Creative Fire Ministries

Writing Songs For Others To Singby Rob Packer

Some excellent pointers to writing good songs which other people want to sing

The Lord is wanting to us to be his prophetic people, and as minstrels and singers to write songs which will capture what is on his heart and enable his people to declare those things in the power of His Holy Spirit.

 

The songwriter can write songs which have:

 

- an Evangelistic ministry

- a Pastoral ministry

- a Teaching ministry

- a Prophetic ministry

 

A song is a vehicle for people to express themselves through. The better the song, the more powerful the expression under the anointing of the Holy Spirit! 

 

An effective song is one where an idea, thought, message is effectively communicated.

The Message is that which is communicated by the sum of the following:

 

Theme / Lyrics

Melody

Harmony

Rhythm

 

ALL THE ELEMENTS MUST WORK TOGETHER.

 

Where does a song come from? Is it true to say that "The Lord gave it to me"? What do we mean when we say that?

 

The Lord often gives us the 'seed of inspiration' for a song. The 3 areas that will determine the limits of a song's effectiveness are:

 

1) The Development of our own Creative Processes

- our ability to use words, ideas, imagery

- our insights and understanding

 

2) The Development of our Musicianship

- Our understanding of chords, harmonies etc.

 

3) Our Willingness to spend time Perfecting the Song

- Songs will need refining, re-working and experimentation to find the best    melodies, chords, words, phrases to express what we want to say.

 

When writing songs for others to sing, especially in a congregational situation, we will need to have the following ingredients in our songs:

 

 

 SONG INGREDIENTS

 

Identification

• People must be able to identify with the message of the song.

• The song must be a vehicle for them to say what they want, or need, to say to God,   themselves, or each other.

 

Inspiration

• The song must arouse passion and stir something within them. There should be some emotional response elicited as a result of singing it.

• We should generate Faith, Hope, Love in our songs - NOT depression and despair! If you're feeling depressed, don't write a song!

 

LYRICAL CONTENT

 

Conversational

• You should be able to speak them just as easily as you can sing them.

• The emphasis, when singing words, should come on exactly the same syllables as   when they are spoken.ie.

Spoken = "I will declare your praise among the nations"

Not Sung   = "I will declare your praise among the nations"

• Don't invert the natural word order ie."As you, my Lord, my heart do stir, and to the   altar draw me".    

• Don't have too many words crammed into a short space - it will be harder to sing.

• Should be easy to sing, easy to hear, easy to understand.

 

Have Consistence in 'Word Sense'

• If the lyrics are expressing a 'corporate' sense by using the words 'we', 'us' etc, don't suddenly switch to the use of 'me', 'I', etc

• If you are referring to the Lord as 'He', 'Him' etc. don't suddenly switch to using 'You'. Keep the word sense consistent.

 

Rhyme Pattern

• Words that rhyme may produce a better flow in the song. However, don’t sacrifice lyrical integrity just to get a word to rhyme.

 

Have a 'Concise' Message or Theme

• A sharp focus. Can what you are saying be summed up in one line? 

• Don't have the song expressing too many different thoughts. People find it easier to   express themselves fully in a song when it enables them to communicate one main   thought or statement.

• Often the chorus of a song will embody the main statement of the song.

 

Understandable

• Try not to use jargon, words that people do not really understand. (Lift up your heads O you gates, be lifted up you everlasting doors)

• The lyrics should not be so vague that the people are not quite sure what they are   saying when they sing the song.

• Try to find fresh ways, and fresh imagery to say things. (When the music fades)

• Avoid worn out cliches!

 

Scripturally accurate

• They must be doctrinally sound. People must be singing Truth. Never sacrifice lyrical integrity just to fill in a line that you haven't been able to 'get right'.

e.g "It's a fine line between love and hate, sometimes it's hard to tell the two apart".

"And when you're called to stand and say just what you saw in me, more than anything I know I want those words to be, you had your Father's eyes...."

 

Have a 'Hook' in them

• There should be a lyrical phrase that really catches your attention, and may be      repeated in the song. 

( Everyday, I am aware, My redeemer lives, Open the eyes of my heart, Give Thanks,)

 

Use Repetition

• Repetition certainly adds emphasis. It helps establish a 'main thought'. It is often used in creating a 'lyrical hook'. 

(My Redeemer lives, I will exalt Your Name, Yes Lord, I will stand)

 

 

MUSICAL CONTENT

 

Repetition & Hook

• The repetition of musical phrases can generate a musical 'hook' which grabs people's attention. It is often the first part of a song to go round and round in your mind.

(I am aware, Everyday, Did you feel the mountains tremble, Standing on the mountain top, All Honour, I will magnify You, Give Thanks, Isn't He beautiful)

 

Melody married to Lyrics

• The melody line should give the same emphasis to the words as would be given to   them if they were spoken.

• Where possible, the melodic line should rise on the words and syllables that are     given extra emphasis when spoken.

(Awesome in this place, Open the eyes of my heart, Your love O Lord, To Him who sits on the Throne, I extol You,  Father in Heaven, I shall arise, Father father)

• The melody line and musical arrangement of the song should generate the same    'feel' or 'mood' that the lyrics do.

eg. If the lyrics are softer in feel, then don't have a driving musical backing to the song. 

If the lyrics are talking about 'peace', for example, then a melodic line that is too busy will work against the peaceful mood generated by the lyrics.

 

Appropriate Melodic Range

• For a song with dramatic lyrics - a range of over 1 octave can be effective.

      eg. Danny Boy, All Glory, Power of your Love

• For a restful, worshipful song  - a range of less than 1 octave is often better.

eg. Jesus I’m falling at Your feet, Father Father, Jehovah-Jireh, O Lord you're beautiful

• The longer the song, the larger the range of notes needed to maintain the interest   level of the song.

With all these criteria to keep in mind, don't be discouraged and give up! Song-writing is a craft, and like any other craft it will take time to develop. Write plenty of songs and be prepared to discard 80% of them! The more you write, if you keep your eyes and ears open for these qualities, the more you will improve the effectiveness of your songs.

 

Be prepared to re-work both the lyrical and the musical content of your songs!

 

Have heaps of fun!!

© Creative Fire Ministries 2008