Has The Focus Of This Thread Shifted? Bloody Hell Yes!! Totally Pirates!!!

[sandysue]

Hi Tom

Thanks for the encouragement mate. We have a lot more work here before we come up with our final version. Please feel free to join in cause we need your expertise. I took a lesson from Neil today. He made a video for FOTW to teach us all how to approach song writing from various angles. It was a really good lesson it will give us some good ideas. We could use these lyrics or we could write some different ones. It's all good.

Sandy

[michelew]

sandysue wrote:

Hi guys, here's the song

Title: Bloody good mate

verse 1:

I really don't know him but I met him one time

He left an impression in the depths of my mind

He's a little bit handsome, and brilliant they say

quirky and funny and kind in a way

Love is great, bloody good mate

verse 2:

I know I can't touch him in space or in time

So he lives in my dreams, I don't even know why

He's my friend and my lover, He charms me with ease

He pampers and hugs me whenever I please

love is great, bloody good mate

verse3:

He can't disappoint me or cause me to cry

I'm never alone, he's my wonderful guy

If I were a pirate, pterodactyl or such

I would still love him, if only as much

love is great, bloody good mate

verse 4:

I know it sounds crazy, but it's all in our mind

live it or dream it, love is divine

love is great, bloody good mate


Sandy

Sandy this song REALLY IS bloody good mate! You've really got the guts of something there. The lyrics tell a good story. They fit together nicely. Plus, it's still got the potential to be anything you want it to be depending on the music you put around it. What sort of feeling are you going for? It could be anything from deeply sad to quite light and whimsical.

I think you might find the lyrics change a little when you start to sing them. Some phrases will help to write themselves as in suggest new words, other may need to be changed to find the right meter. It seems to be all part of the process.

It sounds like a great FOTW. I can't wait to see it. Fun!! See a teaching moment has come out of this thread after all the frivolity. I love it!

WOW! You're well on he the way to having written a song. Woo hoo! Good for you Sandy! We knew you could do it.

[tombo1230]

sandysue wrote:

Hi Tom

Thanks for the encouragement mate. We have a lot more work here before we come up with our final version. Please feel free to join in cause we need your expertise. I took a lesson from Neil today. He made a video for FOTW to teach us all how to approach song writing from various angles. It was a really good lesson it will give us some good ideas. We could use these lyrics or we could write some different ones. It's all good.

Sandy

Hi Sandy,
isn't that just a hoot! I am chuckleing here, that a lesson has come out of us goofing around, very funny indeed! :laugh:

I look forward to Neils video.

There are from what I know, different ways to approach songwriting, depending on what you have got at that moment.
If you have a lyric in your head you can develop the hook of the song. If you have a progression you can create a section and add rhythm and groove, or you may have a riff in your mind. Each of these can spark a song. It will be interesting to see what Neil comes up with in his video.

I am happy to help out with any aspect of your song. I won't abondon ship me mate aaaaaaarrrrr!!! :laugh:

It's brilliant that you have never done it before and are so up for it. You're going on a journey of discovery now and that is just so cool!!! :laugh: I really like what you have done so far. For me, the music sparks the creative part and how the melody fits with the words. This will be great!!

Tom.

[sandysue]

Thank you Michelle. I'm glad you like it so far. I consider it a group project so please feel free to join in and change things around as you like. Neil says to just play different chord progressions to try and find the melody and to try different tempos until we find the mix that works. You're right , I've already edited it several times since I posted the lyrics.

I hope you noticed that I included a pirate in our song. Of course I consciously avoided any reference to leg amputation and eye ball enucleation. Especially when it involves a sword, a sharp stick or heaven forbid, a plunger. . No one needs to know the bloody details on maintaining the pirate persona:)

Sandy

[michelew]

sandysue wrote:

Thank you Michelle. I'm glad you like it so far. I consider it a group project so please feel free to join in and change things around as you like. Neil says to just play different chord progressions to try and find the melody and to try different tempos until we find the mix that works. You're right , I've already edited it several times since I posted the lyrics.

I hope you noticed that I included a pirate in our song. Of course I consciously avoided any reference to leg amputation and eye ball enucleation. Especially when it involves a sword, a sharp stick or heaven forbid, a plunger. . No one needs to know the bloody details on maintaining the pirate persona:)

Sandy

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Oh Sandy you're a HOOT! I've got tears in my eyes I'm laughing so hard!

I was in the shower singing John Legend at the top of my lungs (no one's home) and I suddenly thought "$&;$ I didn't mention the pirate OR the pterodactyl"(which were brilliantly executed by the way, I'm sure Al would be proud).

The times I've tried writing lyrics I've definitely tweaked it here and there for a while. At times I've thought "yeh that's good" and then I've come back later and changed bits completely. It's all good, it's all fun and it really lifts me up into a place where I can see a million possibilities when I'm in that space. (Which can sometimes be a little frustrating for others when I'm collaborating with someone. Luckily my accomplices in musical antics have been super cool and sweet and very patient. )

I've been writing a rock song. I've made pretty good progress but I need to find time to sing without fear (when no one's home - oh gosh I could be doing it now). My point - when I started the song, I thought it was going to have a Johnny Cash feel. But then I started playing with rhythms and specifically drumming tracks in GarageBand and I was suddenly inspired by a heavy rock track, which really drove me to add more. So absolutely try different styles, different progressions, different grooves until one sticks and enthuses you further. Walk around the house singing the lyrics and you may find that you're subconscious mind finds the perfect melody for you. That's how it seems to happen for me, but I've also had music tracks to start with at times too.

You're right too no one else needs to know the mysteries that lie below our scurvy, tough, menacing exteriors. Ahhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhh it's all bloody good matie!

This is SO cool! Now you've inspired me to get creative too!

Keep us posted!

Shel

[tombo1230]

Hi Sandy,
can I offer up a suggestion? It would be nice in verse one, if we knew from what perspective you are telling the story.
The song just starts somewhere. Maybe it could be explained a little bit who you are or/and who he is. Another angle could be where you are emotionally, are you remeniscing, or is this happening right now? This may help with the story telling and flesh out the verses as they are probably needing two more lines in each IMHO. Remember the audience see you as a blank sheet.

My name is Sandy from xxxxxx and I live on the hill
I once met a lad an acquintance, whose name was Bill.
He left an impression in the depths of my mind
Something to remember as old age I do find

He's a little bit handsome, and brilliant they say

quirky and funny and sorta kind in a way

Love is so great, bloody good mate


I have left the line 'whose name was Bill' to signify this was in the past, or you are remembering. This may or may not fit the Bill, depends on a lot of things, like where the story is going. Feel free to disagree, these are just ideas to be kicked around. As you go along you find you have choices to make, these choices can influence other parts of the song.

Tom.

[sandysue]

Hi Tom.

I'm so glad you are in on this project. It's great to have such smart friends. especially such a fun pirate, albeit a bit on the gory side,( you know, removing body parts with blades and sharp sticks etc.). Neil was totally on board for teaching us all more about song writing. He has some projects planned for everyone to participate in. He's always looking for opportunities to share his knowledge with us. We are so lucky.

Sandy

[tombo1230]

sandysue wrote:

Hi Tom.

I'm so glad you are in on this project. It's great to have such smart friends. especially such a fun pirate, albeit a bit on the gory side,( you know, removing body parts with blades and sharp sticks etc.). Neil was totally on board for teaching us all more about song writing. He has some projects planned for everyone to participate in. He's always looking for opportunities to share his knowledge with us. We are so lucky.

Sandy

I am so pleased that a great learning opportunity for everyone has some how manifested itself from nothing really. This may not have happened
had it not been for some pirates having a laugh. Good for Neil finding a lesson idea out of it all.

Gory? me never :laugh: Vivid imagination?.....er.....yep! :woohoo:

Tom N.

[michelew]

Sandy,

No disrespect to Tom, but I'd suggest letting the lyrics develop by themselves. You've already got a great sketch for the story. Let Tom's ideas mesh into your song subconsciously if they are going to. Don't force it.

I'd suggest trying to find the progression and the mood of the song now. That will help you refine the words and story to complement wherever you land with the music.

I recently read a great book by Shawn Colvin - Diamond in the Rough, which Ness recommended to me. I think you'd enjoy it actually. Anyway in it she describes her song writing process. The lyrics for Sunny Came Home started out about a packet of cigarettes believe it or not.

Similarly I remember Neil telling a story about how Yesterday by the Beatles started out with scrambled eggs in it and other non-sense stuff.

Find the music and the words will continue to come to you just as they are now.

Have fun.

Shel

[sandysue]

Hi Michelle

I started out writing a beer drinking song (for which I have zero experience) and ended up with some weird love song. You never know what's lurking around in your brain. I suspect that this song will be a mere shadow of its former self by the time we're done. Pirates love surprises.

Sounds like you have experience with song writing. That's so cool. And singing in the shower as well. Even the spiders head for dry land when I sing there. Hmmmm, Can spiders hear? So glad to sail the opens seas with an experienced mate. Good times ahead.

Sandy