Big Jim:

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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.

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Why Big Jim?

When I write lyrics, I have flow going on in my head as I write. To me the lyrics are all and I work 100% to make them perfect. I do it seriously.

If I was to send you lyrics to a song, along with a melody that I believe is right for the song and asked you to put it all together and my melody was crap, what would YOU DO.
You would either say, look Roy I can do a better melody or you would side step and say, it’s not for me Roy. You have the experience to do that.

So yes, I agree with your points, providing that the writer has the passion and skill to create ORIGINAL, GREAT, music. Big if that.

A crap tune is a crap tune, just as crap lyrics are crap lyrics.

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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.

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You keep saying Penning a few lines as if that’s what we do.

Big Jim, we work damm hard writing lyrics and some work harder than others. Sure some can do it quickly and be real good every time. I won’t mention names (you know who they are) but they worked real hard to become that proficient at writing lyrics.
And Yes some will knock out lyrics that are not as good and that can be quickly done as well. Just as a musician can quickly knock out a crap tune. We can all do that.

Personally, I have my melody’s done by a professional melody writer. I pay him for that service. And he is great at it. For him, writing a melody is simple, NOW he has learnt his trade.

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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.

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We write lyrics Jim, that is it. WE HAVE learnt our part properly.

Just because some musicians/composers can’t quickly and easily put a tune to our words, maybe means that the musicians/composers hasn’t learnt their trade properly.

I don’t see your words as an insult Big Jim, they are your opinions based on your experience.

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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.

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Big Jim, when lyric writers do that to you then it is them doing it, not all lyric writers.

Just as some musicians/composers are wrapped up with the GREATNESS OF THEMSELVES, so some musicians/composers are.

We each do what we do and some do it 150%, while others don’t.

It does sound to me Big Jim that you have little respect for lyric writers and
Find it hard to change your opinion.

I have some songs Big Jim that have been put to music and I wouldn’t send them to anyone. Not because the lyrics suck, but because in my opinion, the music/vocals suck.

That doesn’t mean that I have no respect for all musicians/composers, it just means that everyone gets it wrong sometimes IN MY OPINION.

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One thing that unites us all is a love for music......I just do not understand why some folk cannot take this enthuiasm to the limit. There is not enough time IN A LIFETIME for me to achieve everything and learn everything I want to about music.... that includes writing performing snd production BUT HEY I am giving it a good go.....LOL

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Ok Big Jim. Lets take it to the next level.
Many years ago, I decided that to promote my music, having a music video was the way to go.
Surly that is the ultimate given today’s expectation of the full multimedia experience.

So I spent many many 1000’s of pounds on filming equipment and over 10 years learning the craft.

I have over 20 finished music videos and have had artistes come from many parts of the world for me to make videos for them.

Does that make my videos the best out there. In my opinion yes, and in my wife Helen’s opinion YES… lol.

But is Spielberg’s opinon … no.. they are crap.

Just because we spend years and £sss learning something does not mean we are great in others opinions.

Some lyric writers have a very high expectation because they feel THEY ARE GREAT AND SO ARE THEIR LYRICS. The composer will often leave them at an anti-climax because some composer’s are not so great (in their opinion).

It’s a fact of life.

Anyway that’s me Big Jim. I am drained lol

Speak later

God Bless Roy and Helen

Last edited by Roy Cooper; 11/03/10 09:06 AM.
'You Have To Kiss A Lot Of Frogs To Find A Prince'