Songwritting

When writing lyrics, get to the point immediately. Remember, it’s quality, not quantity. Say what you want to say and stop. Don’t write more if you don’t have anymore to say. "The difference will show"(Suzanne, Stein, and Niehaus 63). If you can’t think of anything to write about, write a love song. Songs that are disturbing to lots of people may be fast hits but will not last long. Good lyrics have to be catchy when sung; they don’t have to look good on paper(64). The most important thing in a song is the hook. It should be the main point of the song. Be creative. The more songs you write, the easier it gets(64-65).        "In a good song, the lyrics and music should complement each other"(65). Just like for lyrics, the most part in a tune is the hook. A good exercise for learning to write your own hook is to listen to the radio and see if you can pick out the hook to each song(65). If you hear a melody in your head, record it immediately to preserve it, and make sure what you’re hearing is original and not a forgotten melody. You can also use instruments to find melodies. Another way to create a melody is effective, but dangerous. You can use another melody and change it to suite your lyrics, but remember, you’re flirting with copyright infringements(66). When writing songs, don’t show-off and make your songs too complex. Remember, you’re not selling your songs to musicians, you’re selling it to normal people don’t care about the complexity of songs(67).        After you’ve finished your song, take a look at what you’ve created. Don’t fall completely in love with it and be unwilling to change anything(67). Be critical and judge your work objectively before letting anyone else hear it. The opinions of your friends and club audience are "essentially meaningless"(68). ALWAYS copyright a song before presenting it to someone else(69).        A song is considered to be copyrighted as soon as it’s put in its final form(written down or recorded), but "the hassle comes with establishing proof of authorship and date of origin"(69). To "establish absolute copyright proof", you must register all of your songs with the Library of Congress. It is not necessary to copyright chords "unless they are unique to the song", and especially if you’ve put a lot of work into it or if it has unusual voicing. You must the copyright office at call (202)287-9100 to request forms, or write to them at - Copyright Office, Library of Congress, Washington DC 20559(70). While For Musicians Only says that you can’t just photocopy the forms at your local library, but I wrote the Library of Congress requesting forms and they said that you should get forms by photocopying them at your local library. It also says that you can print the forms off the Internet by going the address http://www.loc.gov(Library of Congress 2/5/98).        For Musicians Only says that it costs $10 to copyright one song, or a collection of songs, but my letter to the Library of Congress provided me with the information that it costs $20 to file your form. Since For Musicians Only was written in 1989, I believe that the information I received from the Library of Congress is correct.        Your song will be recopyrighted if it is recorded for airplay, published, or bought by a major name or label. But once you have "established ownership," you can never have it taken away. You cannot sell your copyright, so even if you sell your song to a major label or another artist, "your authorship cannot be removed from the face of the tune"(Suzanne, Stein, and Niehaus 70).        It’s easiest to learn songs if they all have the same format. "The point is not to make all your tunes sound the same; just make sure they’re all within the same general classification"(73). "No matter how good you are...people like to know what’s coming up next. Surprises are for movies"(74). To learn tunes, have everyone learn their parts and set a date for rehearsal. This will minimize rehearsal time(74). Develop a formula for learning new tunes and stick to it(75). Even if you do a great cover tune and it’s on the radio, don’t do it if you can’t pull it off(75). And finally, don’t change cover tunes(76).