As a songwriter, I tend to listen to songs differently, and
I noticed something. In almost any genre, the best songs, are the ones that
have a theme, or a message. They tend to describe either a place, a person, or
a situation, and ease you into the world form which the song is coming from.
Story telling is an ancient talent for us humans, I would
find it difficult to find a culture which doesn't have stories. Some cultures
may even have different renditions of the same story or myth.
In the past few years I learned something interesting about song writing, I learned that with practice, I can control it, and this goes for any creative talent. I also learned that I can focus my songwriting to particular ideas. In the past, I would only write when the “muse” was kind enough to smile upon me, but now I learned that I can actually summon up the muse when, or if, I need it.
In the past few years I learned something interesting about song writing, I learned that with practice, I can control it, and this goes for any creative talent. I also learned that I can focus my songwriting to particular ideas. In the past, I would only write when the “muse” was kind enough to smile upon me, but now I learned that I can actually summon up the muse when, or if, I need it.
Believe it or not, research helps me. If I want to write
about a particular topic, I would actually research that topic, look into
different cultures, look up words in a thesaurus, and all this helps. But at
the end, I would have to focus on “what is the message I want to tell?”
Think about it this way, if someone comes up to you and starts
a conversation, do you want them to just be randomly saying words, and
repeating things? Or do you want them to actually say something?
One of my favorite song writers is Sting, he is a great example of a fantastic story teller. He is known for writing pages and pages of material just to come up with the right song. Another great artists are Bono & The Edge of U2, Bono tends to have more of an ethereal way of writing, I tend to be more like him. He finds a phrase that he likes and would try it in different songs, to see where it would fit and makes sense. I tend to get inspired by words, the way a word sounds, and especially if it has several meanings, that makes it even better.
I do believe that songs are stories as well, if you don’t
believe me pick up a Concept Album by an artist you like or curious about, and
you will see what I mean. With songs,
the story is not only told by the lyrics, but also by the music, the mood you
choose could either enhance or hinder the story your telling.
Think of it this way, if your watching a horror film, you don’t want the background to be a happy-go-lucky soundtrack, it would take away from the experience. Same thing with songs, the music has to fit the lyrics, and with that you can tell a compelling story of your heart’s desire.
I hope you've enjoyed the post.
Shukran, Thank You & Much Love.
Mosno Al-Moseeki
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Instagram: @mosno_music
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You can also listen to the entire concept album "NOVELLA: A Love Letter To Culture Clash" for free at my site: www.mosno.net