Originally Posted by BIG JIM MERRILEES
Noel we are splitting hairs..... a song according to dictionary definition is a composition or piece of music suitable for singing......IMO.....technically yes a lyric is a kind of poem.....BUT in the context of songwriting lyrics are words to a song...........how can anyone be a songwriter when they DO NOT write the MELODY.
Putting that aside...my point which you seem to fail to accept is that lyric writers could do much better if they understood ......the most important part...the melody.....JMO
I am also of the opinion that pop music is production driven so melody, lyrics and even performance all come second to production. I do not try to set out to belittle anyone all I am suggesting is that folk learn to play music and learn the basics of music composition, arrangement and production....it would enhanve their skills and make them better songwriters.



Originally Posted by BIG JIM MERRILEES
IMO.....technically yes a lyric is a kind of poem......
twice because I did not want to be accused of quoting you out of context..

"Technically yes in your own honest opinion" ... if it's your opinion it's your opinion... You'll need to explain how it is also technically correct and not a fact but opinion......

To get technical ... to be a poem, a group of words need to fit a certain criteria, involving meter, accent and a whole bunch of stuff I don't give a fig for... Technically a lot of what is called poetry... isn't because it doesn't fit the rules, it's actually prose. Technically much bush/cowboy poetry is not poetry but rhyming prose. Technically it is incorrect to call a lyric a poem if it doesn't fit the rules that make a poem a poem. Technically any word or group of words witten to be sung is a lyric.

I don't disagree the more you know the better you can be at any given task...

My objection in the first place is the amount of BS dribbled by folk who should actually know better as they make a huge song and dance over how lyrics only writer should not call themselves a songwriter or are infering that lyrics without melody are just poetry and unimportant as far as the song goes. It annoys me that they can deliberatly set about with thier half truths to prove a mute point while knowingly causing stress and pain to others. For what? To make themselves feel better bigger smarter? As my first comment said what are you so afraid of as to put so much energy into lyrics only writer bashing?

Originally Posted by BIG JIM MERRILEES
.......how can anyone be a songwriter when they DO NOT write the MELODY.
They can because the dictionary defines a songwriter as someone who writes either the lyric and/ or melody of a song.

"according to the dictionary that a song is a composition or piece of music suitable for singing"..... one would assume that to sing one would need to vocalise words or sounds that could pass for words.. just for arguments sake we'll call those words/sounds a lyric... not merily one or more musical notes in sequence as blown out in a whistle.

cheers



Last edited by Noel Downs; 11/01/10 03:33 AM.


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