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May 20, 2009
The Challenges of Songwriting- part 2
In writing a play, you can have a whole host of characters to speak your words. You can create as many characters as you want. (Maybe not too many, lest you confuse your audience!). In addition, the characters wear costumes to further illustrate who they are, the lighting and sets give your audience a sense of time and place, and the director is there to pull it all together.
In writing a novel, you have the luxury of time. You can spend several pages describing a character to your readers, so that when that person finally appears on the scene, the reader already feels that they know the person. You can spend time describing places, setting scenes, and revealing your characters' inner thoughts. You can also create subplots and digressions from the main story. (Is it any wonder that some novels can top 900 pages?)
If you’re writing modern poetry, you are free not to rhyme, and you don’t have to deal with the structural limitations that music can impose.
But what about a song?
Well, here are some of the challenges a songwriter faces:
1. You usually have two or three verses, a chorus and a bridge in which to put everything, and it probably should not last more than 3 or possibly 4 minutes. In this space you must:
a. Explain everything about your character (or characters)
b. Reveal your plot.
c. Develop your story.
d. Reach a resolution of some kind.
2. Your only tool is a melody, and that melody:
a. Must draw the listener in
b. Must not bore the listener
c. Must be interesting enough to keep his attention, but not so interesting that he forgets about the lyrics
d. Must be familiar enough to be comfortable
e. But not so familiar that it sounds like a rip off of something else
f. Must be singable!
In addition, if you are a classical composer, you can have an entire orchestra at your disposal, but a songwriter must get his or her point across using a single human voice.
There is still a further challenge, which we’ll look at tomorrow.
Posted by leonolguin at May 20, 2009 07:57 AM