By John Moxey
Lyric writing comes from the heart, but not the heart alone.
We use our mind to express what we feel, to convey what we mean. Writing lyrics uses several aspects of our mind, not just our feelings. For example:
- Knowledge
- Creativity
- Observation and Objectivity
- Analysis
- Learning
You can develop your lyric writing skills, learn new techniques and new ways to express yourself. As you learn you naturally build a tool kit that you use to communicate with listeners. Some lyricists and songwriters believe that formalizing both the building and the use of a songwriters tool kit somehow lessens the authenticity of the lyrics created, but this is naive and short sighted.
Why? Well for a start lyricists already employ lots of skills that they learned in a formal manner, not least of which is reading and writing. Certainly you can create a lyric that is never written down, but lets face it, it's not common approach for commercial lyrics. You will also have learned something about the basics of language and it's constructs such as vocabulary and punctuation. In the case of poetry or lyrics you will also have learned something about rhyme and structure, although for many new lyricists these skills are due more to exposure than formal learning.
The point is, we all use skills that we learned formally all the time. It is we, the writers, who decide how and when to use those skills. So why is it some writers feel that approaching song writing in a formal way, and actually learning to improve their skills, somehow contaminates their lyrics in a detrimental way?
Example: if you knew half the words you currently do, your writing is bound to be constrained by your lack of knowledge. They are likely to be less effective, and less eloquent.
Exercise: try and write a song without using the letter “e". The premise being that you don't even know that letter exists. The resulting song may be able to communicate meaning to the listener, but it is likely to sound clumsy and awkward.
So, to improve our writing we have to be open to learning, and build upon those skills which we already have. Sounds obvious.
A formal writing process enhances our ability to express what we we mean, in the best way. It can make use of methods and approaches designed to stop writing block, or to overcome it if you do find yourself stuck. It can clarify what we are trying to say, to ourselves, the writers, and there for make it clearer to the listener.
In order to improve our own writing we need to hone our mind skills. As part of this we also need to improve the way we learn.
Knowledge
So what knowledge do you need to know about?
- The standard song forms (song structures)
- Rhyming schemes and other lyrical mechanisms
- A language that enables you to effectively discuss songwriting
Creativity
How can you develop creativity?
- Experiment
- Experiment
- Experiment
There are lots of ways to encourage your creativity, but I think that interacting with other writers is a key component. Also pay attention to your own environment. Make it a pleasant writing experience, so take some time to remove distractions.
Observation and Objectivity
Be aware of the world. Take notes of your ideas, things of interest. You need to be able to change your perspective and look at things from a different viewpoint. You need to be able to balance and be aware of your emotional reactions while retaining an objective approach. Improving your observation skills will also help you to spot problems within a lyric, or for that matter the bits that are really effective.
You need to apply those skills to your own lyrics. Retaining objectivity with your own lyrics is hard to do, but it is an essential skill in writing songs that work.
Analysis
You need to be able to decompose a song, understand the mechanisms it employs and how they work within the song. Apply your knowledge and creativity with objectivity.
It's not enough to merely know that a verse doesn't work. You have to work out why.
Learning
Spend some time working on how you learn. Take notes. Draft some lines. You'll notice a theme. Writing.
Use a book to keep it all in! Personally I use two books at any one time. One small notebook I can carry with me for jotting down notes and ideas. I also use a larger A4 notebook for jotting down what I learn, and for finished lyrics. The large book consolidates what I learn. Being honest, I also have a lever arch file that I use for the scraps of paper I jot ideas on when I do not have my notebook with me. When I get back to base I do try to copy those scraps into my small notebook, but I also keep the scraps just in case!
Some writers also use a mobile recorder of some kind to dictate their ideas into. They can be a very effective way of work, as long as you then write up what you record. It's a matter of personal preference, so feel free to try both methods to see what works for you.
Tools
A rhyming dictionary, thesaurus, dictionary, small notebook, large notebook, mobile recording device, and of course the resources available at Songstuff, especially the songwriting boards and our songwriting articles!
Critique
Critiquing skills are the most important tool in your songwriter's tool box. This is primarily because they promote understanding and they touch on or benefit virtually all aspects of writing a song. Critique allows you to develop your analysis skills, your awareness of how the lyric works, and why some bits don't. It cements your understanding, and ultimately allows you to edit effectively. Longer term critiquing will allow you to more effectively plan a lyric, resulting in better quality lyrics, which are written faster, more cohesively and more of your lyrics will make it through to finished songs.
Critiquing the work of others is vital!
Why? Well to begin with, critiquing your own work does not expose you to new ideas and mechanisms. Critiquing your own work is always colored by your own personal attachments to lines, schemes, forms and perspective.
Critiquing the work of others allows you to develop your skills independently of a lot of the baggage you carry when you look at your own songs. It helps both you and the writer understand more about how lyrics and songs work. Obviously it does also expose you to completely different perspectives and critique is an excellent way for writers to exchange their ideas.
Conclusion
Try new things, and learn from them. Keep notes on what works, and what doesn't.
Be open to suggestions from others. Explore those suggestions. Understand their viewpoint.
Try to use a formal approach to your writing.
Critique the work of others. Critique to as high a standard as possible. The more you put in, the more you will get out.
Reap the rewards. Use your head as well as your heart.
Discuss this article in our Music Forum.
About John Moxey
John Moxey started Songstuff in 2000 and is an active songwriter and musician as well as a regular Songstuff author of music and music technology related articles and member of the site crew.
John started playing his first instrument (piano) in 1971, and has been writing songs since 1979. He began playing his now main instrument, the guitar, in 1982. In 1986 he finished training as a studio engineer and in 1997 obtained an Honours Degree in Electronics and Music from the University of Glasgow.
John now plays several other instruments including mandolin, violin, bagpipes, didgeridoo, bodhran, and vocals.
John has a broad range of performance experience from choirs and orchestras to pipe bands. He has sung for, played in and written for various bands, and produced songs across a number of genres.
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Lyrics Critique for Songwriters
Improve Your Lyrics Writing
Commerciality, Familiarity and Originality
Lyrics - Function and Form
Songwriting Tips
Commercial Songwriting
