Hey chums, Caitlin here today. This is a blog post I wrote some time ago, but it's still very relevant so I thought I would share it with you on my new Blog. Hope you enjoy it.
How I write songs,
by Caitlin Grey (Harvey/Grey Music)
Writing
about song writing is a bit weird! As
I’m sure many other creative people will tell you, song writers
(unless they are also teachers) don’t usually have to analyse the
mechanics of what they do. In general, I don’t really think about
how I write songs, I just do it! When I first began teaching singing
and performance, explaining how I sing and perform came quite
naturally, as you could argue that teaching itself is a form of
performance. But song writing...mmm? Song writing (to me at least) is
a rather personal
endeavour,
generally involving copious cups of tea and choccy biccies and
executed behind closed doors in a small, airless studio. mysterious
and secret! When you decide to share how you do it and write it down,
you actually have to sit down and deconstruct the process because its
not something you consciously think about so, like I said, its weird!
(Scroll
to bottom for useful links!
Enough
waffle, lets get to it!
The
first thing to remember is that there is no right or wrong way to
write songs however you do it, hey, if it works for you, then keep
going! If your way of writing is not working for you, however, and
you're unhappy with the results of your efforts, then that's the time
to seek help and support from other writers! I hope that sharing my
writing process gives you some tips of what to do (or not!) and will
maybe demonstrate that whatever you are doing is not wrong!
The
nitty gritty!
I
write songs in a few different ways, often in a jam/improvisation
session with my song writing collaborator. This is a brilliant way to
write, I have to say, as ideas can just flow when you work with
someone else!
If
I'm writing for a client then, depending on the brief, I will work
from set lyrics and write a melody or vice versa. This type of
composing requires a slightly different skill set, so I won't go into
this now.
However,
when writing my own songs, I would say that about half of the time, I
generally tend to start with a melody and a lyric combined when I'm
on my own. That's just the way I work. It could be just a saying or a
phrase that comes into my head and I just start singing it over and
over. Usually, (as soon as humanly possible!) I record it on my phone
or my voice recorder, just in case I have to leave it to do something
else. There's nothing more annoying than thinking up a great melody
and then forgetting it and, let me tell you, I've had inspiration for
a tune at the most inconvenient times (steady on now!). So, if I've
recorded it, I have it filed and I can go back to it later. Some
composers and writers notate their ideas (write them down as sheet
music... same process, different filing system!) Sometimes, I will do
this, but very rarely, and, before you budding writers out there
panic,it isn't necessary to be able to read/write music to write
songs, at all!
Anyway,
where was I? Oh yes, so, sometimes, when I listen back to the idea,
Ill think its got potential and get really excited to work on it, but
then sometimes, Ill think, ah, not so good after all and I disregard
it, or at least leave it for a while. I have many, many, half
recorded ideas that started out as a hit!
Some
writers don't record their ideas, but I have to, as my mind is like a
sieve! Icelandic singer/songwriter Bjork says that she never records
her ideas; she just waits to see if she forgets it! If she does, it
wasn't any good anyway![1] I tend to take a more pragmatic approach
to writing and I record absolutely everything I write (if possible).
So,
if I decide the idea is good enough to work on, Ill sit down at the
piano and carry on singing it to see where the tune wants to go. Then
Ill try to add more melody and play around with some chords. So, for
example, Ill take it into a chorus, or if I’ve written the chorus
part first, (this is quite normal for me) try to work in a verse type
melody. Sometimes, this is easy and it all fits and flows
fantastically and, sometimes, its a bit trickier, depending on the
melody I’ve initially come up with. I would say that I mainly write
from ear rather than notating music, although like I said earlier, I
have done this for a few songs. Generally, Ill have something in my
head and I can hear the basic arrangement that I want for the song.
I
then take my rough melody and lyrics to my song writing partner Neil
and we start working on it properly, trying to flesh out the
structure and instrumentation. We decide on a key and then add the
chords to accompany the vocal melody. Much of the time, we get stuck
on the middle 8 (termed the 'middle 8' as it's usually the 8, or so,
bars of instrumentation or vocal melody. It
usually
comes
after the second chorus in most pop/rock songs, and
(generally) differs
from
the main melody/chords
of
the song)! Often a bugbear! (So
more
on Middle 8s in another article!) Once we have a basic arrangement,
we record a guide vocal and probably a guitar accompaniment, or a
keyboard, depending on the type of song. This is where it starts to
get really exciting as you can hear your song coming together. Also,
the song can alter radically at this point, for example, changes in
vocal melody, lyrics, arrangement, all sorts of things! Or, it could
stay very close to the original idea, like I said earlier there is no
one way to do this. Just go with the flow and do what feels right to
you.
Obviously,
it also depends on what genre you are working in. For example, garage
or house/hip hop writers generally tend to start with a beat, or some
beats, building a song or track around a strong rhythm and working
from there. Other writers, say.. rock writers for instance, may come
up with a great guitar riff and develop a song that way. Like I said
at the start, there is no right or wrong way to write songs, this is
just how I do it! I tend to be melody driven as I'm a singer and the
voice is my primary instrument to work with. I suppose that I would
be considered in the industry as a top line writer; that is to say,
someone who writes the vocal melody of the song, termed the top line
in sheet music. Although, I do have significant input into the
instrumentation as well!
Solo
writer or team player?
I
am lucky in that I have a collaborator to work with. There was a time
though when I worked alone and I wrote my songs on my own (hence all
the tea & biscuits!). I just recorded my ideas and maybe put a
few chords (from my keyboard) underneath to support the melody. Then,
when I could afford it, I went into a recording studio and recorded
the song. Many studios offer an arrangement facility. This is when
you take a raw song in, for instance, a rough melody, lyrics and a
bit of an idea of how you want it to sound, and the arrangers work
with you until its finished. It can be expensive but at least you get
your song done professionally. This is invaluable if you don’t play
well enough to do it yourself and/or you don’t have recording
facilities at home. Of course, nowadays, with the advent of home
studio set ups, most people can record everything
themselves.
(The home recording process in all its glory will be covered in
another article!)
The
link below gives you an idea of what to expect from a full
arrangement/recording service.
If
you do need help with recording your song, but you're a bit broke,
(we've all been there!) then sometimes music tech students are
generally willing to work with you for the experience, or you could
throw out a call for help to other budding producers/writers on
social media. This is a great way to meet like-minded musos! And you
never know a hit making partnership may be born!
So,
this is how I write warts and all! No secret tricks involved, just
commitment and perseverance! If you've been hitting a wall, then,
hopefully, its inspired you to experiment with your own writing
process. All I will say is don't give up! It gets easier with
experience and if you have a passion for your music you will find a
way! I wish you good luck, happy writing and see you next time!
Cheerio
for now!
Love
& music,
Caitlin
x
PS.
My good twitter pal Anthony Ceseri is offering a free songwriting
report with lots of helpful tips! Do check it out, you're bound to
find something jolly useful!
Another
very informative blog worth checking out!
PPS.
If you'd like to ask me a specific question about song writing,
anything at all, then please do feel free to email me on enquiries@caitlingrey.com or leave a comment/question below!
I
can't promise to know all the answers but I'll do my best to help!
Keep
writing!
Caitlin
xx
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