Build your vocabulary. If you are going to rhyme words, it is very important that you have a lot to choose from. Read books and news articles written in flawless, edited language. If you suddenly come across an unfamiliar word, look for it in the dictionary.
Increase your sense of rhythm. As you expand your vocabulary, try reading some passages out loud and see where you need to add accents, change the stress. In English, for example, there are many poems and lyrics that are written in iambic pentameter, in which the first syllable is unstressed, the second is stressed, the third is unstressed, and until there is a total of five stressed and five unstressed syllables. A developed sense of rhythm will ultimately help you compose the beats to the finished lyrics, or match the lyrics to your beat so that it sounds easy and casual.
* Try saying the word "rapper" in two ways. First, put stress on the first syllable and leave the second unstressed, then vice versa. Did you notice the difference?
* It may sound silly, but reading Shakespeare aloud is a good use of iambic pentameter. (Search the internet for his plays.) You will immediately begin to notice the alternating stressed syllables and how naturally they are pronounced.
Concentrate. The resulting texts should not only rhyme well, but also make sense. The rhyme is the glue for your words, but there must be content in the message as well. What do you want to say? When you talk to other people, what topics do you really care about?
* To be honest, no matter what you choose, one thing is clear. A rap that talks about its own life lends the song some believability.
Write it down. Great rapper lyrics can come to your mind anywhere: at home, at work, at school, in the toilet and even in your sleep. Write down what comes to your mind, uncensored or edited. Later, when you're writing new lyrics, refer to these ideas.
Write a good chorus. The chorus (or as it is called, the "hook") is that part of the song that gets stuck in the head and makes you listen over and over again. For most rap songs, this is the catchy chorus. Don't make it long, the main thing is that it should have a catchy rhythm that you can hum along with fun.
* For many authors, the hook is the most difficult part to write. Don't feel discouraged if it takes you a long time. Better to come up with a great chorus than to rush to put together a bad song.
Memorize your lyrics. Once you've finalized your piece, learn every word of it. Because when you do your rap speech in the studio, you won't be able to read from a piece of paper.
Download audio editing software: If you are an aspiring rapper, we recommend using the Audacity program. It's free, which is good, and it works quite well. If you have a Macbook, you can record songs using Garage Band, which is already integrated into the system. As you get more experienced, move on to other, more advanced applications such as Audio Audition. This program is paid, but it provides a huge selection of useful functions, in contrast to the programs mentioned above.
Reconsider the bit. Select the beat you want to use when you rap. You can search for rap beats on Youtube or download "rap beats" from a distributor like Beat Brokerz. It is most effective to compose the main part of the text of the future work and simply work on adapting it in accordance with the chosen bit. A common mistake is trying to come up with a bit of text. It is likely that the meaning of the composition will suffer in this case, and you will not be able to fully express your creativity.
We will find a quiet place where no one will disturb us. You need to think about the topic of the text, because a text without meaning is nothing. Good lyrics may be without good rhymes, but with a lot of meaning.
Step 2
Rhyme. The selection of rhymes is not easy. For some, the words idiot - whirlpool rhyme, but the words "city" and "flora" - no. If these words rhyme for you, read on.
Step 3
We immediately remove the “identical” words (was - bought, newspapers - toilets), in a word, all the obvious rhymes. They have already been used by everyone and everyone is tired of them, there are a lot of such rhymes. We need to come up with something original. With simple rhymes sorted out, let's move on to complex rhymes. We take the word to which we need to find a rhyme and go through the possible options in our head. For example, the word "Lime" - from the outside, a ghost, recognized, Liza. Choose the right word and go! The main thing is to surprise the listeners with rhyme - for example, at the end of the first line there is the word "glass", the listener, of course, thinks that at the end of the second line there is the word "cormorant" or something similar. And you take and put the word "rumor". Original and beautiful.
Step 4
Let's figure out the structure of the text, how these rhymes should be arranged. You can rhyme 2 adjacent lines (the so-called “Square” construction). Rhyme through the word:
“As a cook put a laurel leaf on top of a bit in a soup,
while you have concocted a decent text in a day with sweat and blood ”.
Rhyme several words in a row:
“Having absorbed great speakers for the benefit of the underground, we poison you with drugs.”
Rhyme line by line, that is, almost all words in a line rhyme accordingly with words of another line:
“Get in the wagon train, Emelya, you
and in prose I had loving "
It seems that in our time, music and lyrics are written by all and sundry, often not really thinking about the musical and literary content of the composition. That is why there is such a huge amount of low-grade musical "junk". Some artists churn out albums in tons. As it turns out, in most cases there is nothing interesting about them. Let's figure out how to write a song yourself so that it touches the audience.
Musical and Lyrics Basics
To begin with, I would like to say a few words about the main components of any song. and text. Let's make a reservation right away: what to write first - music or text, everyone chooses for himself. But, I think, if at first a text is written that has relatively strict rules for constructing rhyme, in the musical sense you will not develop much here, and the composition can turn out to be monotonous and monotonous. As world practice shows, it is better to first come up with a melody, and only then put words on it. And there will be much more variations in this case.
The answer to the question of how to write a song yourself is inextricably linked with the basics of building a composition from the point of view of music. Typically, a song may contain a main verse, chorus, third melodic line, etc. In addition, in terms of arrangement, it is often assumed that there is an introduction and an ending (coda). Naturally, all this is not a prerequisite. For example, in "heavy" music very often, instead of a chorus, there is a repetition of one phrase or phrase. Usually they are the names of the songs.
There are many examples. Take, for example, the early compositions of the Metallica group. In the albums of 1983, 1984 and 1986, almost all song titles sound like phrases in the chorus.
We write music ourselves
Let's move on to writing a melody for a future song. First you need to decide on the general content in terms of what will be the pace, style, etc. It is clear that in deciding how to write a song about love yourself, as a rule, everyone has only one association - a slow ballad (although exceptions are not uncommon). It is, because love is a sublime feeling, so it is simply impossible to imagine something in the spirit of Speed-metal in this case.
Many composers and producers follow a proven rule: the melody of a verse or the third melodic line may be the simplest, but the chorus should be “groovy”, so that it will eat into your head from the first listening. By the way, this is how most hits are created.
If we talk about how to write a song yourself in this regard, we can advise an inexperienced or novice musician to apply the standard harmonies of the most popular hits of all directions. For example, the "Italian square" and its varieties are very popular. These are of the type Em / C / Am / H7 (or D), Em / G / C / H7 (D), Em / G / Am / H7 (D), etc. (for the key in E minor). And it will be very easy for novice guitarists to play such sequences, since they don't even need to use the barre technique.
After learning the basic harmonies, you will eventually come to understand variation and the use of non-standard chord progressions. But this does not mean at all that sequences cannot be experimented with. Often, beginner musicians who do not know the basics of harmony find more interesting solutions than professional musicians with their formed stereotypes. It is not surprising that many famous musicians began their careers without even knowing notes, based on an intuitive notion of harmony.
Create text
Now let's see the lyrics of the song. Everyone has their own literary research and preferences, so giving advice in this regard is very difficult. The only thing worth noting is the high-quality rhyming and development of the main idea. The text should not be, so to speak, "about anything." It's a waste of time. The development of the plot, at least minimal, must be present. In this case, the melody can develop accordingly.
Also, pay attention to the correctness of the language in terms of spelling (construction of sentences) and rhyme. Let's give a simple example. Probably, many have heard the popular song "Between you and me" (Shamil Oscar). The chorus contains the words: “Between you and me - only the word“ Where are you? ”. It is clear that the author of the text wanted to get a rhyme, but from the point of view of the spelling of the Russian language “Where are you” is not one word, but two, ie phrase. And such examples can be cited in our stage ad infinitum. Sometimes, after all, phrases do not even coincide with each other in meaning (the same "ViaGra" with its catchphrase "The higher the love, the lower the kisses").
And further. Avoid multiple repetitions of the same word, conjunctions or prepositions. Arrange the words so that the text does not cut your ears. And, of course, don't use sentences that frankly represent "water."
With regards to the accompaniment, everyone chooses their own instrument. For example, a piano and a guitar work well for ballads. On guitar? For ballads in the playing technique, brute force is mainly used. In the chorus, especially if there is some kind of aggressiveness or emotionality, you can use "fight" techniques. However, in playing technique, one must proceed from the capabilities of the instrument and from how, with its help, convey the emotions inherent in the composition itself.
It is not surprising that absolutely all rockers use fifths and fourths (less often thirds). The effect is enhanced by special "gadgets" such as Overdrive, Fuzz, Distortion, etc. This sound emphasizes the aggressiveness of the style and composition.
Arrangement
An important aspect in the search for an answer to the question of how to write a song yourself is the accompanying musical arrangement (accompaniment, arrangement, etc.). There are no single rules for it, however, it is believed that the verse should be half-empty, and the chorus should be as rich as possible in terms of the instruments used, although this is not a dogma.
Beginning composers can be advised of electronic instruments with auto accompaniment, which will allow you to create a complete composition in a few minutes, and at the same time show the basic principles of arrangement.
The most popular are Yamaha PSR series models, some modifications of Korg PA or Casio. The choice is large enough. In some cases, you can also use software synthesizers or sequencer programs equipped with these functions. after all, there are some standards, so it's better to learn a little bit of musical literacy and make your own unique arrangement, which will only complement the melodic and textual component of the composition.
Vocals
Vocals (vocal performance of a song) is considered almost the main thing in the performance of a composition. It is the human voice that is that unique instrument that is able to convey the smallest shades of mood, emotions and experiences.
Probably, it is not worth explaining that you need to feel very subtly not only the melody and the text, but also the mood of the listener. However, you may not be able to sing professionally. Sometimes even a recitative spoken in a whisper in a love ballad can have a greater effect than ordinary singing with a voice. But here it all depends on the performer himself, although it is desirable to have a more or less well-trained voice. Agree, no matter how good the composition is, clumsy vocals can easily ruin it.
You do not need to be some kind of criminal in order to know how to write rap correctly, you just need to be a person whose words fly out of his mouth like seeds, the first words are the most necessary and correct, because they are more characteristic of what he wants to convey author. Rap is characterized by unusual explosive music, with pronounced beats. They don't sing rap - they read it.
Rhyme plays a very important role in every song, but nevertheless for rap in some situations it is even useful to deviate from this rule, but a little so that it does not look like a set of words. ... ... Any phrase can touch a person, even if it is not in rhyme, the main thing is that it has a deep meaning.
Men read rap most of all, but still it is worth noting that "female rap" is also very popular and even erotic, the main thing is that the girl who reads this rap is charismatic, so that her voice bewitches emotionally, and her words touch the listener.
Also, improvisation is very important for every artist, and even more so in rap. A real born rapper right on stage can compose and deliver something that will take your breath away, this is called freestyle, the so-called improvisational rap. Our whole life is improvisation, and rap is a kind of world in which there is no falsehood and hypocrisy, it is a cry from the heart.
The text must be with meaning and, preferably, with rhyme. A real rapper will write unique verses to the song, which will surely blow up the inner world of any listener, make him shudder from what he listened to and will not leave you indifferent. After all, each song is also a kind of world with its own experiences, which the author wants to show. And by the way, you can transform any composition in any other style into a good rap, music plays a very important role here.
You don't need any special skills to be able to write rap, you need simple elementary logic, intuition, and most importantly - flair. Without him, no masterpiece, and even more so a hit, will not work, again - this is a gift, it is impossible to learn this, with this they are born, these words themselves "ask" to be written down, the words that a genius has in his mind, head. There are times when it’s hard to connect two words, and there are times when you can compose a real hit in five minutes. Such minutes cannot be predicted, they appear out of nowhere. You just need to always have a pen and paper with you.
In this case, the main thing is not to play, but to be yourself. It is not difficult for someone to compose rap, but for someone it will seem like torment and so on. It's just that every person needs to do what he can do: a rapper - to write and read high-quality rap, an actor to act in films!
With due diligence, creativity can be found in every person. The desire to create something new is inherent in everyone, albeit to varying degrees. And it's almost impossible not to find a person who has ever dreamed of writing his own song and becoming a famous musician. Another thing is that only a few succeed. And the point is not at all that talented people almost do not exist, in fact there are a lot of them, but that Muse is a very capricious lady, and in order for her to come, one desire is not enough. It takes work, and the work is hard enough. And since you can write a (good) song only by observing some rules, you need to familiarize yourself with them.
Where to begin?
First things first, of course, it's worth working on your own artistic style. It is very useful to read various books - from classics to modern times, from detective stories to romance novels. This is needed not only and not so much for inspiration (although it may well come at this stage), but for expanding your vocabulary, recognizing new phrases, metaphors and comparisons. Reading poetry is no less important. After all, this is the only way to get a general idea of the various styles, types of rhyme, rhythm, and, in general, the construction of the verse.
Choice of direction
The definition of the general theme of the work is also important. The song can be lyrical, combat, dance, comic, philosophical, etc. Here it is important to correctly determine which of all directions is closest to the poet. At the same time, you can (and should) rely on the mood, since it is easiest to create your own song by surrendering to your own feelings. You cannot write something funny, being in sorrow, you cannot describe the feeling of love when the soul is eager to fight.
By trial and error
If you didn't get a decent text the first time around, don't despair. Musicians have their own saying: "To create one masterpiece, you need to spoil ten sheets of paper." Even the greatest creators have been wrong. In addition, a failed piece can always be reworked. To do this, you need to postpone it, forget it for a while, and then look at it with a "stranger's" gaze. This is the easiest way to find errors.
How to write a song? Melody or Lyrics: Which Should Come First?
Everything here is purely individual. But since learning to write music to a ready-made text is much more difficult for most than to put poetry on a melody, it is better to start with it. In addition, the mood of the piece will be immediately clear. And good music is quite inspiring. But in this matter, knowledge of musical notation is simply necessary. Therefore, if the writer is not strong in it, then it is better to combine your work with someone else's - ask the musician to create a melody.
How to write a hit song?
It always takes a lot of effort to create a real masterpiece. In order for the listeners to like the song, you need to put your soul into it, fill it with feeling and deep meaning. This works best with works written in the same breath. In addition, it is important to pay attention to stylistic and grammatical errors (they are terribly damaging to an outside person). To do this, you will have to re-read the text more than once.
Happy exceptions
But not for all people everything written above is true. At times, you can find real talent, from which the Muse does not leave a single step, and therefore it is enough for him to take a pen and paper and write poetry. And what! They sink deep into the soul of everyone who hears them. But such a gift is very rare.
