Questions tagged [lyrics]
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses.
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How can you make sure you remember the melody for any lyrics you write?
How can you make sure you remember the melody for any lyrics you write? I am not even sure if it's possible, because I don't know any notation system for lyrics that allows you to write down the ...
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3answers
159 views
Come to think of it, who did put the bop in the bop shoo bop shoo bop?
There have been "la la la"s and nonsense lyrics in music since ... well, since a long time back. Why, who could forget that sixteenth-century classic "Nos Galan"? And Nigunim have ...
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1answer
50 views
Lilypond: how to align lyrics vertically if the melody is split into variables?
In Lilypond, I'd like to split a melody into variables in order to easily see which syllables belong to which notes. Unfortunately, I am doing it in a way that seems to mess up the vertical alignment ...
2
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1answer
74 views
What's the term for the duplication of a note, when a singer has to repeat a verse but it's a syllable longer?
This is something I mostly associate with nursery rhymes and songs that use a specific melody repeated over and over.
An example, from a version of London Bridge Is Falling Down:
Build it up with ...
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4answers
171 views
Does a chord progression happen before the lyrics? [closed]
This is just an example from Alphaville - Forever Young:
C G
Forever Young
&...
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1answer
71 views
(Dis)aligning lyrics to a melody with LilyPond
I am trying to write a score for piano and voice. The piano actually has staves associated with it, but because the melody is already common and known by the intended audience, there is no staff for ...
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1answer
50 views
How would you arrange the lyrics to this sheet music for Amazing Grace?
I'm practicing a simplified version of Amazing Grace from Charles Segal's book Instant Piano Keyboard. I've included a picture of the sheet music below. I would like to sing along as I play this song, ...
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1answer
41 views
What would this song section be called?
I'm new to genius transcribing and I'm unsure of the song sections. In the image below I don't know what these parts with the red dots are called. Above first red dot is verse 1 and nothing else.
...
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2answers
830 views
How to understand the meter and pulse of lyrics in songwriting?
I've been learning many different concepts as a beginning songwriter and have been working on applying them in my work. However, I can't seem to full understand how to control lyric meter and lyric ...
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2answers
58 views
What is it called when there is a lyrical transition to the chorus/hook?
There are many songs that do this, the latest one I've identified is:
A$AP Mob - Yamborghini High (Official Music Video) ft. Juicy J (youtube,genius)
Specifically this line here:
She make no ...
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3answers
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Is there a standard way of singing over ii-V-I in jazz?
I am new to music theory especially jazz and blues. I have since learned about writing lyrics or singing over a traditional 12 bar blues progression using AAB form, thus repeating the first line (A) ...
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0answers
227 views
Difference between Indian and English lyricism besides language?
Suppose we sing or rap about dark themes (depression, alcohol, drugs, violence, sex) similar to modern American music from 1970-present day in Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, or Malayalam over Indian classical-...
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Efforts and examples of modernizing Indian lyrics and music?
English lyrics can express anything using ācommon languageā (words you hear in everyday conversation) whether itās love, politics, poverty, violence, or the end of times. English lyrics are direct, ...
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3answers
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What is it called when a group of vocalists or chorus sing Ooh's oh's, ah's, etc?
I heard my chorus director refer to it as something sounding like dest cant or something, but since I'm hard-of-hearing, I couldn't hear all the letters.
If someone can give me the correct name for ...
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2answers
206 views
effective prosody in lyric-writing [closed]
In this post, this post, and my own post in the writing stack exchange, it is clear that stresses in words should be aligned with the strong beats of the music. Apparently these occur on odd beats, ...
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1answer
70 views
Scansion. Vocabulary
So I'm trying to get into poetry and using scansion to understand I guess the rhythm. MY question is what do you call it when you have a line with different stresses and unstressed syllables?
For ...
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3answers
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When did the anonymous “you” become popular in western pop music?
This question might sound a bit facetious but I have been wondering for a long time. Many western pop songs are addressed to an anonymous "you". Presumably the song writer wants to write a song that ...
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2answers
255 views
Are there fewer rhymes in contemporary popular music? If so, why?
Vsauce mentions a study by Joan Serra showed contemporary pop music is less complex in its musical motives than it was, which he explains by a wider diversity in form and genres.
While complexity of ...
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3answers
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I can't produce songs [closed]
I'm a guitarist, playing with 3-4 bands 4-5 days a week. I also study Sound Engineering and doing recording, arranging and mixing. My literature is not bad, and I have a good music education. ...
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1answer
270 views
How should I write out the word “Choir” to be sung in two syllables?
The word "choir" is pronounced /ĖkwÄ«(É)r/, but if I divide the syllables they are cho and ir.
So I imagine that if it's to be sung on two notes my choices are:
..
I think [based on this post}(https:...
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1answer
63 views
Lilypond: How to use repeat bars in markup lyrics
I am using \markup after the score for several verses of lyrics, so roughly
\score { ... }
\markup {
\column {
\line { ... }
...
}
}
How can I typeset repeat marks for a piece of ...
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3answers
642 views
How to write lyrics over multiple notes
When one wants to write a piece in which a 1 syllable word is split between multiple notes, how is this shown? Or a multiple syllable word over the same number of notes? A visual representation/...
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1answer
400 views
If I just change the lyrics and flow (very slightly) of a song is it called a cover or a remix?
Is it referred as to something else? Like my version of a song or tribute.
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2answers
3k views
Turning lyrics into melody
Ive currently been having great difficulty turning my lyrics and poems into a melody. i've considered aligning the accented syllables as well as the meter with accented beats but am still having ...
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0answers
68 views
Is there a term for when lyrics are integrated with words from a sampled beat?
Is there a term for when the lyrics of a song are integrated with words from a sampled beat? I see this particularly in hip-hop. For example, the hook from Game's "Dreams" has lyrics:
Lettin' the ink ...
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2answers
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Techniques to facilitate the process of marking which words are stressed/accented by beat
I'd like to provide context first:
I'm currently pursuing a thesis project that uses a stylistic approach to rap music. I want to be able to prove that dividing rap bars by the (usually) four beats ...
3
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2answers
113 views
Can lyrics be added interleaved with notation in lilypond
When writing vocal music in lilypond, I find it easier to find my place when there are lyrics in near proximity to the notes, so I've been using linebreaks and comments to achieve this so far:
\...
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2answers
426 views
Lilypond ā how can I write lyrics to rests in multiple stanzas?
could someone help me with my problem, please?
I have got this Lilypond 2.18.2 code:
\version "2.18.2"
\language "deutsch"
global = {
\time 4/4
\set Timing.beamExceptions = #'()
\set Timing....
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3answers
559 views
Engraving rules for lyrics (Word “didn't”)
What is the correct way to notate the word "didn't" if the "di" part correspond to one note and the "dn't" part correspond to another? Being a non-native English speaker I feel like I should write "di-...
2
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1answer
231 views
How can I make Lilypond start lyrics on the very first note?
With Lilypond, I'm trying to notate a song with lyrics - this song has lyrics sung from the very first note of the piece. But Lilypond always shifts the words over one note each (see image). I can't ...
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1answer
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Beams in classical vocal music
I had a look at different operas and songs with piano accompaniment. I noticed that one often does not connect beams that one usually would in instrumental music (such as four sixteenth notes in 4/4), ...
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2answers
338 views
Writer's block: how do you know when lyrics are “ready”?
After a writer's block of at least ten years, this guitarist is "ready" to move on with writing and recording the songs that lurk inside me.
My initial approach is diving back into my folders of ...
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1answer
134 views
Is there a name for when a line is too long for the metre?
In some songs, a line in one verse will be a syllable longer than the matching line in other verses, and this will be resolved by adding an extra note to the start or end of that line of melody (in ...
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1answer
1k views
Should a lyrics extension line (underscore) be used on tied notes?
I get that extension lines (undercores) are used where one syllable at the end of a word extends over multiple notes. But is this also true when the notes are tied together?
In other words: Is one of ...
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1answer
142 views
What are some common ways for songwriters and lyricists to find each other online?
Let's say I'm pretty comfortable at composing but bad at writing lyrics (or vice versa). What are the best ways for me to connect with a proficient lyricist online? Are there any "songwriter expertise ...
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1answer
155 views
How do you notate vocables?
Is it the same way as notating regular lyrics? Some of the vocables I would like to use are "ah" and "ooh".
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5answers
356 views
A seriously difficult question about mistakes and intepretation of music
I just came up with a question that I've never seen asked or talked about. It maybe obvious to everyone else in the world but I realized I simply can't answer it except with the non-answer.
This is ...
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6answers
261 views
Presenting lyrics for two singers
Myself and another singer will be performing a song together. Some parts I sing, some parts she sings, and some we sing together. But when it's time to perform we get confused as to who sings what. ...
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3answers
207 views
Little 'aside' in a vocal
What is the proper term for an 'aside' in music (mostly in vocals, but sometimes the score)? Many times these 'asides' MAY not be actually noted in the lyrics.
Two examples:
In Taylor Swifts 'Shake ...
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3answers
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Rhythm notation for lyrics?
Are there any good notations for rhythm in song lyrics? Usually when I'm writing lyrics with pen and paper, I underline emphasis, which works for rap, but probably misses a lot of nuance for sung ...
3
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1answer
182 views
Question about terminology for a music sheet
I have developed an application for musicians that produces this output and I am not sure if we are using the correct terminology.
We currently use Chords and lyrics sheet but I think this is not the ...
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2answers
1k views
What notation systems exist for indicating rhymes, alliteration and cadence in rap lyrics?
The only example I've seen so far is The Rapper's Flow Encyclopedia, which uses standard musical notation with phrasing to indicate cadence, and lyric capitalization to indicate (but not group) rhymes....
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4answers
824 views
Lyric writing - books or essays?
Musical friends, I'm a competent writer of all forms of prose, dialouge, screenplays, and so on. But I have a secret desire ... I've always wanted to be able to write songs, that is to say song ...
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1answer
5k views
Singing the words to one song along with the music for another - what is this called?
Years ago I was setting out chairs during a pre-show rehearsal and since it was before everyone was due (rehearsal was scheduled to start in about five to ten minutes), folks were just playing around ...
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3answers
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Replacing words in the vocals of a recorded song
I am a middle school teacher and we are trying to play the song Roar by Katy Perry at our pretest pep rally. I was wondering if there is any way I can edit the song lyrics to say lion instead of tiger,...
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2answers
532 views
How does one remember epic song lyrics?
I would just like to know how one would go about memorizing long song lyrics. 10 minute + epics for example.
More specifically something like this: (Crystallised)
http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/...
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1answer
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What's the term for speaking fast in a verse
Question: Is there any term for the singing style of saying a lot of words very fast in a verse, as if you tried to squeeze what are clearly too many words in that verse?
Is it just called rapping?
...
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3answers
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Stress in music
I am currently reading up on songwriting and am confused by the idea of stress in music. I understand it will be necessary to match the lyrics word stress with the music beat stress but dont know how ...
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9answers
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Is writing lyrics similar to writing poetry?
I'm having trouble writing my first lyrics for a song. I think the main point I'm having difficulty with is how a lyric sentence is written? I know it's not written like a novel but similar to a poem ...
