Thumbprint #2... The song
It's good to ask yourself if you are an artist.. what message am I trying to convey to the public? What do I want to say and how do I want to say it? Be conscious of these things. Smart artists are very aware of how they are perceived by their audience. It doesn't mean you can't write songs about various and different topics. If you have a mission statement just like all successful companies have, you will approach all the things you do with that bigger goal in mind. Your mission could be as simple as saying.. I'm an artist who wants to make people just dance. I'm all about the party. That's okay. You could be socially conscience and want to have a deeper POV.
POV? I think it is hugely overlooked in the music biz. POINT OF VIEW is critical. It's how people on the web get famous, they offer some sort of P.O.V. that the audience relates to. When you write songs it's important to develop a style that is consistent throughout your songs. Some writers come by this naturally, and for the rest of us it is something that is a constant work in progress. Word choices and how you phrase your melodies are critical things to be honed. When you write songs it's important to start to recognize patterns in lyrical content and in melody phrasing. Ask yourself and the one's around you that you trust and that will give you an honest opinion what works for them. Try to be honest with yourself and establish the things that work and just as important what probably doesn't work for you. Take chances and swing for the fences. It's the only way you will start to sift down through all your ideas to get to the good stuff.
Lyrics are a very personal and complex topic. There are so many types of songs to be written. Once again, experimenting with different approaches is really important especially when you are a young artist. There are songs that are more about story telling and other types of songs that are more abstract and interpretive in nature. Even if you think you belong in one of those spaces try taking a walk on the wild side and work inside a form that isn't so comfortable for you. I promise you, even if the song is a dud you WILL learn something about yourself! I think that studying other songwriters lyrics is critical. When I first started writing lyrics I would study lyrics from artists and writers I identified with. I didn't just listen to the songs, I STUDIED the lyric. Tore it apart, asked myself, why does this work? Sometimes I'd even ask myself what I would have done differently if I wrote the song.. these lyrics will sink deep into your sub-conscience and will end up in your songs in a new and unique way.
Co-writing can help you in your growth process as well. Look to my blog post about co-writing to get some ideas about finding the right partners to explore ideas with. Mentorship is vital and learning from your peers and from those ahead of you in the process is a great way to expand your horizons.
Chords and arrangement choices are very important as well. There are only 12 notes in our music system yet there are an infinite amount of choices to be made. Prince is a great example of this. He played a lot of the same chords, and used the same rhythmical styles of artists that came before him yet it sounded so original when he did it. It's the way he approached the notes and the space in between them! Search for those note/chord choices that you identify with and be conscience of the spaces between them. Sounds very Yoda of me, oh well. It is true though. Experimenting with creative voicings, inversions and rhythmical patterns are good ways to help re-enforce your identity. If you are self taught I think that taking some music theory classes is a must. It will expand your capabilities with both chord choices and melodies.
The biggest thing I can say about the song is to always come from an honest place and make sure that it conveys the emotion you want the listener to experience. A record executive once said to me, we are not in the music business!! We are in the business of selling emotions. I thought that was a cheesy statement at the time but I find it to be true. If the song effects you emotionally in some way it has the chance of effecting others as well. The last thing I will say about songwriting is to NEVER SETTLE. You should always be in a constant pursuit of improving your songwriting skill sets. Listen to the greats and aspire to be like them. Laziness has no place in the songwriting universe. Writing GREAT songs is very hard to do so roll up your sleeves and be prepared to work!!