Another Songwriting Exercise
I received a lot of CD’s from folks at the folk alliance, and they run the gamut from hopefuls to great artists, and as I was listening to one of them today in the car, I realized that while I liked all the songs, they almost all sounded like they came from the same place.
I mean that the rhythm of the lyrics was the same in most of the songs, and the melodies all came from the same perspective, as did the chord structures.
Now some folks would call that style and when it is elevated to high art, it certainly is, but if you are at the nascency of your songwriting career, you might consider taking a tip from the Beatles.
I read that Paul McCartney said that the reason that they wrote Good Day Sunshine from the Revolver album was because they had heard the Lovin Spoonful’s recording of Daydream and they decided to write a song like that.
For those of you who are familiar with Good Day Sunshine, you will agree that it doesn’t sound like What A Day for A Daydream, but that was the inspiration.
I was going to suggest a similar tactic for this artist. All the songs on the CD were interesting lyrically and they were musical, but by writing the same kind of song over and over you are not challenging yourself and you are less likely to grow into a wonderful songwriter by being creatively lazy.
You don’t want to use the same feel and the same chords for all the songs you write. You will, as you write, develop your own artist voice and I support that and encourage it.
What I am suggesting is that, as an exercise, pick some songs that you like that are nothing like you write and write one like that. It worked for the Beatles and it will probably work for you.
We did an exercise a couple of weeks ago where I suggested that you pick a classic song that you love and write a verse to it. This is not that exercise. This is simply to get you out of your own compositional comfort zone and see what you can come up with.
Even if it sucks, you will learn from the effort and your next song will be better, I promise.
james lee stanley
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Reader Comments (5)
Fabulous post!
i've been writing songs...poems...lyrics...et al on and off since I was 12
From almost the very beginning I would do just what you are describing...i would write in the same style as the people i listened to...for a few years everything sounded the same...not identical ...but it was the same structure over and over...same place...i write very diffeently now and I have the freedom to just write and as I did in the beginning with a song ringing in my ears I would have lyrics pop into my head and while they were still in my brain i was certain that they were gonna come out as the song I had just heard...but they never did...they still dont...
I think its important to reiterate that there is a difference between a song cycle of an album and the songs being flat not round...
Also there is the industry you get a winner on one song and so at the height of tin pan alley you'd have a hit and so the producers record companies etc wanted more of the same...Del Shannon's Runaway and Hat's Off To Larry come to mind...same instruments that same organ riff same melody almost...to be put in that tube must have been terrible...Nearly a decade later The Monkees would actually break that mold...but it cost them
the bands that came out of the 1990's virtually all sound the same to me GRUNGE *rolls eyes*...the lead singers all emulated Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam which I must say is a pretty damn good band...but the immitators which are still out there would sing like Vedder and Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots...in the mid to late ninties the shell began to crack almost as soon as it had emerged from the womb and kinda like haight ashbury...by the time the kids in mid america were emulating the grunge scene it was over and the dawn came and artists began to emerge that were different Sarah Mclaughlin is one...I think I spelled that wrong...but here was this woman doing almost neo classical/hard rock playing piano and singing so smooth yet with emotion not limited to angst Tori Amos falls in the same mold...but she is her own artist...kind of like comparing Judy Collins And Joni Mitchell
Again Great Post James
Pax
Namaste
Bobby
oh!
PS-
I was sure that pic was of you...but the teeth are different...James my dear sweet James...you havent had- in LA no less where everyone is honest with their appearences and who they are-Your teeth capped?! *GASP*
bobby, you've got this one wrong. never wore braces, never had anything done to my teeth except fillings and a crown or two. this is just what happens if you use your teeth for sixty years in a row.
the photo was taken by my pal, charlie sutton in taiwan in 1968. the hair was the most amazing part to me.
'68 really?...wow...still in the service I assume...i guess thats why you didnt quite look like your self...no big afro no big beard...as for your teeth I'm sorry...i just assume everyone in LA gets caps...I think I'm projecting...I want caps...wanna pay for them?