fitting the lyric

[snowman28]

hi there
one thing i am always having trouble is fitting my lyrics in to tunes i like. always seem to be writing and rewriting.
does anyone play guitar and write their own stuff preferably punk/emo type stuff
not pop punk please. just clever stuff

 

[Bezo]

I play mostly hip hop, r&b, funk, and some rock, but this should apply.

Are you writing your songs as you listen to the tracks? When you say it doesn't fit, do you mean the tempo?

I'm assuming you play guitar.
Try coming up with the melody on your instrument as you write the words. If you can play it along with the track, and it sounds good, you should be able to sing it and have it sound good.

If you're working with pre-written lyrics, it may be best to wait for a track that's suitable, or write the music to fit the words instead of changing the lyrics.

If you give some more info on your process, I may be able to offer more/better advice.

 

[snowman28]

I play mostly hip hop, r&b, funk, and some rock, but this should apply.

when i have my guitar i write lyrics with a rhytmical flow so they always fit around the tune.
but when i just sit with paper and write lines without music i write difeerently, more honest words like poetry but find it hard to fit these into the tune.i have just spent three years at uni doing music production and can be over analytical of every detail.
it's like when i listen to other peoples music i think thats is so the right tune and words combined how did they do that so right.
i don't know if you can help me but i strive every day for perfection

 

[Bezo]

I have lyrics that were written before I got into production. What I do is recite the lyrics and nod my head to an imaginary beat to get a feel of the tempo. It may be easier for me because I creat all the music(drums, harmonies, melodies, ect). If you're working with a band, get with the drummer and work out the tempo/feel of the songs you're working on.

I would think you'd have to create the music from scratch... around the lyrics. It would be tough to get a pre-written lyric to fit a pre-record track.

 

[geoff_emerick]

hi there
one thing i am always having trouble is fitting my lyrics in to tunes i like. always seem to be writing and rewriting.
does anyone play guitar and write their own stuff preferably punk/emo type stuff
not pop punk please. just clever stuff

Hello there yourself,

You seem like the kinda person who needs to write the music first before writting the lyrics. Some people prefer this. What I sometimes do is get a riff in your head and write to that riff or tune. The problem I had with this method was I'd forget the tune after writting it. Punk/emo whatever isnt too hard to write. What I find is that most of the punk songs are power chords in 2/2 time. I find that to do this effectively write the music first then write the lyrics. Most "punk" stuff is between 30 seconds and two minutes. (you dont have to follow anyones formula but, this outline might help). Its the music that gets people going more than the lyrics. You really dont have to write a page full of lyrics to do this style. I usually repeat lines a few times....its effective in getting your point across. Just have fun with it.