In My Life

(Warning: Thesis ahead.) 

Since I’m still thinking back fondly about last last Friday’s events, let me indulge a bit by sharing my thoughts on songwriting. After all, songwriting is one of my major passions.

Songwriting is one of those things which people hardly talk about. You go to a bookstore and there are tons of books on cooking, literary writing, business, management, self-improvement, sports, graphic arts & design, travel, etc…but you’d be lucky if you can find a handful of books which delve into the art and process of songwriting.

It’s like, there’re tons of new songs being released worldwide every day, but how were they actually crafted? What was the process behind it? Which came first, music or lyrics? Melody or chords? Verse or chorus? Nobody ever talks about that.

Maybe that’s why I find it so fascinating. It’s the “unspoken artform”. It’s the artform which nobody discusses, even though the finished product, i.e. the song, is something which we hear everywhere, everyday.

And maybe that’s why most music-loving friends I know were so fascinated with the scene in “Music & Lyrics” where they showed Hugh Grant literally piecing a song together with Drew Barrymore in his own little home recording studio. It was one of those really rare movies which portrayed the Art of Songwriting. (How many other movies can you think of which deal with the theme of songwriting?)

…

Ivan was jokingly mentioning to me after last Friday that he wanted me to share the secret to how I wrote my “hit songs” (er, really?).

Well, firstly, it’s no big secret really. Secondly…I’d be all too ready to admit that my songs aren’t anything fantastic. Really. I’ve still got a very long way to go.

But I thank you deeply for your compliment, Ivan!

Anyway, I shall now expound on my favourite topic…

(Please note: I’m definitely not saying I’m good at songwriting. I’m just sharing my personal philosophy and approach towards the art of songwriting.)

…

90% Perspiration

I’d like to think that writing songs is ”10% inspiration, 90% perspiration”. At least that’s how I go about it.

To me, writing songs is pure hard work.

There seems to be this perception that writing a song is purely based on inspiration, e.g. a whole song just hits you out of the blue, just like how Paul McCartney woke up one fine morning with the entire tune of “Yesterday” in his head. Or like you go for a walk in the park on a lazy Saturday morning and come back with a full song in your head.

Well, that certainly is not the case for me. I’ve never been talented or inspired enough to have a whole song come to me just like that. I’ve always had to work real hard at it.

Most of the time, I would stumble upon a little “musical idea”. This is usually a line or two that comes to me both with tune and lyrics together. From then on, it’s up to me to bang it out on the piano or guitar, or simply just try to sing out the many ways in which I can build on from this little idea.

Ok, there is still an element of “gut feel” in terms of how I want the music to develop and unfold, and what direction I want to go with the song, but ultimately, it’s really hard work trying to build a song from that little musical idea right up to completion.

And once I think the gist of the song is done, I will go through every single line once again to do lots of fine-tuning. If there’s a line or two I’m not comfortable with, I would alter it till I’m satisfied. So this whole fine-tuning process takes almost as long, if not longer than the actual construction of the first draft.

So generally, my songs are mostly crafted by building on line by line from that little musical germ of an idea.

…

The Importance of Rhyme

I’m a firm believer in the power of the Rhyme.

Maybe it’s because I’m a keen listener of old school Broadway, with lyrics by lyrical greats such as Oscar Hammerstein II, Alan Jay Lerner, and Stephen Sondheim. Rhymes in these musicals are 100% strictly pure rhymes. Clean rhymes. No false rhymes such as “day” and “fade”, or “girl” and “world”, or “side” and “tonight”. And every single line rhymes. Sometimes you even get internal rhymes as well. And sometimes you get really complicated rhyme structures.

It’s all very sophisticated stuff.

The rhymes were extremely strict (yet fabulously ingenious), for a simple reason - There is nothing more powerful in a lyric than a perfect rhyme. You can’t escape the fact. Rhyming is essential. Nothing strikes a listener more powerfully than lyrics which rhyme perfectly.

I’m sure there are those who would not agree. Yup, I understand…there any many great songs that do not rhyme at all. However, if there’s one thing which Broadway has taught us, it’s that rhyming is an important component to creating great quality songs.

Hence, I make it a point to pay close attention to rhymes in my songs.

Also, when I try to make my lyrics rhyme, I would try to avoid making the more obvious rhymes. It’s like, sometimes you hear a line in a song, and somehow you can just guess what the next line is going to be…becauase the way the first line was written, it sets things up perfectly for the rather obvious rhyme in the second line.

So I do try to make a conscious effort to write the first line in a way so that the listener cannot possibly tell how the next line rhymes with it.

I think all the lyrical geniuses of Broadway were fantastic at doing that. The kind of rhymes which they came up with were both extremely ingenious and natural at the same time.

By the way, this is the answer to all your rhyming needs: www.rhymezone.com

…

Melody

I’m a big believer in the Melody.

Sure, there are great songs whose strong points are not the melody itself, but personally, I feel that a good song should still sound good when stripped down to the bare essentials or “first-principles” (as mathematicians would like to call it), e.g. just a guitar/piano and voice. But that’s just me.

I’m one for elegantly-crafted, beautiful, soaring melodies which linger on in the listener’s mind long after the song has ended. (Not that I achieve that all the time, but that’s what I constantly work towards.)

My melody heroes are Richard Rodgers (from Rodgers & Hammerstein), Paul McCartney, and John Rutter. Just to name a few.

One melody tip which I keep in mind is that musical leaps are always interesting. The wider the interval of the leap, the more interesting or exciting. Another tip is that the highest point in the entire song’s melody should be in the chorus (if you have a chorus, that is), because the chorus should be the most memorable part of the song…and highest points are usually more memorable. 

Sometimes the simplest melody lines are the best. Richard Rodgers was simply unmatchable when it came to composing the simplest and yet most memorable melody lines.

…

What Is Catchy?

What makes a tune catchy? How do you go about creating a catchy tune? What’s the “formula”?

Up till today, I have no answer for that.

And I don’t particularly think I’m good at creating catchy tunes either…unlike some of my other friends in the Songcraft circle.

Maybe one day a researcher can write a doctorate thesis on what exactly constitutes a “catchy” melody. As in, scientifically break down the elements of a catchy tune and see what the common characteristics are, and from there form a formula to see how one can scientifically create catchy tunes based on the formula.

Oh, but that wouldn’t be cool. Cos if everyone knew the “formula” to writing catchy tunes, then catchy tunes wouldn’t be so special any more.

…

Subject Matter

I don’t aspire to be the next Bob Dylan. Occasionally I try to write something (seemingly) profound, but most of the time I don’t go that deep. 

I would like to say I belong more to the Paul McCartney school-of-thought…that is that the melody takes precedence over the lyrics. I read somewhere that McCartney usually came up with the tune first, then the lyrics. And if you notice his lyrics, sometimes his lyrics are quite ordinary, and his rhymes can be a bit cliche sometimes. But it’s his melodies that are simply outstanding. I believe he places more emphasis on his melodies than his lyrics.

I believe there’s a difference between lyrics and poetry. I personally don’t think that lyrics should be poetry, and vice versa. I believe that lyrics are what you start to analyse after falling in love with the melody of a song. Lyrics aren’t meant to be studied. They’re meant to tell a simple message, and aid in the flow of the music. Well-written lyrics make the song sound and flow much better than average lyrics.

Even though I stick to more conventional subject matter, I do make it a point to try and avoid cliche lines. 

I’m always thinking of how to come up with unique and elegant lyric lines. Lines which aren’t exactly Woodsworth, but aren’t exactly cheesy either.

Sometimes I’m aware that my lines don’t really make a whole lot of sense if you analyse them thoroughly. But they come off the tongue well and seem to make sense at first hearing, so that’s good enough for me, haha! 

…

Capturing Attention

I believe that in the same way that a good opening line when writing an article helps capture the reader’s interest, there should also be enough quality in the opening portion of a song to capture the listener’s interest, to create suspense and anticipation for what lies ahead. The listener should be left wanting to discover more and more of the song. The song should slowly unravel like a mysterious gift box…with the listener knowing (or hoping) that the present inside which finally presents itself is well worth the wait. 

Nothing captures a listener’s attention better than a fantastic opening line(s). Who can ever forget the opening to ”Hey Jude”?

…

The Journey

Here’s the juicy part:

I believe that when you write a song, you are bringing the listener on a journey. That’s the mindset which I adopt when I write my songs.

Yes, I do not hide the fact that I write songs more for the listener than for myself. I write to please others more than to please myself. Cos anyway, when others are pleased, I’m pleased as well, haha! I write to impress others (especially girls!), and more importantly…I write hoping to touch the listener’s heart.

That’s the difference, I think, between “music” and “harmonious sound”. One touches the heart, the other doesn’t.

As the songwriter, I believe you are taking the listener on a journey. You should feel thankful that the listener is willing to give four minutes of his/her life to listen to your song. Hence, you should make the journey a most memorable and enjoyable one for the listener.

Every note you write should tug at the listener’s heartstrings (in the right way, of course). Every single note in the song should be carefully placed so that it adds to the overall objective of the song. The listener’s heart moves according to where you take your song to. You, the songwriter, are leading the way. You’re making all the important musical decisions, so make sure they’re the right ones. The climax (high point) of the song is when the listener should feel the greatest degree of emotion. And most songs should have a climax, unless it’s the Bob Dylan kind of song, i.e. all verses only. (Bob Dylan’s songs are fantastic in their own way.)

A great chorus brings about an inexplicable sense of satisfaction and enjoyment to the listener. Many people call it the “payoff”, as in, the reward. A “musical surprise” such as an extended line or a well-placed dissonant or minor chord gives the listener something delightful to think about. An instrumental solo in the middle of the piece gives the listener a mental break and induces a little bit of welcomed relaxation in preparation for the final intensive chorus to kick in.

A great song should leave the listener feeling that every emotional need in his/her heart has been aroused and fulfilled in the last four minutes of listening to your song.

When they are listening to your song, you’re not just reciting lyrics or playing some notes…you’re taking them on a journey.

That’s the way I see it.