Sunday, December 21, 2008

Songwriting Basics...Part 1


I'd like to talk a little about songwriting basics.For those guitarist who want to get started writing their own songs,maybe this will help some.
A song can come from many places.It can be inspired from a thought,an event,a guitar riff or lick or chord progression,a rhythm or beat or a melody you hear in your head or in a song.There are many avenues for starting a song.
Basically speaking,a song has form or sections.This goes back to Classical music.An AB form or 2 sections.The A section being one part and the B section being another,different part.And the movement going from A to B then B to A,etc.The A section being the main section or Chorus,or repeated over.Today's songs in pop music may have additional sections like an Intro and Bridge.So an example of this type form would be...
Intro:A short section of music played at the beginning of the song
Verse
: The verses in a song all have the same melody but different lyrics. The verse lyrics give us information about the situation, emotions, or people in the song.
Chorus: We may hear the chorus of a song three, four or more times. The lyric and melody remain the same each time it recurs.The chorus lyrics sums up the heart of the song. The title of the song almost always appears in the chorus section and may be repeated two or more times.
Bridge: The bridge has a different melody, lyrics, and chord progression from the verse or chorus. It provides a break from the repetition of verse and chorus. The lyric often provides an insight or revealing moment.
The above parts could be further enhanced by repetition.And you could call each part a section or A part,B part,C part,D part,etc.And other than the Intro,you could start with a Chorus,then the Verse.The order is up to you.The Bridge is usually the most difficult to come up with.It is the section that is the most different sounding in the song.The Chorus is usually similar to the Verse.And the Chorus states the theme or main melody of the song or what they call the "Hook".It is really the most important part!
So,a song can come from many sources.It has form,or sections.And these sections repeat themselves,with one of the sections being the main theme,the Hook,Chorus or Head(jazz).
This will conclude Part 1 of songwriting,i hope this helps you in your musical journeys.Songwriting can be a very rewarding thing.and next we will expound upon the "art" of songwriting a little more.Below are some links that may help you further your journey...
http://www.craftofsongwriting.com/Column1.htm
http://www.craftofsongwriting.com/articles.htm
http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/mar03/dawson36.htm

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