5. Use unorthodox means.Great riffs are just waiting to be unlocked. however, you may have to do some sneaky things to find them. You can try stretches that you can barely make, and make some good arpeggios out of them, or you can make some odd chords that you don't think exist (which, they do) or play with techniques or styles that you would never use. Experiment.
6. Let your fingers do the walking.One of the best methods, is improvising. You don't even have to be good at improve, you just have to be playing. I have many great riffs made when I was talking to my friends, or watching tv. Just get relax, don't think about it and play. Just play. I can almost guarantee that one day, when you aren't thinking about what you are doing, you will come up with something that sparks your attention.
7. Unleash your emotion.The most obvious method is to play what you feel. If you are feeling sad, play the guitar, and you will most likely come up with a sad riff. A great one to use (especially if your girlfriend/boyfriend breaks up with you; or better yet dumps you. Not trying to be a jerk, but it's the truth.
8. Conclusion.To conclude, I just want to say that, these are just ideas that you may never have thought or overlooked. If you already knew about these, then all the power to you. I hope I have sparked your interest and influenced your composition skills at least a little bit. One thing I didn't mention is to try moving open chords to higher frets. You an make numerous original riffs like this. Anyway, don't give up; you'll find at least one good riff.
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Your growth
As the years go by in the life of a player, there are two kinds of growth we can experience. Both are necessary for our development as musicians and guitarists. I call them Vertical Growth, and Horizontal Growth.
Here is a common scenario. A person comes in for lessons after already playing for awhile. Maybe they have played for a year, maybe a few years, maybe many years. I say, "play something for me, something you are comfortable with". Now a few different things may happen. They may play nicely, strumming and singing, maybe even throw in a few runs. So I see that for the level they are at, they play well. I then try to find out what they are here for. "What do you want to do, that you find you can't do."
They may say "Well, I play lots of things, but I play them all the same way. I want to learn how to do chord melody solos, more interesting chords and strums, and also improve my fingerpicking so I can try some classical.". In other words, they want to move to a higher level as a player. They want to make VERTICAL GROWTH. They don't want to continue to learn new songs and play them the same way. That would be HORIZONTAL GROWTH. Everyone can always make Horizontal Growth, even on their own. You just learn more material, but you don't actually play any differently, musically or technically.
Vertical progress as a player is the tough one. It requires what is usually considered "work", although I have always found it enjoyable, although challenging. Here is another even more common scenario. Someone comes in for lessons after playing for awhile, and when I ask them to play, they make a couple of excuses, and then they play really badly! Then I ask them to play something else, and they play that really badly! This is the person unable to create Vertical Growth. The reason they cannot raise their level as a player, is because they don't know how to practice to solve problems and achieve results! Also, because of this, there is no solid foundation of technique for Vertical Growth to be built upon. So there is only Horizontal Growth, more things played the same way, in this case, badly.
Do you know how many young players I've seen who play only the beginning of a hundred songs, and play them badly? Lots. Or how many people playing classical who go from piece to piece, struggling with and mutilating pieces as they go? Lots. It is sad, and unnecessary. If you love the guitar, and are dedicated to your own development as a player, if you are dying to play the way the guitarists you admire play, you must know how to create Vertical Growth. This is done through an understanding of HOW TO PRACTICE. I am of course talking about REAL PRACTICE, not repetitive "run throughs" that only re-enforce the muscle tensions causing the problems you already have.
From my experience as a player and as a teacher, it is extremely difficult to create Vertical Growth, once bad, or insufficient practice has locked in tension and bad habits. The good news is, it is not impossible. In fact, the word difficult is not the best word. I use it only because we have such a tendency to under estimate the intensity of concentration it takes to undo past damage. A better word is challenging. And if you want to keep getting better and better as a guitarist, you'd better learn to love challenges! As Mark Twain said "Life is one damn thing after another", and that is what playing and practicing are. One damn problem to deal with after another. But as we learn to actually deal with and solve those problems, what a sweet reward we earn.
In fact, it is not the problems we face in our playing that are really the obstacle to our growth. It is the growing feeling of frustration and helplessness we experience as time continues to go by, and we see no fundamental improvement. We start to feel helpless. We may not admit this feeling to ourselves, we only notice that, for some reason, we are beginning to lose our motivation to practice.
When we learn how to really practice, we start to feel powerful. Problems and challenges don't frighten us, they excite us. Because we know that we can look forward to those problems getting smaller and smaller, weaker and weaker, as we continue to apply the Principles of Correct Practice.It is important to realize that the quality of our Vertical Growth determines the quality of our Horizontal Growth. Any ability we have gained as players has been our Vertical Growth. If our Vertical Growth has been shaky, with weaknesses built in, (which was true of myself, and I think, most players), that shakiness will be in everything we play, so our Horizontal Growth doesn't do us much good, it just keeps us busy, feeling like we are making progress because we are learning a new song or piece. This is why so many teachers turn the page and assign new material to a student, even though the student can't play the material from this week. The teacher doesn't really know how to create Vertical Growth, and so is trying to keep a feeling of movement going. Most students, if they are paying attention, will catch on to this.
If Vertical Growth is strong, than all new material learned will be strong, and will help you grow as a musician, as you absorb new music, and are able to play it well. This is the kind of Horizontal Growth we want.
If you want to learn how to have this Vertical Growth as a regular experience for you, I invite you to visit www.guitarprinciples.com and learn more about "The Principles of Correct Practice For Guitar." It is the approach I have found to work for myself, for my students, and anyone else who actually understands it, and uses it
Here is a common scenario. A person comes in for lessons after already playing for awhile. Maybe they have played for a year, maybe a few years, maybe many years. I say, "play something for me, something you are comfortable with". Now a few different things may happen. They may play nicely, strumming and singing, maybe even throw in a few runs. So I see that for the level they are at, they play well. I then try to find out what they are here for. "What do you want to do, that you find you can't do."
They may say "Well, I play lots of things, but I play them all the same way. I want to learn how to do chord melody solos, more interesting chords and strums, and also improve my fingerpicking so I can try some classical.". In other words, they want to move to a higher level as a player. They want to make VERTICAL GROWTH. They don't want to continue to learn new songs and play them the same way. That would be HORIZONTAL GROWTH. Everyone can always make Horizontal Growth, even on their own. You just learn more material, but you don't actually play any differently, musically or technically.
Vertical progress as a player is the tough one. It requires what is usually considered "work", although I have always found it enjoyable, although challenging. Here is another even more common scenario. Someone comes in for lessons after playing for awhile, and when I ask them to play, they make a couple of excuses, and then they play really badly! Then I ask them to play something else, and they play that really badly! This is the person unable to create Vertical Growth. The reason they cannot raise their level as a player, is because they don't know how to practice to solve problems and achieve results! Also, because of this, there is no solid foundation of technique for Vertical Growth to be built upon. So there is only Horizontal Growth, more things played the same way, in this case, badly.
Do you know how many young players I've seen who play only the beginning of a hundred songs, and play them badly? Lots. Or how many people playing classical who go from piece to piece, struggling with and mutilating pieces as they go? Lots. It is sad, and unnecessary. If you love the guitar, and are dedicated to your own development as a player, if you are dying to play the way the guitarists you admire play, you must know how to create Vertical Growth. This is done through an understanding of HOW TO PRACTICE. I am of course talking about REAL PRACTICE, not repetitive "run throughs" that only re-enforce the muscle tensions causing the problems you already have.
From my experience as a player and as a teacher, it is extremely difficult to create Vertical Growth, once bad, or insufficient practice has locked in tension and bad habits. The good news is, it is not impossible. In fact, the word difficult is not the best word. I use it only because we have such a tendency to under estimate the intensity of concentration it takes to undo past damage. A better word is challenging. And if you want to keep getting better and better as a guitarist, you'd better learn to love challenges! As Mark Twain said "Life is one damn thing after another", and that is what playing and practicing are. One damn problem to deal with after another. But as we learn to actually deal with and solve those problems, what a sweet reward we earn.
In fact, it is not the problems we face in our playing that are really the obstacle to our growth. It is the growing feeling of frustration and helplessness we experience as time continues to go by, and we see no fundamental improvement. We start to feel helpless. We may not admit this feeling to ourselves, we only notice that, for some reason, we are beginning to lose our motivation to practice.
When we learn how to really practice, we start to feel powerful. Problems and challenges don't frighten us, they excite us. Because we know that we can look forward to those problems getting smaller and smaller, weaker and weaker, as we continue to apply the Principles of Correct Practice.It is important to realize that the quality of our Vertical Growth determines the quality of our Horizontal Growth. Any ability we have gained as players has been our Vertical Growth. If our Vertical Growth has been shaky, with weaknesses built in, (which was true of myself, and I think, most players), that shakiness will be in everything we play, so our Horizontal Growth doesn't do us much good, it just keeps us busy, feeling like we are making progress because we are learning a new song or piece. This is why so many teachers turn the page and assign new material to a student, even though the student can't play the material from this week. The teacher doesn't really know how to create Vertical Growth, and so is trying to keep a feeling of movement going. Most students, if they are paying attention, will catch on to this.
If Vertical Growth is strong, than all new material learned will be strong, and will help you grow as a musician, as you absorb new music, and are able to play it well. This is the kind of Horizontal Growth we want.
If you want to learn how to have this Vertical Growth as a regular experience for you, I invite you to visit www.guitarprinciples.com and learn more about "The Principles of Correct Practice For Guitar." It is the approach I have found to work for myself, for my students, and anyone else who actually understands it, and uses it
Incredible Lightness
In my essay "Discover Your Discomfort", I urged you to become aware of the sensations of discomfort you experience while practicing and playing. The reason is very simple. Until you do, you will not be able to be aware of the sensations (that is, your mental awareness of the physical feelings in your body) a good player has, the sensations that you must have to play well. I call this sensation, or feeling in the body, "The Incredible Lightness". I call it this, because once you experience it, and allow it to grow by Correct Practicing, well, it's Incredible. This feeling of lightness is what makes fast, accurate playing possible. Unfortunately, because of ignorance of how to practice correctly, far too many players create for themselves "The Incredible Tightness".
I will quote myself to bring this point home:"The relative state of tension or relaxation in the muscles is one of the hardest things to be aware of. I once saw a person play with so much tension in her right shoulder that it was up to her earlobe! Always trying to be helpful, I pointed this out to her when she finished. As she let her shoulder down a few inches to it's normal position, she told me I was wrong, she wasn't tense, but very relaxed!
The reason she felt this way is because we very quickly become used to whatever we experience, and consider it normal. We never question whatever tensions we experience in learning new skills on the guitar, and in fact consider it part of the doing of it. And it often is, but it doesn't have to continue to be that strenuous. We can learn to do the movements with less effort.
However, when we first try something, it is often not possible to do it without a lot of excess tension. The mistake is, we assume that the tension is inevitable, and never realize we can get to a point where we can get the result we want without all the huffing, puffing and straining. Often, more stretch or muscle development is required, which will come with a correct approach.
Of course, as we continue to try the new skill, and assume the effort we feel must be that way, it becomes ingrained into our approach, and gets worse. So we have a vicious circle, that leads to frustration and bad playing.
So extra tension in the muscles, which every advanced player knows is the number one cause of playing difficulty, becomes a blind spot for us. Usually we are only aware of the result of the tension, which is that mistake we just made. Often it happens we are not even aware of that, because we start to filter out those unpleasant reminders of our troubles. A As you will see shortly, the correct approach to dealing with "mistakes" caused by tension, is to repeat the movement extremely slowly, with a great focus on keeping all muscles relaxed. With each repetition, the muscles learn the relaxed way of moving to produce the result you want.
"So you see, it is lack of understanding of how the body/mind functions, and lack of honest attention while practicing, that gets us in to trouble. You must start to observe your own "Tightness", and replace it with "Lightness", then you will see your level as a player change upward, what I call Vertical Growth. Since many players have no idea what this lightness feels like, here is a very simple way to connect with it. You must then begin to cultivate this feeling in actual playing. Believe me, it feels good! In fact, when you see a good player "making it look easy", it's because it is easy, when you have the "Incredible Lightness".
Let's discover "The Light Finger"The first step in finding "The Incredible Lightness" is to discover The Light Finger. The Light Finger is the completely relaxed finger, brought to the string, and touching the string, with only the weight of the finger. It does not press the string down until told to do so. To discover the sensation of the Light Finger, do this:
- Raise your arms in front of you, without the guitar, and take hold of the index finger of your left hand with the thumb and index finger of your right hand. Completely relax the left index, and wiggle it around with your right hand. This is the Light Finger.
- Touch the palm of your right hand with your left index. Raise the left index two inches from the palm. Now let it drop by it's own weight back to your palm, touching it very lightly, with no pressure. This is how the finger feels when it first touches the string.
- Now hold the guitar, paying attention to the being comfortable and relaxed throughout the body, and slowly raise your relaxed left arm up to the neck, bringing the hand up so that the index finger is lined up with the ninth fret. Have your fingers in a relaxed curl over the 6th string. Allow your Light, relaxed middle finger to fall to the 6th string, behind the 10th fret, so that it touches the string, but applies no pressure. Look at the string under your finger, and see the distance between the string and the fingerboard. Make sure the string does not get move at all down toward the fret.
- Raise your finger an inch, and then bring it back to touch the string again in the same way. Do this over and over, touching the string with the Light Finger, bringing it away, and touching it again. This is called Finger Flapping. Do this a few times with each finger every day. Make sure you keep the inactive fingers as relaxed as possible while touching the string with the active finger. This will get you used to the feeling, and over time, very sensitive to the feeling of complete relaxation.
This light feeling is how your fingers will be when they first touch the string to play a note, and it is the feeling they will return to when they release from a note. It enables them to be prepared for their next job. Many people never have this light feeling, and play with tense fingers all the time, and their playing suffers greatly because of it. This exercise is what I call a Foundation Exercise, one that should be done regularly, no matter how long you have been playing. It will continually act to increase your awareness of the correct and necessary sensations you must have in order to play well. Learning how to bring this feeling in to all playing situations is often a tricky matter, and there is much else to know, but we have to start somewhere!
Here is why. Speed, or the ability to execute movements rapidly and accurately, is simply the result of continuous correct practice that promotes "The Incredible Lightness". If you are creating "The Incredible Tightness" when you practice, you will suffer because of it. Think of walking and running. Does a little kid have to practice running? No, it just happens after balance is mastered, and the ability to place one foot in front of the other, and have all the body parts work together to keep the movement going. After the two year old gets that down, don't worry, he'll be running!
In closing, let me say that all the preceding is founded upon the first two Principles of Correct Practice. I will state them pretty formally, and they apply to all instruments. Principle of Correct Practice #1: Your aware, thinking mind is your primary practice tool. Principle of Correct Practice #2: Control of the fingers is developed by infusing conscious awareness into the muscles through the mechanism of attention while practicing. Remember, as in all things in life, you get out of it what you put in to it (and believe me, it makes me feel pretty old to hear myself saying that, but it's the truth). So read this over and over, and do the exercise, and apply these understandings to your practice.
I will quote myself to bring this point home:"The relative state of tension or relaxation in the muscles is one of the hardest things to be aware of. I once saw a person play with so much tension in her right shoulder that it was up to her earlobe! Always trying to be helpful, I pointed this out to her when she finished. As she let her shoulder down a few inches to it's normal position, she told me I was wrong, she wasn't tense, but very relaxed!
The reason she felt this way is because we very quickly become used to whatever we experience, and consider it normal. We never question whatever tensions we experience in learning new skills on the guitar, and in fact consider it part of the doing of it. And it often is, but it doesn't have to continue to be that strenuous. We can learn to do the movements with less effort.
However, when we first try something, it is often not possible to do it without a lot of excess tension. The mistake is, we assume that the tension is inevitable, and never realize we can get to a point where we can get the result we want without all the huffing, puffing and straining. Often, more stretch or muscle development is required, which will come with a correct approach.
Of course, as we continue to try the new skill, and assume the effort we feel must be that way, it becomes ingrained into our approach, and gets worse. So we have a vicious circle, that leads to frustration and bad playing.
So extra tension in the muscles, which every advanced player knows is the number one cause of playing difficulty, becomes a blind spot for us. Usually we are only aware of the result of the tension, which is that mistake we just made. Often it happens we are not even aware of that, because we start to filter out those unpleasant reminders of our troubles. A As you will see shortly, the correct approach to dealing with "mistakes" caused by tension, is to repeat the movement extremely slowly, with a great focus on keeping all muscles relaxed. With each repetition, the muscles learn the relaxed way of moving to produce the result you want.
"So you see, it is lack of understanding of how the body/mind functions, and lack of honest attention while practicing, that gets us in to trouble. You must start to observe your own "Tightness", and replace it with "Lightness", then you will see your level as a player change upward, what I call Vertical Growth. Since many players have no idea what this lightness feels like, here is a very simple way to connect with it. You must then begin to cultivate this feeling in actual playing. Believe me, it feels good! In fact, when you see a good player "making it look easy", it's because it is easy, when you have the "Incredible Lightness".
Let's discover "The Light Finger"The first step in finding "The Incredible Lightness" is to discover The Light Finger. The Light Finger is the completely relaxed finger, brought to the string, and touching the string, with only the weight of the finger. It does not press the string down until told to do so. To discover the sensation of the Light Finger, do this:
- Raise your arms in front of you, without the guitar, and take hold of the index finger of your left hand with the thumb and index finger of your right hand. Completely relax the left index, and wiggle it around with your right hand. This is the Light Finger.
- Touch the palm of your right hand with your left index. Raise the left index two inches from the palm. Now let it drop by it's own weight back to your palm, touching it very lightly, with no pressure. This is how the finger feels when it first touches the string.
- Now hold the guitar, paying attention to the being comfortable and relaxed throughout the body, and slowly raise your relaxed left arm up to the neck, bringing the hand up so that the index finger is lined up with the ninth fret. Have your fingers in a relaxed curl over the 6th string. Allow your Light, relaxed middle finger to fall to the 6th string, behind the 10th fret, so that it touches the string, but applies no pressure. Look at the string under your finger, and see the distance between the string and the fingerboard. Make sure the string does not get move at all down toward the fret.
- Raise your finger an inch, and then bring it back to touch the string again in the same way. Do this over and over, touching the string with the Light Finger, bringing it away, and touching it again. This is called Finger Flapping. Do this a few times with each finger every day. Make sure you keep the inactive fingers as relaxed as possible while touching the string with the active finger. This will get you used to the feeling, and over time, very sensitive to the feeling of complete relaxation.
This light feeling is how your fingers will be when they first touch the string to play a note, and it is the feeling they will return to when they release from a note. It enables them to be prepared for their next job. Many people never have this light feeling, and play with tense fingers all the time, and their playing suffers greatly because of it. This exercise is what I call a Foundation Exercise, one that should be done regularly, no matter how long you have been playing. It will continually act to increase your awareness of the correct and necessary sensations you must have in order to play well. Learning how to bring this feeling in to all playing situations is often a tricky matter, and there is much else to know, but we have to start somewhere!
Here is why. Speed, or the ability to execute movements rapidly and accurately, is simply the result of continuous correct practice that promotes "The Incredible Lightness". If you are creating "The Incredible Tightness" when you practice, you will suffer because of it. Think of walking and running. Does a little kid have to practice running? No, it just happens after balance is mastered, and the ability to place one foot in front of the other, and have all the body parts work together to keep the movement going. After the two year old gets that down, don't worry, he'll be running!
In closing, let me say that all the preceding is founded upon the first two Principles of Correct Practice. I will state them pretty formally, and they apply to all instruments. Principle of Correct Practice #1: Your aware, thinking mind is your primary practice tool. Principle of Correct Practice #2: Control of the fingers is developed by infusing conscious awareness into the muscles through the mechanism of attention while practicing. Remember, as in all things in life, you get out of it what you put in to it (and believe me, it makes me feel pretty old to hear myself saying that, but it's the truth). So read this over and over, and do the exercise, and apply these understandings to your practice.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
rhyme
All about rhyme. Why? Because I believe rhyme is probably the most abused and misused tool in the world of lyric writing. And I intend to correct this; at least for some up and coming writers.
Throughout this lesson, my main intention is to teach you how to use rhyme so that it is beneficial to your work, like enhancing flow and other reasons, (like grounding weirdness; giving off that story-like effect; verse linkage etc).
Soon I'll give some examples and using those as my starting point, I'll start to explain what you can do with rhyme, and what you should never do with rhyme. (That may make this sound like it is a "Do/Don't" article, but it will never be as clear cut as that).
Before you read my thoughts on whether the rhyming was used to better the work, and how it did so, it would be advantageous for you to read the examples and form some opinions of your own.
Example #1.
This example of, what I believe to be, cringe-inducing rhyming is the first verse of the Pink Floyd classic, 'Time'.
"Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an off hand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting someone or something to show you the way"
So what's wrong with it? Well, my main problem with it is all the similar syllable sounds. Really, though, it makes me cringe when I hear it. (Which is really a shame, as the melody is wondrous). Look closely at the lyrics and you'll see it says "way" twice and "waste" once. And these words sound almost identical when sung.
Now, you probably think I'm making a big deal out of nothing, but one of the things that you really should avoid in songs is ending two or more lines with the same word. I sincerely mean that, because the majority of the time a repeated word will sound idiotic. It's as if the person who was writing the lyrics couldn't think up an additional word that rhymed with - in this case - 'way'.
Another thing to be wary of - unless you're lyrical ability is highly advanced - is conventional rhyme schemes and rhyming couplets. You should look at the rhyme pattern here; it's a ridiculous AABA. It doesn't even sound abstract, it just sounds like the lyric writer (Roger Waters) was stoned or drunk or having an out mind experience when he wrote it.
To be fair though, it's not all bad and therefore I shouldn't be so negative. I have found positive things to comment on in these lyrics such as that third line. Look at it. From a lyrical perspective, it's a truly sublime piece of writing. Mainly because of the observation - which appears to be comparing us to animals - and also because of the 3 internal rhymes. (Internal rhyme - two or more rhyming words contained within one line. )
Another positive aspect of this particular verse is that the rhyming couplet is almost cliched, and therefore fits the topic perfectly. (I'm not being sarcastic). It seems like the rhyming couplet - due to the simplicity of it - was intended to give off that 'dull' feel that is talked about within the verse, and even if that is not the case, it's an interesting technique that you could take into account when working on your own writing. Following on? I said earlier that you should be wary of rhyming couplets until your lyrical ability has advanced to a supreme level. Well now, I'm going to give you an example of simple, standard rhyming couplets used perfectly.
Example #2.
This example is from a Jeff Buckley song, entitled "Eternal Life".
"Eternal life is now on my trail,
Got my red glitter coffin man, I just need one last nail
While all these ugly gentlemen play out their foolish games
There's a flame on the rise that screams my name"
What is there to say about it? Well, for starters, that first rhyming couplet is unusual and very original, and then the second one is more conventional - possibly even cliched. But the thing is, if you surround conventional rhymes with stylish - and ultimately cool - writing, then your lyrics will appeal to everyone. They'll be simultaneously accessible and abstract. That's the thing: you can ground lyrical weirdness with standard rhyming couplets.
For this next technique, I was thinking about what I haven't shown you to do with rhyme. And here's something that I like to call extended rhyming. The basic idea, (or my understanding of it), is more or less rhyming over more than one verse. For example, ABCD-ABCD, or ABBC-DEEC. You should be able to grasp this concept a bit more fully, whenever I give a proper example. So here we go?
Example #3.
The example below is the first two verses of Damien Rice's, "Older Chests". I have divided it into lines in the most obvious way I could see which would illustrate the point I'm trying to make.
"Older chests
Reveal themselves
Like a crack in the wall
Start off small
But grow in time
And we all seem
To need the help
Of someone else to mend that shelf
With too many books
Read me your favourite line"
Let me try and find a rhyme scheme in the way I have laid out the lyrics. ABCCD-EBBFD seems to cover it. Obviously the form of these lyrics is highly unconventional, so it was hard to illustrate fully what I mean. The one thing you should notice is how - in the second verse - he goes back to rhyming words that he used in the first verse.
Hmm?maybe you don't find that as interesting as I do, but still, be aware of the technique. It's one more piece of knowledge to add to your armoury, which will increase the flow of your work immensely. For example, you may have already noted that it's a good technique to use if you want to closely link your verses together, or perhaps you want to give off a story like feel - which is caused due to the repetition of the rhymes.
Closing Comments.
I think now you should have learnt how to manipulate rhyme to your advantage, and to the benefit of your lyrics. So all I have to say is experiment. The only things that can really teach you how to write are practice and analysis. I learnt through practice, but I'm still learning.
You'll never finish learning, but your skills will always develop if you practice and analyse on a regular basis. Find the time and be dedicated. Remember that when you are using rhyme, you should do it in a creative way. Use rhyme wisely. Do not force it.
Finally, do not forget to pick up a pen, and try out your newfound knowledge. You have been reading another of my lessons, and all I hope is that it has inspired some more creativity on your behalf. Hopefully you will be enthused to develop your skills to an even greater extent, and show the world of UG how prolific and talented a writer can be whenever there is dedication and an insatiable desire to improve.
Throughout this lesson, my main intention is to teach you how to use rhyme so that it is beneficial to your work, like enhancing flow and other reasons, (like grounding weirdness; giving off that story-like effect; verse linkage etc).
Soon I'll give some examples and using those as my starting point, I'll start to explain what you can do with rhyme, and what you should never do with rhyme. (That may make this sound like it is a "Do/Don't" article, but it will never be as clear cut as that).
Before you read my thoughts on whether the rhyming was used to better the work, and how it did so, it would be advantageous for you to read the examples and form some opinions of your own.
Example #1.
This example of, what I believe to be, cringe-inducing rhyming is the first verse of the Pink Floyd classic, 'Time'.
"Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an off hand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting someone or something to show you the way"
So what's wrong with it? Well, my main problem with it is all the similar syllable sounds. Really, though, it makes me cringe when I hear it. (Which is really a shame, as the melody is wondrous). Look closely at the lyrics and you'll see it says "way" twice and "waste" once. And these words sound almost identical when sung.
Now, you probably think I'm making a big deal out of nothing, but one of the things that you really should avoid in songs is ending two or more lines with the same word. I sincerely mean that, because the majority of the time a repeated word will sound idiotic. It's as if the person who was writing the lyrics couldn't think up an additional word that rhymed with - in this case - 'way'.
Another thing to be wary of - unless you're lyrical ability is highly advanced - is conventional rhyme schemes and rhyming couplets. You should look at the rhyme pattern here; it's a ridiculous AABA. It doesn't even sound abstract, it just sounds like the lyric writer (Roger Waters) was stoned or drunk or having an out mind experience when he wrote it.
To be fair though, it's not all bad and therefore I shouldn't be so negative. I have found positive things to comment on in these lyrics such as that third line. Look at it. From a lyrical perspective, it's a truly sublime piece of writing. Mainly because of the observation - which appears to be comparing us to animals - and also because of the 3 internal rhymes. (Internal rhyme - two or more rhyming words contained within one line. )
Another positive aspect of this particular verse is that the rhyming couplet is almost cliched, and therefore fits the topic perfectly. (I'm not being sarcastic). It seems like the rhyming couplet - due to the simplicity of it - was intended to give off that 'dull' feel that is talked about within the verse, and even if that is not the case, it's an interesting technique that you could take into account when working on your own writing. Following on? I said earlier that you should be wary of rhyming couplets until your lyrical ability has advanced to a supreme level. Well now, I'm going to give you an example of simple, standard rhyming couplets used perfectly.
Example #2.
This example is from a Jeff Buckley song, entitled "Eternal Life".
"Eternal life is now on my trail,
Got my red glitter coffin man, I just need one last nail
While all these ugly gentlemen play out their foolish games
There's a flame on the rise that screams my name"
What is there to say about it? Well, for starters, that first rhyming couplet is unusual and very original, and then the second one is more conventional - possibly even cliched. But the thing is, if you surround conventional rhymes with stylish - and ultimately cool - writing, then your lyrics will appeal to everyone. They'll be simultaneously accessible and abstract. That's the thing: you can ground lyrical weirdness with standard rhyming couplets.
For this next technique, I was thinking about what I haven't shown you to do with rhyme. And here's something that I like to call extended rhyming. The basic idea, (or my understanding of it), is more or less rhyming over more than one verse. For example, ABCD-ABCD, or ABBC-DEEC. You should be able to grasp this concept a bit more fully, whenever I give a proper example. So here we go?
Example #3.
The example below is the first two verses of Damien Rice's, "Older Chests". I have divided it into lines in the most obvious way I could see which would illustrate the point I'm trying to make.
"Older chests
Reveal themselves
Like a crack in the wall
Start off small
But grow in time
And we all seem
To need the help
Of someone else to mend that shelf
With too many books
Read me your favourite line"
Let me try and find a rhyme scheme in the way I have laid out the lyrics. ABCCD-EBBFD seems to cover it. Obviously the form of these lyrics is highly unconventional, so it was hard to illustrate fully what I mean. The one thing you should notice is how - in the second verse - he goes back to rhyming words that he used in the first verse.
Hmm?maybe you don't find that as interesting as I do, but still, be aware of the technique. It's one more piece of knowledge to add to your armoury, which will increase the flow of your work immensely. For example, you may have already noted that it's a good technique to use if you want to closely link your verses together, or perhaps you want to give off a story like feel - which is caused due to the repetition of the rhymes.
Closing Comments.
I think now you should have learnt how to manipulate rhyme to your advantage, and to the benefit of your lyrics. So all I have to say is experiment. The only things that can really teach you how to write are practice and analysis. I learnt through practice, but I'm still learning.
You'll never finish learning, but your skills will always develop if you practice and analyse on a regular basis. Find the time and be dedicated. Remember that when you are using rhyme, you should do it in a creative way. Use rhyme wisely. Do not force it.
Finally, do not forget to pick up a pen, and try out your newfound knowledge. You have been reading another of my lessons, and all I hope is that it has inspired some more creativity on your behalf. Hopefully you will be enthused to develop your skills to an even greater extent, and show the world of UG how prolific and talented a writer can be whenever there is dedication and an insatiable desire to improve.
inspiration
What is inspiration? As always, first things first: what is inspiration? I'll consult the dictionary for that one, and then I'll give you my definition, (in that order).
Inspiration: Something that gives you new ideas and enthusiasm to do something. Inspiration: An experience, emotion or thought that sparks off a creative flow. In the context of writing lyrics, inspiration is the thing that arouses a desire to convey your feelings and thoughts in the form of lyrics.
Where can inspiration be found? Well to put it quite simply: life. Most lyrics are written from one person's experiences, and therefore inspiration and where it is found, differs for each individual. Now, however, I'll just give some examples of experiences that may cause inspiration.
Example #1: Say you broke up with your girlfriend of 2 years; well then you'd be feeling all kinds of different emotions, and the easiest way to put the past behind you and move on is to write about these feelings.
Example #2: Maybe you saw some news coverage about the war on Iraq, and you have particular thoughts on it. Like say, you were suspicious of America's motives for going to war. Or perhaps the opposite is true. Maybe you were in full support of the war and you wanted to write about why it was necessary to go to war.
Example #3: Your father has just died and you want to write a heart-felt ode to him. Perhaps saying all the things you never said. Telling him how you really felt about him, and how you really loved him. Or perhaps you hated him but now you feel remorseful that he's gone, and you want to write about your confusion over this drastic change in emotion.
Of course, all of these deal with experiences. What about conveying thoughts and original ideas? Perhaps, you've thought of a storyline for your lyrics. Now all you have to do is keep the story flowing, make sure it never gets dull (I. e. keep the suspense on full), and make sure it comes to a complete and justified end. My point is this: you will find inspiration everywhere. In art, in experiences, in novels, in music?the list goes on.
What now? Good question. You see; inspiration is nothing without an artist (painter, sculptor, lyrics writer, novelist etc) to do something with it. The one thing that everyone must work on as a writer is channelling this inspiration. Being able to convey thoughts and feeling in nothing more than words. And also discovering how to do it in an easily relatable way.
Accessibility is a key thing in lyrics, because if no one understands the lyrics, then no one will fully enjoy them. I mean, I'm sure there are a lot of writers who like to have extremely intelligent songs, with lots of amazing metaphors and everything else that is regarded as 'intellectual'. But I'm not trying to tell you how to write intelligent songs which no one but intellectuals will understand. Nor am I trying to teach you how to write nursery rhymes. All I'm doing is teaching you the fundamental things, which are absolute necessities in writing lyrics. It's up to you what you do with this knowledge.
So let me get back to the point: Inspiration can be found everywhere, and will come to you at anytime, but the first thing you must do is learn how to recognise it, and the second thing you must do is learn how to manipulate it. Craft a thought, feeling or experience into a set of lyrics and do it often. Then you may call yourself a lyrics writer.
Inspiration: Something that gives you new ideas and enthusiasm to do something. Inspiration: An experience, emotion or thought that sparks off a creative flow. In the context of writing lyrics, inspiration is the thing that arouses a desire to convey your feelings and thoughts in the form of lyrics.
Where can inspiration be found? Well to put it quite simply: life. Most lyrics are written from one person's experiences, and therefore inspiration and where it is found, differs for each individual. Now, however, I'll just give some examples of experiences that may cause inspiration.
Example #1: Say you broke up with your girlfriend of 2 years; well then you'd be feeling all kinds of different emotions, and the easiest way to put the past behind you and move on is to write about these feelings.
Example #2: Maybe you saw some news coverage about the war on Iraq, and you have particular thoughts on it. Like say, you were suspicious of America's motives for going to war. Or perhaps the opposite is true. Maybe you were in full support of the war and you wanted to write about why it was necessary to go to war.
Example #3: Your father has just died and you want to write a heart-felt ode to him. Perhaps saying all the things you never said. Telling him how you really felt about him, and how you really loved him. Or perhaps you hated him but now you feel remorseful that he's gone, and you want to write about your confusion over this drastic change in emotion.
Of course, all of these deal with experiences. What about conveying thoughts and original ideas? Perhaps, you've thought of a storyline for your lyrics. Now all you have to do is keep the story flowing, make sure it never gets dull (I. e. keep the suspense on full), and make sure it comes to a complete and justified end. My point is this: you will find inspiration everywhere. In art, in experiences, in novels, in music?the list goes on.
What now? Good question. You see; inspiration is nothing without an artist (painter, sculptor, lyrics writer, novelist etc) to do something with it. The one thing that everyone must work on as a writer is channelling this inspiration. Being able to convey thoughts and feeling in nothing more than words. And also discovering how to do it in an easily relatable way.
Accessibility is a key thing in lyrics, because if no one understands the lyrics, then no one will fully enjoy them. I mean, I'm sure there are a lot of writers who like to have extremely intelligent songs, with lots of amazing metaphors and everything else that is regarded as 'intellectual'. But I'm not trying to tell you how to write intelligent songs which no one but intellectuals will understand. Nor am I trying to teach you how to write nursery rhymes. All I'm doing is teaching you the fundamental things, which are absolute necessities in writing lyrics. It's up to you what you do with this knowledge.
So let me get back to the point: Inspiration can be found everywhere, and will come to you at anytime, but the first thing you must do is learn how to recognise it, and the second thing you must do is learn how to manipulate it. Craft a thought, feeling or experience into a set of lyrics and do it often. Then you may call yourself a lyrics writer.
repetitions
Indeed…how to cleverly use repetition in your songs, and inevitably also a discussion of choruses, refrains, bridges etc. Initially, I’ll deal with lyrical repetition. This is whenever you repeat a phrase and keep the same structure but alter the content by adding another detail. For example, (and this is made up off the top of my head):
“I’ve never seen such a queen
In this town before
But then I’ve never been in this dream
Town before”
If you ignore the double internal rhyming, you will notice (hopefully), that the structure of both couplets is more or less the same, and the foundation line still deals with “being in a specific town”. Yet another detail is added, so that the reader if more fully aware of what is happening. That is the type of lyric that you’d sing with a smirk on your face…(like a country song). Now, I actually have a really good example, from the chorus of a great song by The Cooper Temple Clause called, “See this through and leave”:
“Please believe me when I say
This is how it has to end
This is easy on us all
Well easier than other ways
Sleep is all I ask of you
Sleep and not to wake again
See this through and leave my friend
Tears will come and I will end”
Other than the genius rhyming, there are two great examples of this repetition. They are a really good way of saying something differently, for example that “This is easy on us all / Well easier than other ways” is almost conversational, as if the singer is thinking aloud. He says something, but then is not quite content that he’s being entirely honest and therefore he adds in the “Well easier than other ways”.
As for the other one, well that’s just an ingenious way of telling someone that you want him or her to sleep forever/die. “Sleep is all I ask of you / Sleep and not to wake again”. Once more in these two lines he is going back to what he initially says and then adding another detail, and from this we grasp that either he doesn’t want the person to know that he is going to dead shortly (“tears will come and I will end”), of else he wants them to die. It allows open interpretation from the listeners, and all of those who read the lyrics. Does he mean he must commit suicide if the other person does not die? Or does he mean his suicide/death is inevitable but he is too ashamed to let the other person watch him crumble? Think about it…’cause that’s what high-quality lyrics have a tendency to do…they either ask you to think or they force you to think…
Now it is only fair to deal with this in the other sense… If we discuss repetition in the musical sense then of course, we are thinking about sections of a song where the music repeats. It is often the case that the lyrics to this section are also repeated. In, “See this through and leave”, that is the case in the chorus. Additionally, you’ll find a repeating bridge/pre-chorus quite frequently. And in a solo there is often a melodic motif, which is repeated, so as to allow the listener to recognise it and gives the illusion that the solo is completely coherent from start to finish. Without motifs, listeners often feel that the musician is just playing about without really knowing what he is doing.
The public seldom likes people who wander during their songs, either in their lyrics or in their solos or basically anywhere in the song. The person, who hears a song, will often not like it unless it has a hook or a chorus. For a hook all you really need is one good line that you can then repeat throughout the song, in an attempt to let the listener either sing along or just to ground the song. What distinguishes a hook from a chorus, is normally that it is only one or two lines, and secondly that the hook should, by and large, consist of an amazing line or two.
However, the main aim of a chorus is to be rousing, catchy and melodic…at this point in a song the listener wants to sing along. They are rarely too concerned whether the lyrics are any good at this stage…they just want to feel the need to sing. Or else they want to be able to jump around to it. This is why you’ll often find songs that have great lyrics in the verses but something mindlessly simple in the chorus. However, the melodic hook of the chorus is usually far superior to that of the verses.
“Moving on in this life
Losing out on a wife
Moving on in this life
Leaving you with the lies”
“I’ve never seen such a queen
In this town before
But then I’ve never been in this dream
Town before”
If you ignore the double internal rhyming, you will notice (hopefully), that the structure of both couplets is more or less the same, and the foundation line still deals with “being in a specific town”. Yet another detail is added, so that the reader if more fully aware of what is happening. That is the type of lyric that you’d sing with a smirk on your face…(like a country song). Now, I actually have a really good example, from the chorus of a great song by The Cooper Temple Clause called, “See this through and leave”:
“Please believe me when I say
This is how it has to end
This is easy on us all
Well easier than other ways
Sleep is all I ask of you
Sleep and not to wake again
See this through and leave my friend
Tears will come and I will end”
Other than the genius rhyming, there are two great examples of this repetition. They are a really good way of saying something differently, for example that “This is easy on us all / Well easier than other ways” is almost conversational, as if the singer is thinking aloud. He says something, but then is not quite content that he’s being entirely honest and therefore he adds in the “Well easier than other ways”.
As for the other one, well that’s just an ingenious way of telling someone that you want him or her to sleep forever/die. “Sleep is all I ask of you / Sleep and not to wake again”. Once more in these two lines he is going back to what he initially says and then adding another detail, and from this we grasp that either he doesn’t want the person to know that he is going to dead shortly (“tears will come and I will end”), of else he wants them to die. It allows open interpretation from the listeners, and all of those who read the lyrics. Does he mean he must commit suicide if the other person does not die? Or does he mean his suicide/death is inevitable but he is too ashamed to let the other person watch him crumble? Think about it…’cause that’s what high-quality lyrics have a tendency to do…they either ask you to think or they force you to think…
Now it is only fair to deal with this in the other sense… If we discuss repetition in the musical sense then of course, we are thinking about sections of a song where the music repeats. It is often the case that the lyrics to this section are also repeated. In, “See this through and leave”, that is the case in the chorus. Additionally, you’ll find a repeating bridge/pre-chorus quite frequently. And in a solo there is often a melodic motif, which is repeated, so as to allow the listener to recognise it and gives the illusion that the solo is completely coherent from start to finish. Without motifs, listeners often feel that the musician is just playing about without really knowing what he is doing.
The public seldom likes people who wander during their songs, either in their lyrics or in their solos or basically anywhere in the song. The person, who hears a song, will often not like it unless it has a hook or a chorus. For a hook all you really need is one good line that you can then repeat throughout the song, in an attempt to let the listener either sing along or just to ground the song. What distinguishes a hook from a chorus, is normally that it is only one or two lines, and secondly that the hook should, by and large, consist of an amazing line or two.
However, the main aim of a chorus is to be rousing, catchy and melodic…at this point in a song the listener wants to sing along. They are rarely too concerned whether the lyrics are any good at this stage…they just want to feel the need to sing. Or else they want to be able to jump around to it. This is why you’ll often find songs that have great lyrics in the verses but something mindlessly simple in the chorus. However, the melodic hook of the chorus is usually far superior to that of the verses.
“Moving on in this life
Losing out on a wife
Moving on in this life
Leaving you with the lies”
building lyrics 7 steps
Step 1 - Main Idea.The title could be the first thing you do, or the last thing you do. But make sure that you think of your main idea. The main idea is usually something you feel strong about, something you want to persuade others, a story, an experience, etc. Just write down something that you want your song to be mostly about. You could now base the title off of your main idea or just wait and see if you want to use something else, but you are now ready for step 2.
Step 2 - Chorus.Your Chorus should be about your main idea, it shouldn't be very detailed tho. You should write about how you feel about your main topic; even though the chorus doesn't have to say your main idea, just write about how the main idea makes you feel or thoughts that you have. You don't even have to rhyme yet, just jot down your feelings, rhyming could come last if you wanted it to. Now onto step 3.
Step 3 - Verses.Your verses should support your main idea and/or your chorus. Now, the verses should be detailed. Still not having to rhyme, jot down reasons for the main idea, thoughts about the main idea, emotions that you feel while experiencing the main idea(you may have used these in the chorus, but you shouldn't have been detailing them, now is the time to go more in depth with your feelings about the main idea, etc. It's always best to use the five sense six if you see dead people) during the writing process, the audience will be more into the song this way. Do not make your versus too long or the song will most likely become boring. There is usually two to three verses in a song, but it is up to you.
Step 4 - Bridge.You don't need a bridge, a lot of music these days don't have bridges. Bridges are usually used when your main topic is something you feel. The bridge could be like what you do when the feeling comes over you. Usually a more aggressive part of the song.
Step 5 - Rhyming.Now that you have your chorus, your verses, and maybe your bridge, its time to make it rhyme. Go back to your brainstorming and start piecing it together, rearanging it, and tweeking it. If you can't make some of the words rhyme, find a thesaurus to find synonyms of the word you want to rhyme with, and start to piece that together (I suggest www.rhymezone.com for synonyms and rhymes, and many other ways to build your wording). You will also need a rhyme scheme, meaning how often the rhymes occur and in what order they occur. Having a good rhyme sheme is also very helpful when making the melody of the lyrics.
Step 6 - Melody.Melody always depends on what kind of song it is and what rhyme scheme you have. Sometimes it's easier to have a riff on a guitar or piano or something similar. I can't go in too deep on melodies because I have my own style and everyone has a different style (except pop music).
Step 7 - Structure.Time to put the pieces in place. The verse usually comes before the chorus and then theres another verse, and maybe a bridge, sometimes there's also a prechorus which is basically tying the verse and the chorus together, like a transition. but you can put your song together any which way you like.
Step 2 - Chorus.Your Chorus should be about your main idea, it shouldn't be very detailed tho. You should write about how you feel about your main topic; even though the chorus doesn't have to say your main idea, just write about how the main idea makes you feel or thoughts that you have. You don't even have to rhyme yet, just jot down your feelings, rhyming could come last if you wanted it to. Now onto step 3.
Step 3 - Verses.Your verses should support your main idea and/or your chorus. Now, the verses should be detailed. Still not having to rhyme, jot down reasons for the main idea, thoughts about the main idea, emotions that you feel while experiencing the main idea(you may have used these in the chorus, but you shouldn't have been detailing them, now is the time to go more in depth with your feelings about the main idea, etc. It's always best to use the five sense six if you see dead people) during the writing process, the audience will be more into the song this way. Do not make your versus too long or the song will most likely become boring. There is usually two to three verses in a song, but it is up to you.
Step 4 - Bridge.You don't need a bridge, a lot of music these days don't have bridges. Bridges are usually used when your main topic is something you feel. The bridge could be like what you do when the feeling comes over you. Usually a more aggressive part of the song.
Step 5 - Rhyming.Now that you have your chorus, your verses, and maybe your bridge, its time to make it rhyme. Go back to your brainstorming and start piecing it together, rearanging it, and tweeking it. If you can't make some of the words rhyme, find a thesaurus to find synonyms of the word you want to rhyme with, and start to piece that together (I suggest www.rhymezone.com for synonyms and rhymes, and many other ways to build your wording). You will also need a rhyme scheme, meaning how often the rhymes occur and in what order they occur. Having a good rhyme sheme is also very helpful when making the melody of the lyrics.
Step 6 - Melody.Melody always depends on what kind of song it is and what rhyme scheme you have. Sometimes it's easier to have a riff on a guitar or piano or something similar. I can't go in too deep on melodies because I have my own style and everyone has a different style (except pop music).
Step 7 - Structure.Time to put the pieces in place. The verse usually comes before the chorus and then theres another verse, and maybe a bridge, sometimes there's also a prechorus which is basically tying the verse and the chorus together, like a transition. but you can put your song together any which way you like.
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