Yes, writing great texts is difficult, but to get to something big you just have to practice. Creating effective texts is not as difficult as one might think. Why? Well, first of all, you don’t need many words .
Take a look at your favorite tracks and, unless it’s hip-hop, you will find that they are composed of up to 300 words . It is therefore unnecessary to write a novel, music carries much of the weight of the narrative.
The lyrics have an important role in a song, you have to choose the words carefully and hit the listener without being too long and explanatory. In practice, three or four stanzas are enough .
2. Focus on the music
How do you start writing? Start listening to music . Remove distractions, turn off the phone. Listen carefully and see where the music takes you. Songwriters rarely choose the subject of their songs in advance, they are simply guided by music following a true emotion or a lived experience.
If you tell your story in a song, even those who listen to it will experience the experiences you are talking about. If a piece gives you no emotion, find one that does it and works on that.
3. From words to notes
Sometimes it happens that words are born while following the narrative created by music. When this happens, these small fragments, even a few seconds, tend to form the links between music and words that make the song catchy.
If this does not happen there is no problem. Try slower or faster times, vary the pace of speech. Sooner or later something will come out and once it’s started, it will be easier to write and create an entire song.
4. Don’t worry about accents
Not being tied to the way a word is pronounced, a singer can always change accents. Just think that Eminem creates rhymes by constantly changing the pronunciation of words.
If invent a word to create the right union between text and music, the important thing is that the listener is able to grasp the meaning of what you want to say: nothing is impossible for a songwriter.
5. Don’t think about rhymes
You can write lyrics in rhyme, in which the first verse has a cadence similar next but it is also possible to write without rhymes, and if you do, your lyrics will seem more spontaneous, as if you were having a conversation.
There is no one method more fair than another, the important thing to remember is that there are no rules for writing texts , it is enough simply not to steal copyright protected works. After that, the important thing is to let yourself be guided by music.
6. Find the wealth inherent in your lyrics and let it come out
When writing, it is possible to use the linguistic devices so dear to Italian teachers.
Symbolism : when a character is sad it usually rains.
Prefiguration : some small element at the beginning of the narration gives a clue to understand what will happen next.
Allegory : the text refers to a hidden meaning or a widely known story.
Satire , metaphor and the list could go on.
All these strategies can be distributed in your texts but it is easier to use what you already have in mind rather than trying to forcefully insert elements to make the piece more articulated.
Of course, your songs can simply say what you want to communicate at that moment, but richer texts, which have more than one meaning, are more interesting for the listener and tend to be repeated more frequently.
For example, you could write a song because you lost your job. Does your experience have something in common with that of others? It could be, for example, an opportunity to take sides politically or to express a strong feeling; in cases like this, you often already have in mind the meaning of the song, you just need to make it clear.
7. Make your listeners understand you
Most pop music lovers do not try to understand the lyrics, unless they are encouraged to do so. being too enigmatic, allowing people to understand the text without having to commit too much.
It is good to always leave some space for the personal interpretation of the listener . A text, after all, to be a masterpiece, must above all ensure that people meet again in it.
