#1
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Songwriters: What do you read?
I've seen many comments from songwriters who say they get inspired by reading a lot. My reading tends to be non-fiction & biographies which I don't really think informs my songwriting much.
Anybody have a genre or author that they find inspiring? |
#2
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I don't write many songs with words, but I always find Kurt Vonnegut's work to be imaginative and inspiring.
I also like reading non-fiction...I think there's a wealth of good fodder in there for songs, if you read "off the beaten path" history stuff... |
#3
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With you on Vonnegut , but you don't write many songs with words ....? Are there any other kind?
__________________
Silly Moustache, Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer. I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom! |
#4
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You're right, SM, I write tunes
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#5
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I get inspired by reading memoirs and biographies. Other lives in different times and the resilience of humanity always inspires me.
Best, Jayne |
#6
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Try reading some poetry. It is full of rhythmical patterns, sound devices such as rhyme, alliteration, assonance, and consonance, and of course imagery, metaphor, and tension.
Poetry, as song writing, also uses compression of statement (saying a lot in a few words). Robert Frost, Sylvia Plath, and T.S. Eliot are three of my contemporary favorites, but there are so many great ones. Frost: Stopping by the Woods on a Snowing Evening, After Apple Picking Plath: Cut Eliot: The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock Can you read these poems and not be inspired in some way? |
#7
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I'll have to give poetry another shot.
The last time I tried I could've sworn there was a 6'8" nun standing over me. |
#8
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Quote:
Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. I think Robert left the 6'8" nun back at the barn. This poem may seem simple (a Frost trademark), but there is much going on here, both poetically and thematically. |
#9
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Very cool. I can see how that would be inspiring.
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#10
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Quote:
__________________
Silly Moustache, Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer. I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom! |
#11
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I also dig in to what I like about songs I like. Is it the music? The clever lyrics? How it makes me feel? What is the rhyme scheme? Line lengths? Etc..
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Original music here: Spotify Artist Page |
#12
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If I am reading for writing lyrics I try to get fiction books that have to do with the subject of the song I am writing. I would do this for things like outlook, what person I'm writing in and language that might not be how I normally use it.
Like right now I am writing one about a flood. I have seen my share of floods and high water. So I am looking for descriptive language about rushing flooding high water. It's usually the middle verses that I have to work the most on. That's when I really have to figure out where I'm going with it plus keep the tone of the song consistent. While also tickling the listeners ear with language to keep them engaged. The last verse can get difficult also if I haven't figured out the point yet as I always like to wrap it up with the last verse.
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Waterloo WL-S, K & K mini Waterloo WL-S Deluxe, K & K mini Iris OG, 12 fret, slot head, K & K mini Follow The Yellow Brick Road |
#13
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Leonard Cohen has been widely admired as a songwriter, perhaps especially in his later years. The fact that he was also an award-winning poet must certainly have influenced his songwriting. Though many people like to cite Bob Dylan as a poet (Nobel Prize!), I actually think Cohen's songs and poetry are more accessible.
I simply mean to underscore what has been said by others in this thread about poetry. Perhaps the advantage of reading poetry is not simply its inspirational quality. Maybe it can also help us to see the world as a poet does, and describe it similarly.
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RM ----------------------------------------------------- Taylor 856, Taylor GC7, Martin 00-28, Breedlove Oregon Concertina, Breedlove Jeff Bridges Signature, Guild JF55-12, Guild D212, Larrivee OM3, Eastman E20 OM, Farida OT22w, Cordoba Fusion 12 Orchestra, Blueridge BR-361, Pono 0-15 mango, Journey OF-660, Tanglewood TWJP parlor (Nashville tuned), Paul Reed Smith SE Custom. |
#14
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Quote:
Periods of inspiration visit unannounced, leave in the same manner and never apply for residency. It's a succession of these visits that inform us about our individual creativity. Knowing that, I've learned to look for it within rather than from without. You have to surrender yourself to your own muse before it begins to respect you. |
#15
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Quote:
__________________
RM ----------------------------------------------------- Taylor 856, Taylor GC7, Martin 00-28, Breedlove Oregon Concertina, Breedlove Jeff Bridges Signature, Guild JF55-12, Guild D212, Larrivee OM3, Eastman E20 OM, Farida OT22w, Cordoba Fusion 12 Orchestra, Blueridge BR-361, Pono 0-15 mango, Journey OF-660, Tanglewood TWJP parlor (Nashville tuned), Paul Reed Smith SE Custom. |