Seamless Songwriting

I’m talking more lyric pruning than auto-tuning. In coaching writers these days one of the most common topics is , once you’ve found the idea, writing a lyric that keeps the thread and stays consistent with meter, rhyme scheme and structure.

Some of the best publishers I’ve known over the years, Mary Del Scobey, Kye Fleming and Chris Ogelsby come to mind, are able to point out to a writer things that we just don’t see. Places where the seam is torn.Usually because we’re too close. Especially if you write on your own. It’s so easy to work on a lyric and depend on a title, great first verse, chorus or a clever rhyme here and there. Much harder to stand back and “scan” a lyric to see if we’ve lost it in the third verse or bridge.

I know I have been guilty of sitting with a publisher or producer over the years and going..”hey just get through this part and wait until you hear the chorus!!”

The songs we all love don’t do that. Even if the writers weren’t thinking about it at the time, they were probably so damn good they couldn’t lie. No fluff, top to bottom! It’s been one of the best lessons over the years of writing with and hanging out with great music people. They’re fans just like the listener in the car and they’re thinking.. “I’m wanting to love this..don’t let me down! “

One of the best tools for checking yourself is talking the lyric out. I mean “out loud”…and often. I’ve written in the past about the value of just letting someone else read a lyric or hear your song and be able to tell you what it’s about . If they can’t, you’ve probably lost the plot.

Think Seamless.

You may agree or have a totally different view on this, love to hear from you!