Forum Home Forum Home > Progressive Music Lounges > Prog Polls
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Are you a lyricist?
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedAre you a lyricist?

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <123>
Poll Question: Do you write lyrics?
Poll Choice Votes Poll Statistics
1 [2.44%]
12 [29.27%]
2 [4.88%]
14 [34.15%]
1 [2.44%]
11 [26.83%]
This topic is closed, no new votes accepted

Author
Message
HackettFan View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: June 20 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Status: Offline
Points: 7946
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 30 2015 at 09:48
Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

I initially got others to sing the songs (my original concept for the album was for five different vocalists including myself). The first two sessions went rather well, the singers adapted their vocal style to fit my kind of music and managed to interpret the lyrics as I had envisioned them. When I then tried singing my parts I discovered I didn't like the sound of my own voice very much - I suspect that was due mainly to my not having sung anything since my voice broke some 33 years earlier, but I was singing on-key and the results weren't too embarrassing, thou I would have preferred to rerecord them with someone else singing. The session with the third singer was a disaster and I never could manage to arrange a suitable date for the fourth singer.
It sounds like your vocal ability didn't hold you back in terms of writing lyrics. And that's nice. I suppose I could just write to my voice. Glyn Havard (from my much adored Jade Warrior) always had/has a very limited range not unlike my own. He nevertheless manages to do justice to the fairly eloquent lyrics he's written over the years.

Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

More than that, I found the whole thing frustrating - I generally work very quickly because as a one-man band I'm in full control of my time and energy and in a very short time span had written all the lyrics and composed 55 minutes of music to accompany them...
I definitely relate to this, being a one-man band of sorts myself too, and very concerned about my time and energy. "Daunting" was the word you used in your blog. I'd likely find some parts of the process of hiring others frustrating too.

Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

...but by August I had only recorded half the vocals and in September of 2002, following the disastrous session with the third singer, I put the project on indefinite hold.
mmm...yes, the last thing I would need is another unfinished project.

Originally posted by Dean Dean wrote:

Now some 13 years later I'm no longer enthused by the thematic concept of the album so if I were to finish the album I'd re-write most of the lyrics, including those of the two songs that came out okay.
Alas. It sounds like you might have more satisfaction with the instrumental side of that project. I do like what I've heard of your music, incidentally.
Back to Top
HackettFan View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: June 20 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Status: Offline
Points: 7946
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 30 2015 at 09:59
The skewing in the poll results is there, but only very minor so far. Curiously, no one has selected the 'I sing and I write lyrics' choice. There is a flaw in the options in that some might do all three - write lyrics, play an instrument, and do vocals - and that's not there as an option. Hopefully people can let us know when that pertains to them in a post.
Back to Top
Disparate Times View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: July 12 2015
Location: Rust belt
Status: Offline
Points: 261
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 30 2015 at 10:15
Option number two should read instrument(s) for those of us who do it all
Back to Top
The Dark Elf View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP Member

Joined: February 01 2011
Location: Michigan
Status: Offline
Points: 12609
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 30 2015 at 11:07
I was a poet/lyricist for decades, but hung up the guitar professionally about fifteen years ago, and have since concentrated on prose fiction.
 
I guess one could say....the desire for musical rhyme / once with accord did chime / in manner so dear and sublime / has faded fleeting over time. Wink

Edited by The Dark Elf - August 30 2015 at 11:08
...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined
to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology...
Back to Top
Dean View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Retired Admin and Amateur Layabout

Joined: May 13 2007
Location: Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 37575
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 30 2015 at 21:35
Originally posted by HackettFan HackettFan wrote:

It sounds like your vocal ability didn't hold you back in terms of writing lyrics. And that's nice. I suppose I could just write to my voice. 
Yes and No. I wrote to the particular singer's voice that each song was intended for. I knew the range and ability of all of my chosen singers as three of them sang in a band and fourth I'd heard sing karaoke on several occasions. One of the singers was classically trained and could sing anything from classical through to metal - I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to sing the parts I wrote for her, at least not without some serious coaching (and in a different octave of course) - my "inner voice" does not have this limitation so writing for a female singer whose range far exceeded mine wasn't too difficult. 

Originally posted by HackettFan HackettFan wrote:

 I definitely relate to this, being a one-man band of sorts myself too, and very concerned about my time and energy. "Daunting" was the word you used in your blog. I'd likely find some parts of the process of hiring others frustrating too.
My frustration arose from the fact that I wasn't hiring, it was all done on favours and good will. I think if I had offered payment I may have been more pushy in getting everything done.
Originally posted by HackettFan HackettFan wrote:

  Alas. It sounds like you might have more satisfaction with the instrumental side of that project. 
Yup, pretty much, it was easier to slink back into the attic to create instrumental albums than try and organise more recording sessions for vocals. I recorded three instrumental albums during the six months I spent trying to record the vocals for that one album.

Originally posted by HackettFan HackettFan wrote:

I do like what I've heard of your music, incidentally.

Thanks Todd, you are too kind. I've posted demo's of two of the songs in my "cacophony of light" thread if you're interested in hearing them.
What?
Back to Top
Epignosis View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: December 30 2007
Location: Raeford, NC
Status: Offline
Points: 32473
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 30 2015 at 21:57
I had always been uncomfortable writing lyrics.

Not anymore.  Age gives you experience, which gives you perspective, which colors your voice.

What I'm writing now feels more genuine than anything I've written before- that's not to imply that previous things were not genuine, far from it.  It's just that now I don't have to try so hard.
Back to Top
Epignosis View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: December 30 2007
Location: Raeford, NC
Status: Offline
Points: 32473
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 30 2015 at 21:58
And what the hell.  I'll be a singer in this poll. 
Back to Top
progaardvark View Drop Down
Collaborator
Collaborator
Avatar
Crossover/Symphonic/RPI Teams

Joined: June 14 2007
Location: Sea of Peas
Status: Offline
Points: 48507
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 31 2015 at 08:06
Originally posted by HackettFan HackettFan wrote:

I play an instrument, but I've only written one lyric:

I found myself gazing at a hippopotamus
He was a whole lot larger than a lot of us
But he seemed rather tame
So I asked him his name
He preferred to remain anonymous
 
Funny you should write about a hippopotamus. I've also tackled the hippopotamus...
 
I write lyrics, sing, and compose music on computer using a combination of samples and software synths. I can't play an instrument per se, but I have used them to produce soundscapes relevant to what I was composing. My guitar soloing is atrocious, but with sound editing software I can turn it into something slightly more interesting.
 
The above track is one of those rare ones where I had a guest guitarist and vocalist. Both guests dramatically improved the track. My music is strictly a hobby.
----------
i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag
that's a happy bag of lettuce
this car smells like cartilage
nothing beats a good video about fractions
Back to Top
Polymorphia View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: November 06 2012
Location: here
Status: Offline
Points: 8856
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 31 2015 at 08:41
I play an instrument, sing, and write lyrics.

I find some difficulty writing lyrics, reconciling the kinds of words I hear over the song, the things I envision when I hear the song, and the things I personally feel a need to express. The process of lyric writing is often about discovering the connection between the three and the best thing to do is just to write all of them down. Write all the ideas. With the sound-based lines, you can keep writing similar sounding lines for each one, until you have a couple that connect. That's often where I start. It's getting better for me, but I'm not as practiced as I should be.

I view vocals as much acting as it is playing an instrument. Lyrics and delivery are definitely a part of that. "Poetic" lyrics and technically correct vocals do not a good frontman make, for me, at least. It doesn't always matter if you can sing traditionally. Sometimes a good dramatization of the lyrics will do. Sometimes traditional vocals are a part of that kind of acting; sometimes they hinder it. It all depends on what you're saying and how you're saying it. Combinations will create different emotional effects (for instance, shrieking "fluffy baby bunny" is, most of the time, going to be taken as either absurd or sarcastic).

Back to Top
hellogoodbye View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar
VIP member

Joined: August 29 2011
Location: Troy
Status: Offline
Points: 7251
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 31 2015 at 09:48
I'm a poet. Some of my poems became lyrics. Not the best however. 
Back to Top
HackettFan View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: June 20 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Status: Offline
Points: 7946
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 31 2015 at 22:32
Originally posted by Epignosis Epignosis wrote:

I had always been uncomfortable writing lyrics.

Not anymore.  Age gives you experience, which gives you perspective, which colors your voice.

What I'm writing now feels more genuine than anything I've written before- that's not to imply that previous things were not genuine, far from it.  It's just that now I don't have to try so hard.
This has a real ring of truth to it. I don't write lyrics, but I do come up with topics for lyrics quite readily and quite unlike when I was younger.

Originally posted by Epignosis Epignosis wrote:

And what the hell. I'll be a singer in this poll.
That's two now.

Edited by HackettFan - August 31 2015 at 22:37
Back to Top
HackettFan View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: June 20 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Status: Offline
Points: 7946
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 31 2015 at 23:02
Originally posted by progaardvark progaardvark wrote:

Originally posted by HackettFan HackettFan wrote:

I play an instrument, but I've only written one lyric:

I found myself gazing at a hippopotamus
He was a whole lot larger than a lot of us
But he seemed rather tame
So I asked him his name
He preferred to remain anonymous

 
Funny you should write about a hippopotamus. I've also tackled the hippopotamus...
 
I write lyrics, sing, and compose music on computer using a combination of samples and software synths. I can't play an instrument per se, but I have used them to produce soundscapes relevant to what I was composing. My guitar soloing is atrocious, but with sound editing software I can turn it into something slightly more interesting.
 
The above track is one of those rare ones where I had a guest guitarist and vocalist. Both guests dramatically improved the track. My music is strictly a hobby.

Super Luminal Pachyderm genetic poo I enjoyed this truly. The vocal sounded like a mixture of Amon Düül II and Frank Zappa. You had what seems to represent the sound of a rhino at the beginning. Do they really sound something like that, or is it how you imagine it? I'm reminded now of Adrian Belew's song, Sexy Rhino. He made up a rhino sound on the guitar and later found out they sound nothing like what he thought.
Back to Top
Dayvenkirq View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: May 25 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 10970
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 31 2015 at 23:47
I used to write words and music, but I can't sing for Censored . But in all honesty, I've never written one decent song, mostly because I did not have a grasp on the songwriting basics (lyrical theme, melody, refrain, chord progressions, etc.).

I haven't checked into the Composers/Songwriters Association and Improvisation threads in months. I might  never go back to that.

So, I've went with Option #4.


Edited by Dayvenkirq - August 31 2015 at 23:52
Back to Top
progaardvark View Drop Down
Collaborator
Collaborator
Avatar
Crossover/Symphonic/RPI Teams

Joined: June 14 2007
Location: Sea of Peas
Status: Offline
Points: 48507
Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 01 2015 at 07:52
Originally posted by HackettFan HackettFan wrote:

Originally posted by progaardvark progaardvark wrote:

Originally posted by HackettFan HackettFan wrote:

I play an instrument, but I've only written one lyric:

I found myself gazing at a hippopotamus
He was a whole lot larger than a lot of us
But he seemed rather tame
So I asked him his name
He preferred to remain anonymous

 
Funny you should write about a hippopotamus. I've also tackled the hippopotamus...
 
I write lyrics, sing, and compose music on computer using a combination of samples and software synths. I can't play an instrument per se, but I have used them to produce soundscapes relevant to what I was composing. My guitar soloing is atrocious, but with sound editing software I can turn it into something slightly more interesting.
 
The above track is one of those rare ones where I had a guest guitarist and vocalist. Both guests dramatically improved the track. My music is strictly a hobby.

Super Luminal Pachyderm genetic poo I enjoyed this truly. The vocal sounded like a mixture of Amon Düül II and Frank Zappa. You had what seems to represent the sound of a rhino at the beginning. Do they really sound something like that, or is it how you imagine it? I'm reminded now of Adrian Belew's song, Sexy Rhino. He made up a rhino sound on the guitar and later found out they sound nothing like what he thought.
 
Not having ever heard what a rhino sounds like, I'd have to say maybe not. Miles Walsh did the guitar work, so I'd have ask him what he was thinking of at the time. The two of us never discussed the idea of the song, though we did spend much time talking about poop craters. I had a basic track in place with a rough guide vocal and sent it to him and he came up with all the guitar parts in about a week. We mostly discussed the positioning of them and the mix.
 
I would describe my lyrics as a helicopter without rotors operated by a large lasagna.
----------
i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag
that's a happy bag of lettuce
this car smells like cartilage
nothing beats a good video about fractions
Back to Top
HackettFan View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: June 20 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Status: Offline
Points: 7946
Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 01 2015 at 22:41
Originally posted by progaardvark progaardvark wrote:

Originally posted by HackettFan HackettFan wrote:

Originally posted by progaardvark progaardvark wrote:

Originally posted by HackettFan HackettFan wrote:

I play an instrument, but I've only written one lyric:

I found myself gazing at a hippopotamus
He was a whole lot larger than a lot of us
But he seemed rather tame
So I asked him his name
He preferred to remain anonymous

 
Funny you should write about a hippopotamus. I've also tackled the hippopotamus...
 
I write lyrics, sing, and compose music on computer using a combination of samples and software synths. I can't play an instrument per se, but I have used them to produce soundscapes relevant to what I was composing. My guitar soloing is atrocious, but with sound editing software I can turn it into something slightly more interesting.
 
The above track is one of those rare ones where I had a guest guitarist and vocalist. Both guests dramatically improved the track. My music is strictly a hobby.

Super Luminal Pachyderm genetic poo I enjoyed this truly. The vocal sounded like a mixture of Amon Düül II and Frank Zappa. You had what seems to represent the sound of a rhino at the beginning. Do they really sound something like that, or is it how you imagine it? I'm reminded now of Adrian Belew's song, Sexy Rhino. He made up a rhino sound on the guitar and later found out they sound nothing like what he thought.

 
Not having ever heard what a rhino sounds like, I'd have to say maybe not. Miles Walsh did the guitar work, so I'd have ask him what he was thinking of at the time. The two of us never discussed the idea of the song, though we did spend much time talking about poop craters. I had a basic track in place with a rough guide vocal and sent it to him and he came up with all the guitar parts in about a week. We mostly discussed the positioning of them and the mix.
 
I would describe my lyrics as a helicopter without rotors operated by a large lasagna.
Absurd and surreal, you have a way with words that entertains the hell out of me.
Back to Top
HackettFan View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: June 20 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Status: Offline
Points: 7946
Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 01 2015 at 22:47
Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

I used to write words and music, but I can't sing for Censored . But in all honesty, I've never written one decent song, mostly because I did not have a grasp on the songwriting basics (lyrical theme, melody, refrain, chord progressions, etc.).

<span style="line-height: 1.4;">I haven't checked into the Composers/Songwriters Association and Improvisation threads in months. I might  never go back to that.</span>
<span style="line-height: 1.4;">
</span>
<span style="line-height: 1.4;">So, I've went with Option #4.</span>



It was Option 4 for me too. I can't sing either. I enjoyed those threads, though. Don't stop.
Back to Top
progaardvark View Drop Down
Collaborator
Collaborator
Avatar
Crossover/Symphonic/RPI Teams

Joined: June 14 2007
Location: Sea of Peas
Status: Offline
Points: 48507
Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 02 2015 at 11:05
Originally posted by HackettFan HackettFan wrote:

Absurd and surreal, you have a way with words that entertains the hell out of me.
 
Smile Thank you for the kind words. I strive to improve my incomprehensibility.
----------
i'm shopping for a new oil-cured sinus bag
that's a happy bag of lettuce
this car smells like cartilage
nothing beats a good video about fractions
Back to Top
O666 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: September 20 2009
Location: TEHRAN-IRAN
Status: Offline
Points: 2618
Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 02 2015 at 12:41
I play keyboard and I write lyrics in Farsi over 30 years.
Back to Top
Meltdowner View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: June 25 2013
Location: Portugal
Status: Offline
Points: 10215
Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 02 2015 at 12:59
I play some instruments and I don't write lyrics nor sing, but I don't care much about lyrics Tongue
Back to Top
Dayvenkirq View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: May 25 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Status: Offline
Points: 10970
Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 02 2015 at 14:09
Originally posted by HackettFan HackettFan wrote:

Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

I used to write words and music, but I can't sing for Censored . But in all honesty, I've never written one decent song, mostly because I did not have a grasp on the songwriting basics (lyrical theme, melody, refrain, chord progressions, etc.).

<span style="line-height: 1.4;">I haven't checked into the Composers/Songwriters Association and Improvisation threads in months. I might  never go back to that.</span>
<span style="line-height: 1.4;">
</span>
<span style="line-height: 1.4;">So, I've went with Option #4.</span>



It was Option 4 for me too. I can't sing either. I enjoyed those threads, though. Don't stop.
Duly noted. Right now beyond my extension of the key calculation method to modes I can't think of anything right now. I can keep experimenting with instrumental textures, but the problem is that I don't have good instruments and recording equipment, so my judgment of a product will be negative no matter what. Good ideas are usually quite expensive. Besides, I'm not that gifted for melody and form, so ... . Hence my writing block.
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <123>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.133 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.