Originally Posted by Roy Cooper
I think that many musicans don't understand that some (and I can't be alone) have no interest in writing melody's or creating music.

You have to have a passion for writing music just as you do for lyrics.

You have to want to learn.

Big Jim, I could spend the next twenty years trying to write a great melody and never do it. But lyrics I know I can do, and in my humble opinion do well.

I have been dealing with studios and composers for many years and almost of of them have been great at what they do IMO, but they have no interest or indeed skill in writing lyrics.

So I guess we all need each other to a greater or lessor degree.

just my thoughts

God bless Roy and Helen



Roy I understand what you are saying......There are people who write lyrics but are not great at writing music and vice versa.....that said to improve as a songwriter everyone has to at least have a working knowledge and understanding of the other side of the coin.
You have to have knowledge of musical terminology and melody composition lifts, bridges chorus, middle eight, intro, outro, meter, time sig, tempo plus a lot more WHETHER YOU ARE WRITING LYRICS, MELODY OR BOTH. Surely all serious lyricists would want to learn about such things in order to improve their own speciality skill and little or no knowledge of these things must hinder. Playing an instrument even to a small degree must improve all these things.
As stated earlier I get a lot of lyrics to put music to from lyric only writers. It is obvious to me at first glance that a lot do not have much if any musical theory knowledge .....whilst some of the words are pretty clever and creative most times they require a hell of a lot of major work (not just tinkering here and there as with most lyrics being put to music) to allow them to be fitted to a piece of music).....life for MUSICATORS would be so much easier if this hard work was already done by the person responsible for it and they were left to write the music. I sometimes wonder if lyric only people REALLY understand just how much work writing a melody and producing a demo is compared to penning a few lines and how much skill, learning and practice was needed to get to that musical standard.
Now I hear people say that lyricists do understand and I am insulting them for inferring that they do not...if that is the case then why do they not make life easy by at least learning THEIR part properly.
I say all this in the hope that those who do not understand this gulf or gap in their skills do something about and those who already know still strive to learn the whole of songwriting not just penning words.
Roy I respect everyone in music and speak from the heart.....I am sorry that people take my advice the wrong way or as Noel says as an insult. It is not meant that way but sometimes a friendly kick up the backside works wonders.
To turn it around...... sometimes it is hurtful and an insult when after all those years of studying music and learning how to perform and record....people who have none of those skills and have penned a few lines without much thought or skill take us for granted.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=687727&songID=5238055