How do you begin learning how to write lyrics for music?

I never knew Anthony Bourdain wrote music

>>8977631
That's Dustin Hoffman you fool.

>>8977617
start out with some oohs and oh yeahs then fill in around them

>>8977631
>>8977633
wait that's not Adam Sandler?

>>8977656

In about 10 years

>>8977639
Made me smile

>>8977617
really just by doing it. do it and think about it, as far as i can tell after doing it for the past four years. also don't constrain yourself in a particular style for any reason other than you like it or it inspires you.

>>8977689
So I don't need to adapt the verse to the notes at all? I can just write a haiku and superimpose it to a score?

>>8977698
You could, if you are looking to make it sound superimposed to the music.

>>8977617
he's shit

>>8978172
he's better than you, senpai

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>>8978183

straight iced a motherfucker

>>8978151
But how do I write texts that actually fit the music?

You need the music first. You could write the music to go with the lyrics but this is much more difficult, to be honest.

There is no formula to good music, unless you want to write a generic pop song, then yes, there is an exact formula you could follow.

I don't understand why people ask these types of questions though, it's like asking "How do I paint a masterpiece?", who the fuck knows? Try invest 50 years of your life or so, blood, sweat, and tears, and then come back.

>>8978306
>You need the music first.
the majority of great composers before the modern era and many since have written to accompany texts or poetry, it just depends on your style

>>8978306
>I don't understand why people ask these types of questions though, it's like asking "How do I paint a masterpiece?", who the fuck knows? Try invest 50 years of your life or so, blood, sweat, and tears, and then come back.
retarded analogy. if you're comparing to painting, OP is basically asking how to mix colours.

>>8978347
>the majority of great composers
Yeah, keyword genius! If he's posting on fucking 4chan asking for advice, he isn't fucking "great" is he? Cunt.

>Retarded analogy
It wasn't though was it? I was speaking in the general sense and not necessarily referring to just OP's stupid question. Nice reading comprehension you have there.

OP here.

I tried to find books about this but it always turns up with no result. I can find books about metrics and rythm in poetry, but nothing about applying those to music.

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>>8978264
I'm not sure I understand your problem but I'll try to help.
Listen to the music you have, locate embedded melodic lines and key moments, develop them with words by paying attention to their syllabic flow so to give them a lyrical quality.

>>8978364
haha
imagine being this angry and stupid, all at once

>>8978375
It's the same thing. The best poetry is musical.

>>8978391
>Angry
How sensitive are you? Some swear words must mean anger, eh?
Did mommy not breast feed you as a child?

>>8978384
>embedded melodic lines
>key moments
I don't know what either of those mean. Music theory is one thing I assume I need to learn.

>it's another "hey /lit/ I want to be an artist but I don't have anything to say and I'm too lazy and retarded to just study the art myself" chapter

>>8978384
This is horseshit, lmao. What the fuck are you talking about? He isn't rapping, you dumb fuck.

>"so to give them a lyrical quality"
hahahahahahahahhaha

>>8978419
>I want to make music but I don't know music theory
Retard
>>8978432
t. retard

>>8978444
No, not retard. You're just talking fucking bollocks. Are you making it up as you go along or what?
Also, why are you telling him that is music theory? I somehow don't think it is, mate.

Stop pretending you know what the fuck you're talking about when you don't, for fuck sake.

>>8978460
I'm not that dude, but his advice is fine. What's your objection to it?

>>8978426
Just point me in the right direction. I'm willing to put in the work but I am honestly clueless as to where to start. I was able to learn verse because a teacher brought it to my attention and recommended me books to read. I tried finding books for this too but I don't know what search words to use.

>>8978467
>His advice is fine

>embedded melodic lines
>key moments
>develop them with words
>syllabic flow
>give them a lyrical quality.

His whole fucking post was made up on the spot, you don't know shit either I take it?

the sound of the words matters more than the actual language or message

let yourself be cheesy, dont tke yourself too seriously

This thread is shit and I think the OP doesn't even know how to play the triangle but I'll bite.

While you could take random words and stick them together and call them lyrics, most lyrics are rhythmic in nature. By this I mean lyrics are written like most poetry -- iambs, trochees, anapests... The stresses each word in a song has will often correspond with the beat or melody of the song. If you have an irregular rhythm in your lyrics (you have a bunch of stresses in a row or no stresses or there's no discernible pattern etc), your song won't be singable.

Here is an example of a song lyrics from a song I was just listening to just to prove the point along with the scansion (I hope this formats properly):

/ - / - / - / - / - / - / - /
She said you can find a space between my arms if you will stay
/ - / - / - / - / - / / - / - / - /
Like if we ignore the system, they'll just blink out and quickly go away.

Do you see how in the first line, it is all trochaic, and then the second line is mostly trochaic? When there's some irregularity in the line (for example, there's two straight stressed syllables in 'blink out'...this is called a spondee), the singer changes his singing rhythm and uses the spondee as a way to pause. So it sounds like "they'll just blink out...and quickly go away," which has a lot more impact than if you just said that spondee without waiting. In short small irregularity can allow for syncopation, pauses, and other rhythmic qualities that, when the song has a backbone of steady poetic rhythm, can heighten the music.

hope that helps

>>8978515
ok so that didn't work but if you place the little / and - above each syllable then you can see it more clearly

>>8978515
that's confusing as fuck

>>8978572
maybe im autistic

the big point is that successful lyrics follow a certain meter (which is just another word for rhythm formed from a word's syllables) just like poems do. if you want to be a good songwriter, you have to know about poetic meter. you can google "poetic meter" if you want to learn more. then you can learn how to scan (check the rhythm/meter) lyrics of your favourite songs, and then maybe you will have an idea of where to begin.

>>8978505
>post was made up on the spot
How is that an objection?

everyone has their own creative process, and learning even basic music theory will help you a lot, but for an informal method you can try to...
- firstly, write a good melody
- then write a good set of lyrics independently (don't make it too precise because you will edit later)
- now apply the lyrics by placing each syllable on a note change, if your words don't quite fit just pick up a thesaurus to find synonyms
- embellish words you want to emphasize or fast passages in the melody by extending the syllable over multiple notes
- try "word painting", i.e. associate sad lines in the lyrics with minor chord changes or descending passages, and happy lines with ascending passages and/or rising volume

alternatively you could write the lyrics first, and then compose a melody which follows the words and emotions. this gives you greater control and consistency but requires you to be a good poet beforehand.

i could give you some advice about form but it depends entirely on what genre you're making music in. general rule is you want to repeat key parts of the lyrics that you want the listener to remember

>>8978644
I mean he was talking out of his arse. Making shit up. Bullshitting. Clear enough?

>>8978649
>Edit it later
>Thesaurus
>Find synonyms
>Word painting
Yeah, if you want to write Foo fighters lyrics, or some other contrived shit.
I've never seen someone be so wrong about something.
Do you think great songwriters treat their art as if it's some homework assignment?

-

There is no set formula to writing a great song OP. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you. No one can tell you how to write a song because it is obviously extremely complex. If you value your artistic integrity then you obviously can't just edit your song to fit the music, or the entire song will change meaning, to you, and to others. At the same time, you can't have lyrics that don't fit with the music otherwise it will probably be a shit song.
This is obviously a simplified version of the explanation because it would take hours to explain in full.

A line comes to you, then another comes and either adds to the previous line, or takes something away from it. Most great song writers have lyrics before the music because they are naturally good poets but perhaps not the best musicians. Conversely, when it comes to pop music, it is the other way around... the music or "beat" is first and the lyrics can be anything as long as it sounds good (see the guy above, he obviously likes pop shit)

>>8978515
>>8978649
Yes, this is what I was looking for. Thank you.
Can you recommend any books or search words? What is this stuff called?

>but requires you to be a good poet beforehand.
I know a shit ton of metrics.

>>8978715
>Yeah, if you want to write Foo fighters lyrics, or some other contrived shit.
>I've never seen someone be so wrong about something.
>Do you think great songwriters treat their art as if it's some homework assignment?
haha holy shit, why are you so butthurt about every post in this thread?

you think artists don't have rough drafts and that they just immediately write a masterpiece? are you retarded?
and you're knocking word painting despite it being a common technique in almost all music for literally hundreds of years?

all you've done is complain about other's posts like a little bitch and haven't given OP a single piece of advice. you are the most pretentious and annoying poster I've seen in a while, consider suicide.

>>8978715
Mate you are pretentious as fuck. He's asking how to start writing lyrics, not how to be goddamn Beethoven straight out the gate.

>>8978756
>calls others pretentious
>word painting
Lol okay mate

I gave OP the truth. No book can teach him to be a great songwriter.

>butthurt
Are you that sensitive?

>>8978737
its hard to give you further advice unless you tell us what kind of music you make

>What is this stuff called?
music theory

>>8978764
>pretentious
Nice input there genius

>>8977656
It's the guy from friends

>>8978737
do you write poetry, and do you play music of any kind?

In order to begin to learn that you write lyrics for the music, you ... First you must learn how to love bearded men.... Then you must retreat from this. Then you will write song.