Song

Your First Open Mic – A Few Tips

Posted on by IJ
Rhino's open mic music & poetry
Image via Wikipedia

© I.Woloshen

What is an open mic? For those of you who don’t know the term, it is an event usually held at a bar or a coffeehouse where songwriters or performers take turns going up, sometimes on a stage, sometimes just a riser, and playing a short set of songs. Occasionally, open mics are a mixture of songs and poetry and/or readings. Sometimes there is a microphone, but occasionally it is also acoustic (no mics or amplifiers, etc.) Some are weekly events, others monthly or only occasionally. They are usually “hosted”, meaning that there is someone there to introduce each performer. If you have never been to one, just go to one one evening to see how it works first before putting yourself under the stress! Even if you don’t want to be a performing songwriter, you may find yourself someday sitting nervously in the audience of an open mic event, holding your guitar in your sweaty hands, waiting for your turn 🙂

First of all, why do an open mic if you’re not a performer? Why, to expose your songs, of course! Other than creating a demo tape, which can be expensive, the easiest way to get immediate feedback on your songs is by playing them for somebody. If you want to put them out there with the “best”, this is one small step to taking you there.

I have been to and played at many open mics, and I’m still more nervous at an open mic than at one of my performances! Why? Because there is little time to relax and get in the groove when you’re only playing 1-3 songs, and because you are essentially competing with every other songwriter who gets up there to play. As supportive and as enthusiastic as we songwriters try to be with each other, we are still competing with each other for the same audience! PLUS, if you are playing in front of other songwriters, you KNOW you can’t get away with anything 🙂


 

I have written another article on performing tips (which you can find here), but in this particular article I want to discuss a few other things to think about.

WHICH SONGS TO PLAY? – If you are only allowed one song to play, this can be a tough one! My immediate response would be this: don’t make it a ballad! Why? Slow tempos are not always a good choice because the energy level of the performance can be so low key. Now, if you have a particularly KILLER ballad that you KNOW blows people away, this might be a different story! But for the most part, you are better off choosing an upbeat, or at least a faster song. Chances are, you’re going to play it the fastest that you ever have! That’s because you’ll be nervous and there will be a lot of adrenaline in your body! Better to play a fast song faster than a slow song too fast!

If you have a choice of two or three songs, make them all very different. This not only provides contrast in your performance, but it will show your diversity as a songwriter!

Something else to consider…depending on whoever plays before you, you might actually think of having a couple of songs to choose from as your first song (or only song!). You don’t want to sound like the songwriter who just played, you want to stand out! This actually might be a good time for your killer ballad…if the last three songwriters have all performed fast, upbeat songs, your ballad would be a wonderful contrast, and really make you stand out!

HOW LONG? – I don’t mean how long will you be playing, I mean, how long should your songs be? There is nothing worse than a 10 minute song at an open mic. I don’t care how much you like it, you will come across as self-indulgent and not caring about keeping your audience’s attention. Many open mics will give you 10 minutes, rather than giving you 3 songs. Don’t fill the whole 10 minutes with one song, pick three of your shortest, and come out under your ten minute limit! This will also engraciate you to the hosts of the evening…they just love it when somebody actually sticks to the rules or makes things easier for them!

ORDER OF PERFORMERS – This is a toughie…so much can depend on where you are in the list of performers. Many times you don’t have a choice, but if you do, I suggest sticking yourself somewhere in the middle your first time out. Playing first is just TOO nerve-wracking, and so is waiting to play last! In the middle, you have a chance to see what some of the others are doing, and then once you’ve done your set, you have a chance to relax enough to actually hear the rest!

However, if you are stuck with first, there are some positive things you can focus on. You can blow them away with your songs and give the rest of the songwriters something to live up to! If you are last, you can show them all that you were saving the best for last! Okay, I’m just pumping you up here…but that’s my job 🙂 Sometimes the size of the audience will vary extremely from the first to the last person up. Occasionally, everyone shows up at the beginning and then they slowly wander off as the evening progresses…but the opposite can happen too! Sometimes the audience kind of saunters in over the evening and the biggest numbers of people are at the end. You just never know! I have been in both situations…sometimes playing at the wrong end of the evening where there were the least people. There’s nothing you can do about that. It could be the venue, it could just be a fluke.

INVITING FRIENDS – Some people are more nervous if they are playing to people they know. If this is the way you are, don’t bring anybody! But there might be a comfort level in having people you know in the audience, a support group, if you will. You are guaranteed noisy, raucous applause for one thing! And they might be able to help keep you calm while you are waiting to play. Think about how you are with people…do you turn into a nasty jerk when you’re nervous, or just a sobbing misfit? 🙂

PREPARING YOURSELF – Your first time at an open mic should be thought of as a learning experience so don’t have too many expectations of yourself. There are a couple of things you should think about when you’re preparing to play your first open mic. First of all, it goes without saying…know your songs well! Choose the songs you are most comfortable with, not necessarily your newest.

Having said that, there is such a thing, I believe, as OVER-practicing. I say this for a couple of reasons. First of all, you will never be able to duplicate what you are going to feel like on a stage when you are in the comfort of your own home. You are likely going to make mistakes, no matter how hard you practise. It is good to practise enough to be able to recover from those mistakes, but sometimes there is an expectation that arrises with a LOT of practice. If you insist on practising the day of the open mic, do it early and then leave it alone. This is the second reason I say don’t over-practise…you want to feel “fresh” with the songs…sometimes knowing them too well affects the energy of your performance. Don’t believe me? Okay, try it your way 🙂

  • If you’re playing guitar, put on new strings, but put them on the day before. This way they have a chance to stretch so they won’t go out of tune on you too quickly. And make SURE you are in tune! Don’t waste any time on stage tuning…this should all be done beforehand…it bores the heck out of your audience! Sometimes you’ll have a minute to tune at the venue before the open mic begins. This is ideal.
  • Do you need to warm up your voice? Go into the bathroom and hum a little to yourself before the evening begins. Online tutoring sites like takelessons.com provide great resources for vocal warm-ups.
  • Get to the place early. I always recommend this…if you are in too much of a rush, not only will you have to deal with adrenaline, but also a fast heart rate and a panicked state-of-mind (not to mention a few extra wet patches on your new shirt!). Give yourself lots of time to get used to the place, even go up on the stage if you can so you’re going to know what it’s going to look like “out there”.
  • And lastly, in terms of preparation, forgive yourself in advance for your mistakes, because you’re likely going to make a couple. They may not be HUGE errors, but they will be the ones that will bug you, because you know what your songs is supposed to sound like! Remember that chances are nobody else does! This always helps me to get through my blunders. Until I get people who show up who know my songs REALLY WELL…then I know I’m in big trouble 🙂

OTHER PREPARATION – Be well-rested, don’t drink coffee beforehand (coffee will just make you more jittery than you already are), go to the bathroom, have a glass of water…okay, not necessarily in that order. While you’re sitting in the audience beforehand, do some deep breathing…take a slow breath in through the nose and quietly blow it out of your mouth. Focus on something that calms you. Wear clothes you are really comfortable in. I once wore a pair of jeans that were too tight, and when I had to sit on the stool, which had a shiny finish, I kept sliding off! This was so distracting, I almost messed up my entire set! So much for vanity!

WHEN IT’S YOUR TURN – I know you’re going to be nervous, almost everyone is to one extent or another, so it’s almost silly to say “enjoy yourself”, but I’m going to! The first time is just too much pressure to be all and to do everything right. But think of this: these are your wonderful songs!! Don’t you just love playing them and hearing them? Get into that state of mind if you can think of it, and it will help you to relax a little. Try to smile, don’t avoid eye contact with your audience if you can help it, and go for it!

As I said in the beginning, try not to have HUGE expectations of yourself on your first time out. The more open mics you attend, the more you will get used to what happens to you when you’re nervous, and you’ll be able to cope more effectively. Every time is different, every open mic another chance for people to hear your wonderful songs. You’ll be an open mic “pro” in no time! Good luck 🙂

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Where to Get A Critique and What to Expect

Posted on by IJ

© I.Woloshen

First of all, let me say that I don’t privately critique lyrics anymore for several reasons. The most important one being that it takes a lot of time to do a proper critique of most lyrics, and I just don’t have that time anymore! Be happy for me, that’s a good thing 🙂

So what I want to do is give a list of places where you can post your lyrics for critique. There is no guarantee with any of them that you will get lots of critiques, or even good ones, but it’s really important to keep trying to get feedback on your songs, so these places are a good starting block. For most of them, you simply have to scan down to the “lyric critiques” section:

The Muse’s Muse forum is tops on my list because I know that Jodi keeps an eye out for what is going on there. I know how sensitive you all are to having your lyrics evaluated by people you don’t know 🙂

The Just Plain Folks forum is also a good one, and busy! You can also get feedback on your mp3 files if you have ’em!

If you do a search on any search engine using keywords “lyric critique” you’ll find a bunch more, I promise you, but the ones above are set up by people that I know and therefore recommend. Now, onto the “what to expect from a critique” part of our discussion 🙂



I’ve got other articles on critiques and how they work, etc., but I still find that many songwriters really don’t know how to judge a critique and what to take from it. The first thing you must realize is that many songwriters who will critique your songs on these boards are in the same position you are…they may not know all, but they are sincerely looking to improve their craft. You can expect some of them to pat you on the back…”great song!”…”wow, I really like this!”. This might make your head swell, but it isn’t much of a reality check 🙂 What you NEED from a critique can be broken down into several things:

1. Honesty. This doesn’t mean that the “wow, this is great” comments aren’t honest, but they really don’t help you much. There is no perfect song, and always something you can do to improve a song. Those who are willing to give you an honest assessment, are your best friends! Even if they don’t like something!

2. Meat & Potatoes. You need people to tell you, as much as they can, why something isn’t working for them. Do they misunderstand your lyric’s message? Do they get mixed up with your songs’ characters? What isn’t working and why? Don’t be afraid to ask questions, just remember not to sound too defensive 🙂

3. Suggestions. You can take them or leave them, but if someone suggests another way of writing something, give it a good look first before you decide to ignore it! You might not want to re-write exactly that way, but it might give you a better understanding of where they are coming from and what isn’t working.

4. Twice is Right. If you don’t agree with an assessment, that’s cool. But if you hear the SAME THING from more than one source, this is really something you should take a second look at! Don’t ignore it, don’t let your hurt feelings get in the way.

5. The Truth Hurts. Critiques are NOT easy to take in the beginning. But someone who takes the time to give you the hard facts, some real feedback, is worth thanking. So PLEASE remember your manners and thank them, even if they just mashed your song to pieces and flushed it down the loo.

Try doing a few critiques yourself on these boards so that you can feel what it’s like to be on the other side. Just because you don’t think you know enough, you can still offer some feedback, and that is a very valuable thing!

Okay, now take a deep breath, and put your lyrics out there!

[Oh, and p.s. – if you know of a great forum where you can post lyrics and songs for feedback, please let us know and add it in the comments below!]

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Success – What’s Standing In Your Way?

Posted on by IJ
A digital sound recorder
Image via Wikipedia

© I.Woloshen

“Success” is a relative word, and your idea of it can change as you inevitably do. For instance, in my teens and 20’s (ugh!) I measured success by my position, my income and the number of friends I had. Well, the part about friends hasn’t changed much 🙂 But everything else has!

These days I define my success much more simply…I ask myself, am I doing what I want and love to do? Most of the time, I’m happy to say, the answer is yes! But it took me a long time to get here…

I believe that the largest hurdles we have in front of us are the ones we put there ourselves. Never mind what the “others” say, what are the things you tell yourself? Have you ever listened to your own thoughts? I know, that sounds weird and new agey, but have you? What kinds of things do you tell yourself? Do you encourage yourself and keep a positive attitude, or do you tell yourself over and over “I’m a terrible writer, I can’t do this, I’m not going to make it”? Creative people, on the whole, tend to be extremely sensitive…it is that sensitive part of ourselves that gives us the insight to our own creative juices, but it can also be a burden. The downside to sensitivity is the old chip-on-the-shoulder syndrome when things aren’t going the way we’d like.

But knowing all of that, what can we do to get a little closer to our idea of success? Being songwriters, sometimes we lose our ability to come down to earth and establish some structure in our lives! But structure, organization, plans and work are all necessary ingredients! Here are a few steps you can take:

1. Identify – write out what your idea of success is! Sometimes we meander around the subject without really clearly identifying anything about it. What is success to you? You can give yourself a time line, if you like. “In five years I’d like to be…” Work your way backwards, all the way to what you can do today!

2. The Steps – what steps can you take to achieve your goals? Make two lists…one will be the more major steps (ie…I want to get a publishing deal, I want to record a CD…etc.), the other will be the little steps! I can tell you right now that the little steps will be the most important!! For instance, if you want a publishing deal, there are several things you need to do to make that happen. You need to identify the publishers who might be interested in your songs, you have to have a decent recording of your songs, you need to collect addresses, make a list of who you’ve sent to, etc., etc.

Perhaps your primary goal is to become a better writer. Well, that goal is never off my list! Again, you would benefit by sitting down and determining what it is that YOU NEED in order to begin achieving that. Do you need to improve your lyric skills? Do you need to be around other writers? A few visits to some open mics? Are a couple of piano lessons in order?

3. Be Prepared To Change – For heaven’s sake, if something isn’t working, let it go! It’s okay to move onto something else! Stubbornness and determination are admirable qualities, until they are just plain stupid!

4. Opportunity Meeting Preparedness – I’m sure you’ve heard that expression before. People who have achieved success weren’t just sitting around waiting for it to fall into their laps. Well, most of them anyway! They were able to recognize an opportunity when it hit them square in the face. You may think that is obvious…but you can never be sure exactly when it’s going to hit, or how. A little story, if I might: When I’m almost finished recording a song, I tend to make a DAT copy of it (digital audio tape) just so I can have it there to listen to for myself, and for whatever else I might need it for. A couple of months ago, my husband and I had a business meeting with an old friend in our home, not related to songwriting in anyway, just an investment opportunity. This friend brought his business partner with him, and we spent an hour or so discussing this new business. At the end of the talk, we started chit chatting about other things, and it so happened that this friend mentioned to his partner that I was a songwriter and had a studio downstairs. Lucky for me, I’d cleaned it that morning 🙂 So I invited them down to see the studio. I happened to have my DAT machine hooked up with the tape in it, and my friend wanted to hear the latest version of Catnip (a song he’d participated in recording). It JUST SO HAPPENED that his business partner was ALSO a songwriter and NOT ONLY THAT, but he had a line on a guy who was looking for material for an up and coming group, so I played him some of the songs…was that a coincidence? No, it was opportunity meeting preparedness 🙂 What comes of it doesn’t matter, but I was ready!

5. Critical Line – ever heard of this expression? It refers to the steps that have to be taken in order to achieve goals. Even at their jobs, most people spend a great deal of time doing the peripheral things that aren’t getting them any closer to getting the job done. Like sharpening pencils and tidying the desk, or getting distracted by something entirely un-job-related. Try to spend 1/2 an hour each day completely devoted to your critical line…doing something you need to do, even if it’s just a boring “little step”. Time is everything! So is discipline!

6. Discipline – is not one of my strong points. I consider myself a naturally lazy person, and have had to battle with myself most of my life to do what I need to do. This can be applied to just about anything in your life…but in order to succeed, you need discipline! Instead of throwing too much on yourself too quickly, take those “little steps”…see how important they are? But taking just one of those will make you feel better! And when you feel better, you’re likely to do more! It’s magic 🙂

7. More Irons in the Fire! – I know you’ve heard quite the opposite…that you can’t have too much on the go, but I’m here to tell you that when it comes to writing songs, the more your songs are “out there” the better it is for you! I don’t mean that you should be careless about it, BUT, if you’ve ever listened to some of the stories of how songwriters got their music heard, most of them had quite a long trail of opportunities. Someone just happened to hear a recording in the other room that someone’s cousin was playing that just happened to be sitting on the top of a pile…you know what I’m saying? Great songs aren’t just AUTOMATICALLY HEARD BY ALL THE “RIGHT” PEOPLE! It can take years for a great song to get the attention it deserves! So multiply your opportunities…let other people perform your song, play them at every chance, let people hear ’em!

8. Diversify – You’ve heard the saying “putting all of your eggs in one basket”. Having any kind of career in music means you have to diversify. The statistics are that less than 1% of songwriters make more than $5000 a year from their writing. That means that more than 99% of us have to have some other kind of income. I teach guitar, write music for television, write and perform…when some areas are not as profitable or emotionally satisfying, others are! As long as it is music-related, I’m happy. If it comes down to employment (and it inevitably does!), try to find work that is related somehow to your music, or at the very least, find work that allows you to BE a songwriter, go to open mics, or run off to the bathroom and record an idea when you have one 🙂 Then again, a job that is completely non-music related is sometimes perfectly satisfying! I’ve met writers who LOVE songwriting, but also love their jobs. Wouldn’t that be nice? 🙂

Okay, well there you have it…some ideas as to how you can achieve your idea of success. You know, half the time I write these articles as much for myself as I do for you 🙂

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You’re As Strong As Your Weakest Part

Posted on by IJ

© I.Woloshen

I used to be a lousy lyricist…maybe I had nothing to say, maybe I just let that part of my songwriting go, maybe I was just plain lazy! It was something I swept aside in my frenzy to write great music, especially when I was in my 20’s. I was impatient to finish…ever feel that way? These days, I have an endless supply of patience, but I digress…

When you get to the point of looking at the first draft of a song is when your weakness becomes most apparent. What is it that you’re skipping over in order to get the darn thing written? You know yourself better than anyone else, and this is when you have to be the most honest. When I say to be honest with yourself, I don’t mean that you need to be hyper-critical, just that you have to come face-to-face with the part of the song that isn’t “there” yet. This is the part of the song that will stand out to those who spend hours and hours listening to amateur songwriting, the people in the business. You can bet that they’ll pinpoint your weak point instantly!! You can’t hide it!

This weakness in your songwriting may take some time to strengthen, so be prepared! You essentially have several choices:

1. You can spend the time necessary to develop your skill in this area…for instance, because of my weak lyrics, I did a lot of reading and worked at writing a journal over a long time. When I would write in my journal, every now and then I’d come up with a line or phrase that stood out…that was the beginning of knowing I had my own point of view to express. If music is your weakness, push your envelope! Get out there and learn something…take a guitar class, learn some theory or join a choir and get a feel for how melodies and harmonies work together. There are endless possibilities.

2. You can skip the learning part and get yourself a co-writer. Find someone who has the skills you are missing…maybe they will be missing what you have! It isn’t easy at first to find someone suitable, but there are many, many songwriters out there who co-write. On Jeff Mallet’s site Lyricist.com you’ll find a huge list of songwriters broken down into lots of categories, including location.

3. If songwriting is your hobby, as opposed to a career pursuit, you have the luxury of time and little pressure 🙂 You may not be driven to change anything about the way you write, but even hobbyists like the idea of improving on the craft! Most of the books you’ll see on songwriting are primarily geared towards commercial writing, but there is a great book called “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron which focuses mostly on the creative side of yourself that you may find very helpful. It deals with “recovering your creative self” and although it doesn’t speak specifically about songwriting, I’ve heard many songwriters recommending it highly. If you are interested in other songwriting books, check out the Muse’s Muse for a whole list of ’em!

4. “Time…is on your side, yes it is…”…but for a great period of time in my songwriting “life” when I wasn’t focusing on improving it, I didn’t! There is no magic formula or pill. If you wanted to play better golf, you would probably consider taking lessons, or practicing as often as possible, maybe on a driving range…in other words you would focus in on your game and give it the time it deserved. The same is true of anything, including songwriting. When I focused in on my weaknesses, I learned to write better songs. Simple as that.

You will probably always feel more comfortable with one aspect of your writing, the part that comes naturally…it’s easy to ignore the rest when it’s too much “work” to fix it. But if you’re interested in getting your songs heard by others…it’s something you can’t ignore anymore!

PRODUCTION WEAKNESSES:

If you are considering sending your demos out to publishers…here are some problems that relate to production that you may not have considered (some I’ve heard and been guilty of from time to time myself). Seriously think about going to a professional studio to do a decent production on the song.

1. If you are a great keyboardist, vocalist, etc., etc., but you can’t program drums worth a damn…THAT’S exactly what the publisher is going to hear first…those lousy drums! Don’t you dare think you can hide them 🙂

2. Vocal buried in the mix…it doesn’t seem to matter how many times I’ve heard publishers, etc., say this, songwriters STILL forget that the lyrics are half the song and if they can’t hear ’em, they won’t listen any further!

3. Self-indulgent solo leads…come on, maybe your favourite part of recording is putting down that nice over-effected guitar lead that you just can’t play enough of…but that’s when the machine is going to get turned off. I’ve had demos sent to me when the songwriter raved about his guitar part, as if the song itself had very little to do with it!

4. Bad tempo shifts – I hate over-quantification, don’t get me wrong…there’s nothing that beats a “real” feel or groove in a song. But it’s got to be tight, it has to feel solid tempo-wise. Even if you’re just playing a simple keyboard or guitar and vocal, keep it on time!

5. Forgot to tune – oh, there’s no excuse for this one! Tune all of your instruments first…new strings on guitars if you can, don’t give somebody another reason to hit the “stop” button!

6. Lo-o-o-o-o-ng Intros – are for performing songwriters who can get away with it…if you’re pitching, don’t bother with much of an intro, get to the song as soon as you can! Equally true with long extros…nobody’s going to be listening that far into the song anyway!

7. And last but not least – REAL fancy production, but weak song. Let me tell you right now, you can’t hide a lousy song with great production. Somebody’s going to see that one right away. Make sure your song is “there” first before you even THINK of anything else!

Well, as I said, you are as strong as your weakest part…as soon as you figure out what that weak part is, you’ve got it made!

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Putting Music with Lyrics

Posted on by IJ

Here’s an email I recently received:

“Dear Irene,

I play guitar (lefty), just started, and i find it sometimes abit hard to get songs i like (like, by famous people, from the radio, whatever) abit hard to play, because i can’t get the exact tune. So i wanted to start writing my own songs. So i sat down to write some, and i couldn’t. i mean, i wrote a couple, but i can’t seem to accompany my voice (which isn’t very good) with my guitar. i like chords more than notes, so i just go through all the chords i know, just the main ones, and try to fit it together. Anyway, the whole point of me writing, is to say thankyou, you’ve helped me quite abit. But could you please put abit more about putting music with lyrics.”

I began writing songs for the same reason you did…I couldn’t play my favourite radio hits! In fact, over the years I’ve met many songwriters who started for the same reason.

When I was in Grade 12, I was given the opportunity to write some music to several poems in the play “Through The Looking Glass”. The idea was that I would play and sing them during the performance with the cast…I was put up in a loft at the back of the stage with a sound system. But the first REAL challenge was writing the music. I had always come from a “music first” place in my songwriting, and never before had tried it the other way around, so when I first sat down with all of these strange poems, I had no idea where to start. After succeeding with one of them, the others came more easily. Here’s what I learned, and what I use to this day…maybe some of it will help you:

1. A song lyric should have a built in rhythm, or “meter”….which means when you read it out loud, you can sense a beat to the words. This will help you to establish the time signature…4/4 is most common, four beats to the bar. Simply speaking, the strum pattern on your guitar should reflect this time signature.

2. Before you even establish the chords, you need to find a melody that matches the lyrics. Don’t go near any instruments until you’ve tried just singing the lyrics accapella (without accompaniment) and found a melody. This takes practice! Look at the structure of the verses…how many lines are there? Are the lines the same length of syllables, or are they different? If you’ve got an even number of lines, say 4 or 6, try singing one melody for the first line, and then another for the second…repeat the first melody for the 3rd line and the second melody for the 4th…see how that feels. Keep it simple. When you get to the chorus, that should be a different melody. Try singing it higher up…the chorus is a kind of climax, if you will, so it needs to be more dramatic in some way. Raising the melody at the chorus is one way of achieving that. If there is a bridge…sing that differently too. Essentially, each part of the song has its own mini-melody, but they all fit together. Creating a great melody is not achieved instantly! Well, not in most cases anyway 🙂

3. Let’s assume you’ve found a melody…now what are the chords? There are several ways you can go about this, most of them take time! First of all, you can randomly look for a chord that “fits” what you’re singing. Knowing a little bit about chords will take you a long way. Is it a sad song? Should the chords be minor chords, or is it upbeat? Do you hear chords around it already in your head when you sing the melody? If you play guitar and have a capo, use that as a means of getting into a key that suits your voice and the melody…you don’t have to play barre chords or fancy progressions, just use the capo up the neck until you find something that’s close. Get yourself a chord book and find out what chords are in a key…which chords go together, in other words. Try out some of the other chords in the key you decide on.

4. When should a chord change? This is where your “ear” really comes in handy. When you listen to a song on the radio, can you hear when the chord changes? If you can, you’re already half way there. Start out simply, by playing one chord all the way through the first verse, let’s call it “Chord 1″…when you hear that the melody doesn’t “fit” that chord, that’s where you should change chords! Okay, so now you need to find “Chord 2″…look in your chord book at all of the chords associated with and in the same key as “Chord 1″…and try them each out. Most likely, one of them will fit. So now we have “Chord 1” and “Chord 2”. Maybe your verse looks like this:

Chord 1
La, la, da da da, la, la, la

Chord 2
La, da da, la, da da

Is the rest of the verse repeating these phrases? Or are they different somehow? If they are the same, use the same two chords again. If they’re not, try another “associated” chord, or a chord in the same key. Now maybe you’re getting a feel to your song. Use the same process for the chorus, if you have a chorus, and the bridge, if there is one.

That is a beginner’s approach to writing melodies/chords to lyrics…remember to keep it simple! And when it gets “boring”, make a change! No one can write those melodies for you, it is something you learn to develop in yourself over time and with much patience (and sometimes none 🙂 Good luck!

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