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I can write lyrics but no melodies!

  • 27-07-2015 10:50pm
    #1
    TheBiz
    Closed Accounts Posts: 511 ✭✭✭


    If I'm given an a good tune I can put lyrics to it, or change them etc..

    Just yesterday I changed the lyrics of 'She's always a woman' to a song about a guy who falls in love with a woman across a room without ever meeting her and then he finally gets the courage to...

    I can put lyrics to music but I can't make the music..
    I play guitar and sing..
    I'm 18, and I want to be in a band but there's no opportunities like that around me..

    What should I do?
    I hear Alex Turner (from the Artic Monkeys) is usually given a beat, drum/bass line etc from the other lads and he puts lyrics to it..

    That I could do (not as good or successful but I could try!)

    What should I do?
    Try and find someone to write with?
    Find/start a band?
    Learn myself? (Where would I start? What would I actually look up?)

    Any ideas? Cheers


Comments

  • #2
    Oink
    Moderators, Music Moderators Posts: 2,150 Mod ✭✭✭✭Oink


    There are no rules. If you can find a writing partner, that's great.

    Otherwise there are a few things you can do:
    - The better a guitarist you are, the more chances you will be able of writing yourself. If you're serious about it, take lessons or learn whatever way you can. Just get better. You will have more tools at your disposal. It won't happen overnight.

    - If you want to learn how to write tunes, start by copying people who can do it. Take a song you wish you had written, pull it apart, understand how it was put together. You will learn something out of it.

    - Take a song, see how it was put together, and practice writing songs on the same model. Of course they will not really be your own, but it's only for practice.

    - Accept that 95% will be crap at first. be patient with yourself. Some very good writers admit that MOST of what they write is crap, but they work hard to extract just enough good stuff to make an album/cd..

    So, work hard, work clever if you want to get anywhere, but don't forget to enjoythe ride!


  • #3
    joecc
    Registered Users Posts: 95 ✭✭joecc


    some sound advice there....


  • #4
    mid fifties
    Registered Users Posts: 114 ✭✭mid fifties


    The first thing ill say which is very important for any songwriter is write everything down and throw nothing away and don't worry about "I can write lyrics but no melodies" melodies to lyrics don't have to come straight away but believe me they will come either by you or someone else but when you get a idea for a lyric then your job is to write it down.

    You give the same lyrics to ten different musicians and you'll get back ten different melodies the same way if you give the same melody to ten different lyric writers you get back ten different lyrics in other words do what you find the easiest to do and in your case is writing lyrics, the melodies will come.

    "I'm 18, and I want to be in a band but there's no opportunities like that around me"

    Don't use that as an excuse to stop writing lyrics just make sure you let those who you know and those who you've yet to meet know that you write lyrics, you're 18 so if you haven't started then ill say start mixing with the music crowd and in conversation let them know you write lyrics and of course poetry as well, believe me the melodies will come.


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