The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #120476   Message #2621286
Posted By: Stringsinger
29-Apr-09 - 12:13 PM
Thread Name: Opinion on these songs
Subject: RE: Opinion on these songs
One of the things that would help you is to study poetry, particularly the formal kind.
Also, study the great lyrics of the past and find out why they work.

Here are some I hope helpful suggestions.
1. Avoid generalities. Try to be specific
with images as you would describe in a story.
2. Avoid preaching because it turns people off.
3. Don't think that you just sit down and write songs and have them come out well. Editing and improving them is part of the process (as you probably know since you have correctly asked for help).
4. Depart from the customary rhythms that you are used to because many of them are cliches from the pop field. A new rhythm can lead you down a different and more unique creative path.
5. You need to study singing to some degree.
You tend to be "pitchy" which means that your tunes are not as well-defined as they might be. Dylan may have done many a disservice by suggesting that you can growl your way through a song. Over the years, though, his voice has improved.
6. Keep working with your guitar technique and explore different areas such as flat-picking accompaniments and finger-picking. Getting locked into familiar patterns will make it difficult to jump out of cliches.

It's important that you keep trying to get better. Don't be satisfied with your output at this point (which is why you have asked for help) but study what makes a lyric exciting,
pulling the audience in, and listen to different kinds of lyrics and attempt to find the
common denominator that makes each type of lyric work.