JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Mentor Questions Forum Lyric writing question??

I heard the line about "first you learn the rules, then you will be able to break them" in high school English class. All us creative types wanted to write like James Joyce or Hunter Thompson or others who "broke all the rules." The teachers always told us to first learn the rules -- i.e., proper grammar, proper sentence structure, etc. -- and then we could break those rules INTENTIONALLY and with a REASON.

I've always found that to be a good philosophy to follow in all areas. Lyric writing, musical composition, journalism, computer programming ... all of these things are CRAFTS, just like wood carving or even carpentry or architecture. And the "rules" we are talking about are not monolithic, set-in-stone commandments that you break only at risk of eternal damnation. They are basically TECHNIQUES -- no more, no less.

How to construct a proper English sentence. How to match a melody line with a set of chords. How to make four walls and a roof stand up and support themselves against the wind and rain. They are basic, time-tested, tried-and-true TECHNIQUES. When you use them, you are almost assured of getting a product that WORKS. It may not be the most original product, it may not be the most creative product, but it will do the job it's intended to do. It will convey a message (in the case of a sentence). It will convey an emotion (in the case of a musical work). It will shelter your tools (in the case of a garden shed). Etc.

By following these techniques, you learn, you practice, you gain experience in whatever medium you are using -- again, be that medium words, musical notes, or wood and nails. You learn how the medium operates. You discover that when you put "this" and "this" together, you get something pleasing; but when you put "this" and "that" together, you get something awful.

As you gain more experience and confidence, you begin to "break the rules." Which simply means you begin to "use different techniques." Some of these techniques you've picked up along the way from others. Other techniques are probably your own inventions.

Eventually you develop what's commonly referred to as "your own voice": Your unique approach to your chosen craft. This is the combination of all the rules (i.e., TECHNIQUES) that you've come to adopt and use in your craft.

The idea that "you have to learn the rules before you can break the rules" is not itself a "rule." It, too, is a technique. I've found it helpful to me in almost every area of endeavor I've tried (and there have been a lot of them!). You may or may not find it helpful, depending on your personality and your overall approach to things. It's just another technique -- a way of getting from concept to reality, from Point A to Point B.

Personally, I think the most important thing about using any technique is PURPOSE. What am I trying to do? And will this particular technique accomplish that goal?

If I'm writing a love song, I'll choose different words than if I'm writing a protest song. I'll choose different chord progressions and a different type of melody line. I will pick and choose the specific techniques I will use in any given situation because they are the proper tools to get me where I'm trying to go.

Getting back on topic: "Every line must stand on its own" is (guess what?!) a "technique." It's a technique of approaching the construction of a lyric. In some situations, it's appropriate. In others, it's probably completely inappropriate.

"The only rule is there are no rules." The "rules" as we generally understand them are nothing more than "traditional techniques." We use them initially because they are all we know when we're starting out, and they provide us with some support, some framework within which to work. As our skill develops, we can choose (note that word -- CHOOSE!) whether we continue to operate within those rules, or whether we move outside them into a different set of rules (techniques).

Listen to lyrics that "work" -- i.e., that grab you, that you remember, that move you emotionally. Someone uptopic mentioned Bob Dylan. I would add to him Kris Kristofferson, just off the top of my head. Robert Hunter, who wrote lyrics for the Grateful Dead. Even (the gods help me for saying this!) ... even some rap lyrics. Pull them apart, analyze them, figure out what makes them "work," and you will find.... nothing in common. Different techniques (different "sets of rules"?), all of which work in their given contexts and for their given purposes.

The Muses and Zen are all involved, sure. But my personal opinion is that you only reach the Muses and the Zen by becoming an expert craftsperson. Which in my mind means possessing a given set of tools, and knowing exactly how and when to wield each of those tools in pursuit of a given purpose.

Wow.... Sorry about the philosophical rambling! I hope it strikes a chord somewhere...

--- Ed


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