(Part 2) Top products from r/Songwriting

> I'd much rather write and have a professional singer with professional studio equipment sing it.

A lot of guys do that. And I probably will too, least that's my goal when my skills are up to it. But I'm glad you told me that, if that's your goal then you should want to get better. A hobbyist isn't going to be willing to put in the work.

Anyway, after listening to em all I would give yourself more credit as a singer. A few vocal lessons with the right teacher could get you singing so good you'd surprise yourself.

Of the 3 originals you posted, all 3 have some pretty common issues that can be addressed. I'm not going to go line by line because really the lines can be arbitrary.

• Word rhythm - believe it not, the accentation(or lack thereof) in a syllable creates a rhythm that you can use to make more powerful lyrics. I just read about this a couple weeks ago in my rhyming dictionary but basic prosody rules apply. If you need a line to feel stable with the other lines, match the rhythm. If you need to create instability, change the rhythm (shorter or longer). Stability in word rhythm is how you get the sing-along effect.
  
  
• Rhyme - You can tell you wrote these as a teenager because you must have been coming up with the rhymes off the top of your head. A better approach I've found is to brainstorm some words that have to do with your hook. Then go to your rhyming dictionary (not a bullshit online one, no matter what anyone else says), and pick all the rhymes that seem to fit your theme. A good rhyming dictionary will also teach about the other types of rhyme other than perfect rhyme. You can also use this to create stability/instability, perfect rhymes are stable, the more dissonant sound the less stable the rhyme.
  
  
• Rhyme scheme - Setting up more a pattern to your rhyming will make it easier for the listener. See the above about rhymes but try out these rhyme schemes as there about the most popular in music today: ABAC, ABCA, ABCB
  
  
• Song structure - You did a better job than most posters here of having a chorus that sticks out. However, the songs on the radio these days almost always have a pre-chorus. Back in the day it was more optional but these days a pre-chorus build that has a hook in it is the way most hits seem to work
  
  
• Verse development - Here all the rules of story telling apply. You want each line to move your story along with a definite beginning, middle, and end (especially with country which it sounds like you're most close to). This is something else you can determine before you write the lyrics. I use a box method and a typical development could be I-You-We. Or even Aristotle's Pain-Fear-Catharsis. The way you were doing it, it didn't seem to be moving very far.
  
  
• Detail, detail, detail - Ralph Murphy says that our job as story tellers is to get the listener engaged in a story that never happened, with characters that don't exist, in a place that never was, and make em believe it because it relates to their own story. A lot of us make the mistake especially when we start out as using music as a diary, that's fine but that doesnt' make people want to listen to your song over and over. The trick is to use lots of details that can relatable to other people. So details are objects or typically nouns that help paint a picture in the eye of the listener. Use them liberally in your verses, sparingly in your choruses. The chorus is where you talk about how you (or the narrator) feel(s)
  
  I'll use one of the songs as an example of some of this stuff:
  
• hook/title: Just Another Broken Heart
  
• When I read that I see another non-unique way of singing a sad bastard song. One of the hardest things about our job is saying the same old thing in a fresh way
  
  
• rhyme schemes
  
• Your first verse sets a AABAA (counting assonance as rhyme), the next verse is ABBAA. And you go to ABAB in the chorus to mix it up, good job on mixing it up there but you want to keep the verse rhyme patterns the same. Also, try to stay away from couplets when you want to be taken seriously. AABB can sound corny.
  
  
• structure
  
• You have a Verse/Chorus/Verse/Chorus/Verse structure. Not one of the standard structure. Again, pre-choruses are the thing these days. And your first verse is the 3rd verse. I don't know if your first verse is strong enough for that. Additionally, is there a counterpoint idea that could balance the sadness of the rest of the song? Remember, contrast is the name of the game in songwriting.
  
  
• verse development
  
• the first verse deals with not wanting to wake up to the reality and face the pain. I like that. The 2nd verse deals with the fear of what you'll find. That's okay but you've already indicated that somewhat in your first verse. You're just restating it. And then the 3rd verse is a repeat of the first. And I don't know if your first verse is strong enough for that.
  
  ..k so I'm getting to have a wall of text here so I'll stop there. I think you get the point. The biggest hurdle an aspiring pro songwriter has to make is the realization that listener's don't give a shit about you. They care about how your song makes them feel. If you can elicit emotion in the right way you may been on to something.
  
  I would recommend, if this is something you're legitimately considering pursuing, that you consider joining Taxi.com. They're a company you can join (for a fee) that will pitch your songs to the majors. They can also give you advice on finding a studio to produce your songs. But more importantly, they'll give you reviews of your submissions for actual industry pros. At the very least you could learn a ton from their forums (http://forums.taxi.com) and watching some Taxi TV.
  
  Here are the books that I've probably learned the most from all most of my critique is based on:
  
  Writing Better Lyrics
  
  Murphy's Laws of Songwriting
  
  The Craft of Lyric Writing
  
  But that's just my 2 cents as a random guy on the internet.

This book was pretty helpful for me in creating more descriptive, tangible strings of words, along with a ton of other wildly helpful ways to create more meaningful lyrics:
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Better-Lyrics-Pat-Pattison/dp/1582975779


This one, which I've only read a few chapters of, has been pretty helpful in getting me out of my own way. If we just tell the truth about our experience as a person (the real truth, the one we usually just think), we'll be saying things that mean more, and are more universal than any surface level or constructed truth:
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Poetry-Save-Your-Life/dp/1550717472

If you're really serious about learning how the industry works, here is a music industry textbook that a few of my undergrad professors wrote. There aren't a lot of textbooks on the subject, so I found this to be a great resource, and the authors wrote it to be used in collegiate studies of music business. It generally strays away from giving advice (unlike many business books) and strives to teach you the fundamentals of how selling songs works, what kind of deals you can get, what professionals want when you deliver material, royalties etc., in addition to a whole host of other info like touring and promotion. Every situation is different and advice that is great for one person may not be great for you.

The book is called Off the Record - Larry Wacholtz et al. Normally it's priced like a textbook but I found used copies of a slightly older edition on Amazon for like $12 so I thought I would share.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0984057226?ref=olp_product_details

Since music covers such a broad stylistic range there cannot be songwriting "rules". Genres can be broken down into idiomatic terms but I think what you're looking for is related to tonal harmony. The foundational "rules" of music theory can be applied to all musical styles and will teach you how to analyze a song to extract the patterns that indicate the musical style.

https://www.amazon.com/Tonal-Harmony-Stefan-Kostka/dp/125944709X

This is a pretty standard book which will teach you the basics of theory from the ground up. Hope this helps :)

Get yourself this book.


The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/0634022296/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_4b6UAb59XFX6N


Imo it's the best beatles book for guitar. Every day open it up and learn a new song. Some of their compositions are just genius. You will be exposed to brilliant progressions, strange new chords, and a new insight into songwriting.


I guarantee it will change the way you write and play.

I like the way this one is setup. It'll also fit in your back pocket. Good luck!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0882847295/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?ref_=pe_385040_30332200_pe_309540_26725410_item

On songwriting specifically, Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison

On harmony and melody, Writing Hit Songs by Jai Josefs
You may need to know basic theory for that one though

I've got this one (https://www.amazon.com/Successful-Lyric-Writing-Step-Step/dp/0898792835/) which I like. I hear Pat Pattison is the one to go with though. I watched his Coursera class online and it was good.

In researching this stuff yesterday I actually found quite a few on Amazon with that exact purpose. Like this one.

If she can read/write music, a cute notebook with staff paper: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1519108834/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=HV33VB7TMW9F36DTXEGW&dpPl=1&dpID=61j0gPnFBML

When I was about that age, I had a cassette recorder and MIDI keyboard to play around with recording my songs... unfortunately I’m not sure what the equivalent would be these days!

Every artist you have ever heard has done covers.

Probably the best thing that you can do is to take each one of those influences and mimic it. Create a small 2 minute song which duplicates that influence well. That will become your palette of musical colors.

Once that is created, you can mix them together in different portions.

You will always be a ripoff. No one may notice it but you, but you will always be borrowing and being influenced by other sources. That is how we get new stuff.

​

Book: Steal Like an Artist

Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting by Jimmy Webb