate.

In fact, I'll say that one more time so you can engrave this phrase in your mind...

There is no better way to drastically improve your songwriting then when you actually begin to listen to your song though another songwriters/musician's ears - of whom you respect.

If you don't have a friend who's a songwriter or a musician that you admire and/or respect, then go get one. Honestly. Befriend one. Develop some sort of relationship with one. FIND one. It will be the greatest move you ever make in songwriting.

Normally people who sell songwriting products (like me... I won't deny it here) won't give you that kind of info because it hinders any chance of making a sale for whatever product they are offering. But to be honest, I don't really care. I want to help, and this info WILL do that if you apply what I'm saying.

Finally, remember you will get better as you write more and more. By definition, if you do something more than often, you will get better at it. So keep at it and for goodness sakes, ENJOY it

Shamir

(http://www.songwriting-tips.blogspot.com/)

The difference between the song that makes the cut and the song that doesn't is usually a highly memorable chorus or catch-line, (also called "lyrical hook" as explained below) not the subject matter. To make the lyrical hook catchy you may use catchy timing, rhythm, and notes, perhaps as well as incorporating Ahh's, Ooh's etc. Good lyrics make a song commercial as well as credible. Repetition of lyrics makes them memorable and reduces your work. It's a good idea to get as much inspiration out as possible, and recorded or written, as soon as it comes, and go back and edit and work on it later. If you have writers block, temporarily walk away and do something else. (http://www.songwritingtipsonline.com/)

(Top)