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The Writing Code
By admin | December 3, 2007
There are seemingly endless resources for learning how to play the instrument of your choice, no matter how odd the instrument our how novice or advanced the skill level. From books to videos, private instructors, even software - you can learn your instrument in just about whatever FORMAT you want, for any style you want. There is, however, one thing that I believe simply can not be completely taught: songwriting.
Songwriting has got to be one of the most difficult elements of playing any instrument, whether you are just trying to write some basic words to go hand-in-hand with some chords or you are writing several individual parts to be played by some form of orchestra or ensemble. Lyric writing on its own can prove VERY difficult, just because at some point you don’t just want to link some words that rhyme, but rather you want to SAY SOMETHING. Some of the greatest lyricists of our day are great not because they followed some sort of pattern or formula, but rather because they said something worth hearing! Anyone who has played acoustic guitar any length of time has figured out that playing and SINGING simultaneously bring a whole new life to the guitar, and odds are that same person has tried it (or is thinking about trying it). Some of the most influential guitar players in history were guys armed with little more than their acoustic and a notebook full of words, and it is them who we emulate today. I’m thinking of guys like Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Neil Young… guys who understood that not only did they want to create good music, but they wanted to say something with it!
Songwriting doesn’t stop at lyrics, however. Arranging a song and taking other instruments and blending together to form something that people will love to listen to, while still being true to your artistic nature, is an art unto itself. Being able to find a sweet spot in your rhythm, the perfect tone, and the right guitar riffs can be every bit as important as WHAT you are saying in the song. After all, if you don’t wrap your message in good music, you might as well just be a poet.
There are some people in the current music scene who I believe to be amazing songwriters, both lyrically and musically:
John Mayer (can you tell I’m a fan?), Stephan Jenkins, Adam Duritz, Chris Martin, Nathan Pettijohn, James Horner, Adam Levine, Chris Thile… I could go on and on.
Whose lyrics make you think?
Topics: songwriting |
December 6th, 2007 at 9:36 am
Definitely Jamiroquai. I mean, she’s JUST a cosmic girl…..