Songwriting Contest Mistakes No Songwriter Should Make
Please do not take this list as absolute truth. These points are a few observations I have seen followed by some suggestions on how to address the points. This list is by no means comprehensive.
Lots of cliches and platitudes in the lyrics.
It amazes me that we are all unique, special and different in every way and yet when we write a love song it all sounds the same lyrically. A good love song is unique and stands out as such. Re writing old stand by love songs will not get you very far in the songwriting business.
A songwriter needs to quieten his or her mind and find their inner voice. Only then can you write a song from a unique and different perspectives. It does take a lot of practice to get there though. One sure fire way to know if the song you have written is a good one or not is the immediate reaction on the faces of those you first preformed it for. The eyes never lie.
The lyrical delivery is fumbled.
If the rhythm of the lyrics and melody is all jumbled up and the song does not have a natural flow to it, you might have a loser. Sometimes it is like there are too many words in the song and the writer is having a hard time exploring all of the ideas. Keep it simple both the story and the lyrics. Do not try to sing a novel. If the song becomes to complex, make two songs out of it, maybe three or four. Just do not cram too much into a song.
Remember, a song is at its most effective when you are dealing with one concept or idea. If you find you have too many ideas in a song then pick one to run with and write another song with the leftovers.
The song format is completely ignored.
There have been many a time where I have been listening to a song and I have said to myself there should be a bridge here, or a chorus has been written that does not stand out enough. These elements may not be immediately noticeable to your average listener but a pro will hear this at once. Obvious song formatting mistakes like these are sure to derail a songwriters career quickly.
It pays to have an idea of what a verse, chorus, pre chorus and a bridge does and how you can use them. To be considered a pro you have to learn what the pros know and then apply that knowledge.
Songs go on too long.
This is mostly a formatting problem as well but sometimes you can see that there is an anthemic phrase that the songwriter loves because it is repeated over and over and over and over again. Once again, keep the story simple and up tempo. Do not drone on for all of eternity. If people are carrying on conversations during the performance of your song, it may well be to long.
There is nothing wrong with a long song as long as the journey and the story is there for the listener. if say after 3 and a half minutes you are starting to repeat things and your idea runs out of steam then finish the song.
Mixing up the past, present and future through the song.
Be careful that you do not mix up your tenses when you are telling the story in your song. This sends a mixed and confusing message to the listener. I would think it would also make performing the song a little more confusing than it should be.
People want to be taken by the hand and led on a a journey, unless you are the songwriting equivalent to a Hollywood movie director, you should be aware of how the story is going chronologically.
Practice your craft, have fun with it, share it with others and when a songwriting contest comes around, put your best foot forward and preform like a professional.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 at 4:53 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.