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Help w/ Poetry/Songwriting

lastgoodbyelastgoodbye Posts: 35
edited August 2005 in Poetry, Prose, Music & Art
Hello,
I am an acoustic guitar player whose guitar experience has come from the cover songs that I have been playing for the past five years. I recently started playing at open mic nights in my area where I found some very talented singer/songwriters that write and sing originals, rarely a cover song...

I am tired of playing other people's songs at open mic nights and would like to try my hand at writing. I haven't written poetry since I was in school, and the poetry that I did put on paper was very trite.

I listen to a lot of music from delta blues, folk, classic rock, to pearl jam. I think I know what makes a good song or what conveys the message the songwriter is going for, but I don't really know where to start or how to go about doing it myself.

Should I buy a book of poetry and learn how to write poetry first? Should I just sit down and write whatever comes to mind? (haven't had any luck w/ this one so far).

I enjoy reading the poetry from all of you on here whom are very talented artists and I would appreciate and respect your advice. Thanks.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • pearlzepfanpearlzepfan Posts: 456
    Just pic a song from a style you like and re-write the lyrics to your own. Then you can start making your own melodies and things.

    Or just listen to Woody Guthries Dust Bowl Ballads
    "I'm a thief, and I dig it"
  • FinsburyParkCarrotsFinsburyParkCarrots Posts: 12,223
    Have something to say, then see how other people have said their thing, steal their way of saying it and rephrase what you had to say. :)
  • DigMeOutDigMeOut Posts: 29
    just write, it'll probably suck at first, and it'll eventually get better, you'll find your voice. I bet you blew when you first started playing guitar, am i right?
    8-23-00, 8-24-00, 8-25-00, 11/14/02(letterman), 4-30-03, 6-6-03, 7-6-03, 7-8-03, 7-9-03, 7-12-03, 7-14-03, 9-28-04, 9-29-04. 10-1-04, 3-18-05 (northwest school), 9-2-05, 9-4-05, 9-15-05, 9-16-05, 9-30-05, 10-1-05
  • movingfingermovingfinger Posts: 117
    i suggest trying an automatic style. Sit down and write straight for 5-10 minutes, dont think about what you are writing and dont pause, if you do pause start a new sequence. This stream of conciousness writting probably wont be good or structured at all (especially at first) but afterwards you can go back and look and pick out thoughts or imagery. It'll give you some building blocks to work with as you should 2-3 pages of writing when you are done.
    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
    The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
    Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
    Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
    Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it

    -- Omar Khayyam
  • lastgoodbyelastgoodbye Posts: 35
    DigMeOut wrote:
    just write, it'll probably suck at first, and it'll eventually get better, you'll find your voice. I bet you blew when you first started playing guitar, am i right?

    Yeah, you are exactly right.
  • lastgoodbyelastgoodbye Posts: 35
    movingfinger wrote:
    i suggest trying an automatic style. Sit down and write straight for 5-10 minutes, dont think about what you are writing and dont pause, if you do pause start a new sequence. This stream of conciousness writting probably wont be good or structured at all (especially at first) but afterwards you can go back and look and pick out thoughts or imagery. It'll give you some building blocks to work with as you should 2-3 pages of writing when you are done.

    Thank you. I will give this a shot. But as far as the structure of a verse or poem I don't know that it will help me. This would be great to gather material though. Thanks.
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