Lyric Writing Tips
By Jason Wilford
A good way to get ideas for a song is to brainstorm using a mind map. Write ideas regarding a theme/concept on paper and see what ideas you can branch off of it. You can choose to include some of these ideas in your songs, focus on just one, or none at all. Here is an example based on the theme of ‘love’.
A good way to get ideas for a song is to brainstorm using a mind map. Write ideas regarding a theme/concept on paper and see what ideas you can branch off of it. You can choose to include some of these ideas in your songs, focus on just one, or none at all. Here is an example based on the theme of ‘love’.
Try this with a number of themes, and find a topic that you’d really like to write about.
The key to writing good lyrics is to CONSTANTLY be writing them. It’s hard to get in the groove if you haven’t written anything in a month or two. Try to sit down a couple of times a week and focus on writing some lyrics. Even if they aren’t good enough to use in a song, at least you’re practicing.
If you find that you don’t like certain lyrics to a song you wrote after a while, REWRITE THEM. There is nothing worse than not liking your own song because of poorly written lyrics. This is an easy and simple fix, instead of throwing away a perfectly good song.
Make sure every word and every line in your song is high quality. Don’t throw a word in just because it fits. It’s better to wait for something good to come to you than to rush and try to throw something together. Try not to use any filler words; make sure everything has a meaning (to you).
You will notice as you start writing lyrics more often that you will have words that you tend to want to use a lot. Everyone has their own commonly used words, and my best advice is to avoid them. For example, if you feel like you want to start every song with “walking down the street”, don’t let yourself use that line in any songs you write.
Let the song grow naturally. If you end up with something that you didn’t intend, it can surprisingly work out very well. If your theme ends up changing as you write, that’s okay too. Many artists talk about songs where the outcome was totally different than what they originally intended.
Extreme highs and lows tend to help with writing lyrics. For example, if you had a terrible day, had to walk home in the rain, tripped over the sidewalk and ripped your new jacket, your inspiration to write lyrics can be pretty good. Some of the best lyrics are about extreme low points, or extreme high points, in someone’s life. You don’t have to necessarily write songs about your own experiences, but it helps to convey emotion when you do.
Listen to other songs for inspiration. If you’re stuck with ‘writers block’, try listening to some music you really like and pay close attention to the lyrics. Listen to a number of songs and take notes of how they use certain things, such as repetition, rhyming, rhythm, and more. This can lead to inspiration to write a great song of your own (but don’t copy the songs you just listened to).
Play around and vary your rhyming patterns. Sometimes rhyming certain words can sound very cliché and predictable. Examples of common rhyming patterns in a four-line verse or chorus are: 1)AABA 2)AABB 3)ABAB
The letters relate to the last word of each line. In the first example, lines 1 and 2 rhyme, line 3 doesn’t, then line 4 rhymes with the first 2 lines. The other examples work in the same way but with a different order.
Of course there are many different rhyming patterns – find what works best for each song. Sometimes not rhyming at all can make it more interesting. You can analyze the lyrics to your favourite songs to find out what they use.. The key is to make sure you don’t make each song the same. Now that you have one simple ideas of where to start with writing lyrics, sit down and spend 30 minutes devoted to just doing this! Practice makes perfect!
About The Author:
Jason Wilford is a rock, reggae and blues musician that teaches Guitar Lessons in Mississauga (Ontario, Canada).
The key to writing good lyrics is to CONSTANTLY be writing them. It’s hard to get in the groove if you haven’t written anything in a month or two. Try to sit down a couple of times a week and focus on writing some lyrics. Even if they aren’t good enough to use in a song, at least you’re practicing.
If you find that you don’t like certain lyrics to a song you wrote after a while, REWRITE THEM. There is nothing worse than not liking your own song because of poorly written lyrics. This is an easy and simple fix, instead of throwing away a perfectly good song.
Make sure every word and every line in your song is high quality. Don’t throw a word in just because it fits. It’s better to wait for something good to come to you than to rush and try to throw something together. Try not to use any filler words; make sure everything has a meaning (to you).
You will notice as you start writing lyrics more often that you will have words that you tend to want to use a lot. Everyone has their own commonly used words, and my best advice is to avoid them. For example, if you feel like you want to start every song with “walking down the street”, don’t let yourself use that line in any songs you write.
Let the song grow naturally. If you end up with something that you didn’t intend, it can surprisingly work out very well. If your theme ends up changing as you write, that’s okay too. Many artists talk about songs where the outcome was totally different than what they originally intended.
Extreme highs and lows tend to help with writing lyrics. For example, if you had a terrible day, had to walk home in the rain, tripped over the sidewalk and ripped your new jacket, your inspiration to write lyrics can be pretty good. Some of the best lyrics are about extreme low points, or extreme high points, in someone’s life. You don’t have to necessarily write songs about your own experiences, but it helps to convey emotion when you do.
Listen to other songs for inspiration. If you’re stuck with ‘writers block’, try listening to some music you really like and pay close attention to the lyrics. Listen to a number of songs and take notes of how they use certain things, such as repetition, rhyming, rhythm, and more. This can lead to inspiration to write a great song of your own (but don’t copy the songs you just listened to).
Play around and vary your rhyming patterns. Sometimes rhyming certain words can sound very cliché and predictable. Examples of common rhyming patterns in a four-line verse or chorus are: 1)AABA 2)AABB 3)ABAB
The letters relate to the last word of each line. In the first example, lines 1 and 2 rhyme, line 3 doesn’t, then line 4 rhymes with the first 2 lines. The other examples work in the same way but with a different order.
Of course there are many different rhyming patterns – find what works best for each song. Sometimes not rhyming at all can make it more interesting. You can analyze the lyrics to your favourite songs to find out what they use.. The key is to make sure you don’t make each song the same. Now that you have one simple ideas of where to start with writing lyrics, sit down and spend 30 minutes devoted to just doing this! Practice makes perfect!
About The Author:
Jason Wilford is a rock, reggae and blues musician that teaches Guitar Lessons in Mississauga (Ontario, Canada).
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