I think instrumentals are great too! but some people won't get it as well as others do. Good lyrics are written down in a moment of inspiration, there is no way u can squeeze it out in a session, and its best to do it alone. Brainstorming or working with a friend hasn't worked for me. It worked for Lennon and McCartney though, so unless you have a McCartney or Lennon stored somewhere in your closet, your best bet is to go solo. You will write more honestly that way.

You always see that in video clips musicians have the old "guitar + cigarette + coffee table + paper n pencil" thing going, and you might wanna do that too. Stimulants can really help. For me its redbull or livita honey

I also find that an environment of absolute silence is a great help. So you can soak in the music and listen to your words clearly.

If you're writing in English, pay attention to stress patterns in the syllables. Most 2nd language users don't pay attention to this and that's why when they sing it sounds a bit 'off'. This applies to speaking too. (I am an English teacher so I CAN say these things lol)

Don't force a topic. Many times I tried to write about love but somethin else would come out. I read somewhere that writing is an unconscious process, so it cant be forced. Play your chords/riff over and over and just start humming and filling the blanks with random words. Soon, a subject will start to appear. Then you can carry on from there. oh yeh, dun forget to rhyme haha although you dun have to

I hope this helps

P/s: OR you could always use the Eric Cartman Christian Rock songwriting technique!

This post has been edited by gizmoduck: Nov 9 2006, 09:37 PM

this is gonna sound offensive

just take any popular songs and replace the word 'baby', 'my love' etc with "JESUS" lolx

like blue mountain - "Oooohh JESUS I LOVE YOUR WAY, EVERYDAY"

Cloudburst EP is available for purchase if u want one! if u live near subang, Simon in subang square sells them. Or u can always get it from me

Hoobastank - "AND THE REAASON IS JEEEEEESUSS"....! I guess that would work

hahaha Cartman is a genius. Check out episode 12 and 13 of season 10!!! OmG I was rolling on the floor.

Yup2, simon's shop on the first floor. But he usually opens in the evening only.

I can't shred and my first name is Mawi!!! yay???!

Nah, I think shredding, great as it is, is just a skill. I think that music has evolved in such a way that listeners demand less of the 10 minute solos, but thoughtful lyrics and arrangement too. That's why I always view John Lennon as a better musician than let say Vai. No offense, Vai is a skillful musician in his own right, but he's like Christiano Ronaldo without Rooney, Saha, Ferdinand and Ferguson et al (that analogy is weird but watever hahaha)

So, saying that if you can't shred you suck, is a bit too far fetched. Cuz the way i see it, if you could shred like Vai, Satriani or God forbid Santana, you rule, but if you can't, than you're just a mediocre shredder. So, YOU suck. I hav a friend who does nothing but shred during jamming sessions, showing off and band members get really ticked off cuz of that. I don't think they would be if he can shred like Vai, but he can't. He's good, but not good enough, so HE suck.

Malaysians are still living in the 80's cuz probably those years were the best our country had in terms of everything; progress, arts, economy etc. So we still go back to those years for inspiration and ideas. So that's why people still think that shred pwns, and individual skills rule. But to me, its too self-indulgent and w**king is bad, MmmMmMkaaaAyyY..

(Background music trails off into another Santana solo)

Well, thats the thing you see. If the whole purpose of shredding is to show off, then its not musically motivated anymore is it? And I think 'cool' is such a passe thing, anyhting can be cool these days, you might be a shredding satanist reborn, but if you haven't got personality, you ain't even near being cool.

But I agree with the fact that it is important to have the skills, but when people say that non-shredders suck, i think its a bit unfair, y'know.

edit: Yup Santana can't shred, and he is too old to be fraternizing with young ladies like Michelle Branch However, he does know how to turn a good song into a great song. Recent example: Shakira's "Illegal" is an awesome track because of Santana's fills.

This post has been edited by gizmoduck: Nov 14 2006, 07:17 PM