Song Writing for Beginners (Due Wednesday 10/19)
There are two main ways to write a song. In this class, you will explore each of the two ways and then as a final project for this quarter, you will fully explore one way for your final project.
Before we explore these two methods of writing songs, we first need to understand the different parts of a song. The term "song" refers to a specific form that has been used for hundreds of years. Read these two articles to learn about the different parts of a song and how they work together:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_structure
http://www.songwritingfever.com/songwritingtips/getstarted.html
Your first assignment for this class will be to find a song that you like and then "dissect" it to find the different parts. Use the different vocabulary that was used in the article and post it to your portfolio. The page must have the following:
1) A video of your song
2) The lyrics of the song
3) Clearly labelled parts of the song within the lyrics.
4) Why you have chosen this song for this project.
5) Was there anything in your song that was unusual (didn't follow the pattern of a song) or was the whole thing "normal" (follows the patterns found in the reading). Many times, artists will alter song forms to fit their needs or to be different/creative.
Mahina- I Lived
Aaron- Bang Bang
Shemya- The Girl from Ipenema
Nicolette- We Belong Together
Cole- Wanted Dead or Alive
Matt- Wasn't Expecting That
Bobby- Photograph
Alex- Careless Whisper
Kai- All I Need is You
Makua- When I was your Man
Brenden- 24K Magic
Be ready to talk about your project.
1) Start off with an introduction so we know what you will be talking about BEFORE you go into the discussion about your piece.
2) Talk about your piece. Be able to discuss the following questions:
(You should include the answers to this question at the end of your lyrics. If you don't know or are not sure, ask your friends to help you.)
Is it major or minor or something else? If it is something else, what is it?
Is it in duple meter (4/4) or triple meter (3/4)?
Does your song strictly follow the forms described to you in lecture and on the websites you were supposed to look at? Be able to describe how and why your piece is either the same and conforms to the "rules" or why it is different.
Before we explore these two methods of writing songs, we first need to understand the different parts of a song. The term "song" refers to a specific form that has been used for hundreds of years. Read these two articles to learn about the different parts of a song and how they work together:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_structure
http://www.songwritingfever.com/songwritingtips/getstarted.html
Your first assignment for this class will be to find a song that you like and then "dissect" it to find the different parts. Use the different vocabulary that was used in the article and post it to your portfolio. The page must have the following:
1) A video of your song
2) The lyrics of the song
3) Clearly labelled parts of the song within the lyrics.
4) Why you have chosen this song for this project.
5) Was there anything in your song that was unusual (didn't follow the pattern of a song) or was the whole thing "normal" (follows the patterns found in the reading). Many times, artists will alter song forms to fit their needs or to be different/creative.
Mahina- I Lived
Aaron- Bang Bang
Shemya- The Girl from Ipenema
Nicolette- We Belong Together
Cole- Wanted Dead or Alive
Matt- Wasn't Expecting That
Bobby- Photograph
Alex- Careless Whisper
Kai- All I Need is You
Makua- When I was your Man
Brenden- 24K Magic
Be ready to talk about your project.
1) Start off with an introduction so we know what you will be talking about BEFORE you go into the discussion about your piece.
2) Talk about your piece. Be able to discuss the following questions:
(You should include the answers to this question at the end of your lyrics. If you don't know or are not sure, ask your friends to help you.)
Is it major or minor or something else? If it is something else, what is it?
Is it in duple meter (4/4) or triple meter (3/4)?
Does your song strictly follow the forms described to you in lecture and on the websites you were supposed to look at? Be able to describe how and why your piece is either the same and conforms to the "rules" or why it is different.
Sample Project: "Without You" by David Guetta feat Usher
Introduction- 8 measures (with 3 beat pickup)
Verse 1
I can't win, I can't reign
I will never win this game
Without you, without you
I am lost, I am vain,
I will never be the same
Without you, without you
I won't run, I won't fly
I will never make it by
Without you, without you
I can't rest, I can't fight
All I need is you and I,
Without you, without....
Chorus
you
Oh oh oh!
You! You! You!
Without...
You! You! You!
Without...you
Verse 2
Can't erase, so I'll take blame
But I can't accept that we're estranged
Without you, without you
I can't quit now, this can't be right
I can't take one more sleepless night
Without you, without you
I won't soar, I won't climb
If you're not here, I'm paralyzed
Without you, without you
I can't look, I'm so blind
I lost my heart, I lost my mind
Without you, without...
Chorus
you
Oh oh oh!
You! You! You!
Without...
You! You! You!
Without...you
Outtro
I am lost, I am vain,
I will never be the same
Without you, without you
Without...you
Is it major or minor or something else?
Major
If it is something else, what is it?
It is not something else. It is major. I can tell because it sounds happy, it starts on a I chord and it ends on a I chord.
Is it in duple meter (4/4) or triple meter (3/4)?
It is in duple meter.
Does your song strictly follow the forms described to you in lecture and on the websites you were supposed to look at? Be able to describe how and why your piece is either the same and conforms to the "rules" or why it is different.
Verse 1
I can't win, I can't reign
I will never win this game
Without you, without you
I am lost, I am vain,
I will never be the same
Without you, without you
I won't run, I won't fly
I will never make it by
Without you, without you
I can't rest, I can't fight
All I need is you and I,
Without you, without....
Chorus
you
Oh oh oh!
You! You! You!
Without...
You! You! You!
Without...you
Verse 2
Can't erase, so I'll take blame
But I can't accept that we're estranged
Without you, without you
I can't quit now, this can't be right
I can't take one more sleepless night
Without you, without you
I won't soar, I won't climb
If you're not here, I'm paralyzed
Without you, without you
I can't look, I'm so blind
I lost my heart, I lost my mind
Without you, without...
Chorus
you
Oh oh oh!
You! You! You!
Without...
You! You! You!
Without...you
Outtro
I am lost, I am vain,
I will never be the same
Without you, without you
Without...you
Is it major or minor or something else?
Major
If it is something else, what is it?
It is not something else. It is major. I can tell because it sounds happy, it starts on a I chord and it ends on a I chord.
Is it in duple meter (4/4) or triple meter (3/4)?
It is in duple meter.
Does your song strictly follow the forms described to you in lecture and on the websites you were supposed to look at? Be able to describe how and why your piece is either the same and conforms to the "rules" or why it is different.
- The piece does not follow the "normal" rules of music. The first unusual thing is the introduction. A "normal" sound would have 8 measures of introduction but this song has more than 8. It is difficult to tell from the video but there are at least 3-4 extra beats of introduction at the beginning which is unusual.
- Another unusual thing is that the verses in this song are really long. Each verse is like 2 verses. You would expect a verse to have 8-16 measures but each verse in this has 32 measures.
- Lastly, the outtro for this song technically acts as a third verse. Instead of following the formula set in the beginning, it only uses half the verse and the song ends. It sets up the listener for a third verse and cuts it at the half way point. This works because the verses are long so having half a verse is still effective and reminds the listener of the form AABA where the last A is the last verse. One would expect some variation between the different A sections and truncating the last section would be a modification to the original A section. Lastly, ending with the lyrics "without you" emphasizes the title of the song and makes for a strong ending.