I've been a poet for years, but lately I've been trying to write my own song for my fiancee to sing. I was wondering if anyone had written a song before and if they had any tips for a newbie songwriter =3
Personally I've only written 1 song, but it's a parody of another with a few alterations, and I was hoping to write something original someday. Maybe once I get it written I'll be able to post her singing it ^.^

Since the topic of personally written songs wasn't anywhere I could see, I'll add some spoons for discussion, as I would be quite interested in hearing stories from other Menewshans who have written their own song lyrics.

Spoons/TLDR
How many songs have you written?
What kind of lyrics do you think would attract the current generation?
Does using a title similar to a well known song make it less original?
What would you consider to be the minimum duration for singing a song? 1 minute? 2 minutes? 3?
Do you prefer parodies? Autotunes? Or original music more?
What did you do to get your song(s) noticed?

Having written three lyrics and a rather obnoxious number of lead guitar lines (I'm strictly guitar/piano in the band I play for, I don't sing), I suppose I might as well put my input here.

In my opinion and experience, people seem to prefer lyrics that are personal but not intentionally ungodly obscure. I've noticed that obscure lyrics attract legions of people who forget to appreciate the music and the words in trying to pick apart the author's intentions and feelings. It's the feeling that what's sung is important to the author and the vocalist that attracts people, I think, and because of that just about anything can be a song. They don't have to rhyme or to have an oppressively obvious meter as long as they match the tempo of the music they accompany or their own rhythm, because every language has a specific meter to each word. That's why cross-language songs tend to need a change in tempo or score, for example ^^;

I don't think that using a title similar to a well-known song makes it less original, because a title is a reference to the song it names - it's as individual to the song as the tabs and rhythm. People who automatically make assumptions on song titles will definitely miss out on some gems along the way, trust me. The title should reference the song, not the other way around!

When considering the length of the music, it's important to remember that songs normally go in this order vocally:

Chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus.

There are, of course, variations on the theme and don't feel constrained to that order - you can easily transition from a verse to a second verse or double a chorus with a bridge.

I personally prefer original music, as I can't really stand autotunes - I like to hear the voice of a vocalist, thank you very much! Parodies take as much talent as original pieces, though, and should never be underestimated. I have considerable skill with original pieces but next to none with parodies =P

I play with a band and as a solo act so all I had to do was talk my band into playing some of my parts at one of our shows, or to play my own as a solo act (I play the blues as a solo act and metal with the rest of the band so I have to keep them separate ^^;)) You can also have them published in a weekly paper, or take it to a music teacher - I'm sure you know one and every musician who teaches has connections to someone somewhere who might be willing to give your piece a chance. Never, ever stop trying to get noticed. Eventually you'll break through to SOMEONE who'll give you a chance. ^^

I see... so similar title isn't bad, that's good to know =)

Alright, that basic song set-up will help. Though what's a bridge? o.o

Talking to a music teacher? Hmm... I don't know any =/

What's the name of your band? ^^

A bridge is an extended length of music that's added to a piece as a transition or to reset to a previous melodic line so that musicians can repeat choruses or verses ^^ Sometimes they're also added to add length or because the band plain and simple thinks it's badass =P

I play for Fallen Violet Skies, we're a little local band from where I live, and as a solo blues act. ^^;

You can talk to a music teacher at a high school, even, if you don't know any freelance musicians!

Ooh okay =)

*googles* Hmm not too well known yet? No website or videos that I could see

Alright, well if I need to I'll check with a music teacher ^^ but hopefully my fiancee will be able to sing them =D

xD No, we're little teeny tiny fish.

I'm an amateur composer and lyricist [been writing songs on and off for about four years now] who hasn't taken or studied music theory, so this advice may or may not be applicable to you or anyone else, but it's worked for me, so take it with a grain of salt if you do take it. I've written about...thirty to fourty songs, most just little seeds of musical ideas that never were allowed to bloom because they suck.

As far as lyrics that would attract the personal generation...honestly, anything. If you're looking to make nonsensical parody music a-la Insane Clown Posse or Wierd Al Yankovic or such, then it's all about being able to put your sense of humor into lyrics by use of clever puns. If you're looking at creating more 'heavy' metal music, then lyrics that deal with slaughter, war, demons, and the 'evil' side of man would often attract most of the crowds, as long as they're obscure enough to invoke thought and vague enough to cause arguments and controversy. That last part is the name of the game, for the most part, I find -- unless you're making pop music, then your lyrics shouldn't be so specific that the person listening goes 'Oh, I know that's got to be about Cambodia's involvement in the Vietnam war'. Part of what makes people [or at least, me] love songs is that feeling I get when I listen to a song a few times and suddenly get an inkling of what it's about, even though it's vague enough to be about something else, it's not vague enough to disprove my interpretation. Honestly, though, lyrics could be about anything, from history to literature references to personal experiences or struggles, as long as it's good it has the potential to be about damn near anything. See the song "Llama" by Phish.

As for a title being too similar to another, I don't think it's an issue. Undoubtedly you're going to have similar titles to anything, as there's probably already been a song with your title [unless you're one of those hipsters that write very long song titles.]

The minimum duration for singing a song? Nothing. No minimum nor maximum. I've heard excellent songs with barely any singing, or no singing and only speaking ["To Live is to Die" - Metallica] while some excellent songs have the singer warbling for twelve minutes or more ["Art of Life" - X Japan]. It all comes down to the musical aspect, and if the lyrics truly fit the song you're trying to create, and the theme you're trying to get across.

I personally prefer original music, really. My voice sounds only good -when- autotuned, but I care not, and I'll sing even if my singing voice is about as good as grinding gravel under a large, hollow, metal brick. There will always be someone who will like your singing voice, and people that hate it, so don't worry too much.

I did nothing to get my songs noticed, really. They're only for me, really, or really close friends to hear. I'm not interested in becoming a rockstar now that I've been glued to the path of becoming a novelist, and I have low enough esteem to not want to share my creations with the whole world. Can't help here, sorry.

@ Kymma - ^^ Well hope you get better known someday.

@ Sugiza - Okay, thanks for the clarity on what genre is generally about what... XD I generally ignore genre when listening to music :lol:

Hmm... with feedback so far it seems that original songs might be the best way

^^; Thanks. It's really just a side job =P But it's a lot of fun and that's why I do it.

^^ That's good. Cause it's fun is a good reason to do it. I've wanted to make poetry in a way that could actually get known, and songwriting seems the funnest route =3