Writing your own lyrics

Having your lyrics written

Music projects fail due to missing lyrics

Changes in existing lyrics

Beginning of lyrics

Rhymes and synonyms

News as source of inspiration

Purposefully choosing a subject

Collections of words and phrases

Collection of subjects as album material

Words or expressions as source of inspiration

Song example Barricades (Barricades) at Download My Music

Song example Pride of Creation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Words as base for song idea

Dictionary of phrases and expressions

Colloquial and rhyming dictionary

Song example Hell freezes over (Barricades) at Download My Music

Concrete idea as inspiration

Danger of crudeness

Avoid graphic descriptions

Song example Sunday (Limelight) at Download My Music

Upholding suspense

Song example Innocence (Barricades) at Download My Music

Love songs as supreme challenge

Overhearing conversations

Word collages without identifiable sense

Old poems as inspiration

Historical and religious material

Song example Business as usual (Barricades) at Download My Music

Typical song structure

Intro, verse, bridge, chorus, and solo

Changing rhyme scheme and content

Thematic change between bridge and verse

Suspense by small variations in chorus

Alternating statements and questions

Creating contrasts

Changing internal and external view

Song example Pride of Creation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Rhyme pattern abab and aabb

Rhyme pattern and changeability of lyrics

Breaking the rhyme pattern

Suspense and accentuation

Song example Pride of Creation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Words that rhyme and words that don’t

Number of rhymes per word

Unrhymed words at line’s end

Building rhymes

First and second line of rhymes

Forced rhymes

Identical line beginnings as anchors

Amplifying the lyrics’ statement

Breaking out of stiff rhyme structure

Creating contrasts

Keeping lyrics simple

Keeping stresses steadily simple

Context related lines

Chaos and creativity

Vocal pattern and rhyme pattern

Number of syllables per line

Flexibility in song structure

Inequality and stress

Making the number of syllables fit a line

Different stresses and syllable number

Adding words

Writing lyrics in a foreign language

Rhyming dictionary and colloquial dictionary

Dictionary and pronunciation

Expression test with google

Writing lyrics in English

Have it checked by a native speaker

Integrating lyrics into the song

Singing pickup notes

Bars as pauses

Song example Hell freezes over (Barricades) at Download My Music

Overlapping lyrics, second voice and backing chorus

Song example Pride of Creation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Using the echo

Song example Feel the Music (Barricades) at Download My Music

Interlacing backing chorus and main voice

Using repetitions

Accentuating lyric parts with the music

Song example Barricades (Barricades) at Download My Music

Using the backing chorus as a wall

Shifting the lyrics to the backing chorus

Contrasts of lyrics and music

Radical changes to lyric drafts

Leaving out of song parts

Integration into other songs

Song example Hell freezes over (Barricades) at Download My Music

Mutual inspiration between music and lyrics

Every person can sing

Courage vs loosing heart

Singing and holding the tone

Microphone and voice

microphone, stand, and cable

XLR standard

Suspension and subsonic noise

Significance of pop filters

Microphone pre-amps (Channel Strip)

Compressor and Limiter

Sequencer sound card

Trying different microphones to sing a song

Large diaphragm microphones

Dynamic and condenser microphones

Phantom power

Compressing before recording

Pumping the recording

Setting the threshold

Limiter during digital recording

Microphone technology and singing songs

Song example Captive of my Ming (Barricades) at Download My Music

Distance to the microphone and pop filter

Plosive sounds

Keeping the distance

Level and angle while singing

Microphone position

Microphone technology

Distance to the microphone

Large diaphragm microphone position

Subsonic noise filter on the microphone

Using the equalizer as subsonic noise filter

Using channel strips and filter

Microphone and voice

Song example Feel the Music (Barricades) at Download My Music

Microphone technology

Volume and distance to the microphone

Studio recording and live recording

Voice openness and distance

Song example Barricades (Barricades) at Download My Music

Song example Mountains (Barricades) at Download My Music

Whispering as singing technique

Distance to the microphone while whispering

Mysterious sound

Using the pop filter

Recording level

Flanger, Phase and Chorus

Song example Pride of Creation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Singing vowels

Crossfading vowels

Opening the mouth while singing

Unrelated usage of vowels

Song example Pride of Creation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Precise articulation while singing

Opening the mouth while singing

Text intelligibility and expression

Exaggeration

Song example Pride of Creation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Facial expression and lyrics content

Transferring the lyrics into the singing

Exaggerating while singing

Expression in the music

Authenticity and credibility

Significance of the voice while singing a song

Reading the text while singing

Standing freely with open posture

Free singing and authenticity

Home recording

Straight walls and parquet flooring

Irritating reflections

Solving reverb problems

Recording in the bedroom

Significance of headphones for singing

Leave one ear free while singing

Closed headphones

Sound emission from headphones

Singing comfortably with headphones

Setting up the locator

Singing the count-in

Voice fade-out

Avoiding home recording mistakes

Song example Pride of Creation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Recording auxiliary tracks

Auxiliary arrangement cuts (Sequencer)

Cardioid for vocals

Omnidirectional for spoken word and choir/chorus

Bidirectional and super cardioid

Distance from mouth to microphone while singing

Proximity effect

Change of voice bass rate

Voice timbre while singing

Song example Love of my Life (Sooner or Later) at Download My Music

Using of second and third voice

Drafting with piano or keyboard

Singing along to second voice

Singing partners

Diving into the music

Song example Barricades (Barricades) at Download My Music

Creating your own backing chorus

Singing in an interval to main voice

Singing in the car

Recording several vocal tracks

Home recording in stereo panorama

Filtering and grouping the backing chorus

Song example Developed Nation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Effects for choir

Song example Pride of Creation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Possibilities of song structure

Developing own ideas

Inspiration and song structure

Creating suspense and upholding it until the end

Song example Pride of Creation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Virtual instruments

MIDI drums

drumstracks and track doubling

Doubled tracks in stereo panorama

Rhythm drumsand lead drums

Vocals and backing chorus

Filtered whispering sound

Verses, chorus, bridge, and break

Song example Pride of Creation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Minimalist introduction with vocals and piano or keyboard

Convincing vocals

Good piano sound

Using light guitar

Using heavy guitarand chorus

Song example Pride of Creation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Combination guitarand vocals

Clean structure without overlay

Dramatic effects and harmony change

Use of chorus/choir and more guitars

Song example Pride of Creation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Chorus with bridge

Number of choruses

Chorus breaks away at important lyric passage

guitar, drums, and bassstop

Using little breaks

Song example Pride of Creation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Using several accompaniment guitars, backing chorus, solo guitars,, and solo vocals

Vocal range shift

Vocal pickup on dominant beats

Step-up during verse

Accentuating lyrics passages by vocals and backing chorus

Two solo guitars,

Transition to double chorus

Using compressor and equalizer

Double chorus and big break

Song example Pride of Creation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Break as song interruption

Using a guitar solo or piano solo

Interrupted contact to singer

Anchor as contact to the singer

Falling-apart of the song

Transition to final verse

Creating suspense with the verse

Interrupted verse

Song example Pride of Creation (Barricades) at Download My Music

Musical anchor and reminder

Slowdown and return

Guitar storm

Maximum chorus size

Final chorus changes

Sustaining suspense

Changes to main voice

Using the solo guitar

Repetition of central statement

Drum triplets as fadeout

Fadeout and despair

Connecting arpeggiator and virtual instrument

Setting octaves and note duration

Setting random function and playing a chord

Setting mixer

Starting arpeggiator and recording

Quantization and setting tempo

Setting random choice and playing a chord

Recording and making loops

Lengthening and shortening note duration

Setting note duration

Mechanical synthetic sound for techno and funk

Professional sound

Adjusting note durations for bass line

See sequencer tutorials

Lengthening and shortening note duration in Logic Pro

List editor and note editor

Hard sequencer line

See sequencer tutorials

Lengthening and shortening note duration in Cubase

List editor and note editor

Setting sixteenths

Consistent line

See sequencer tutorials

Recording Horns, brass section, trumpet

Suitable for funk,pop, and together with distorted guitar

Recording with one or two hands

Doubling tracks and transposing by octaves

Transposing tracks

Different sounds with various tracks

Final sound effects

Crescendo and pitch bender

Recording at reduced tempo

See sequencer tutorials

Set volume for pop and rock

Relation of arrangement parts

Staccato bass lines for house, dance, ambience, trance, or techno

Constant sound

Adjusting volume after recording

Limiting the attack dynamics

See sequencer tutorials

Set volume in Logic Pro

Choosing set dynamics values

Integrated sounds into the arrangement

See sequencer tutorials

Set volume in Cubase

List design

Set attack strength

See sequencer tutorials

Transposing

Saving time while recording

Transposing individual tracks in real time

See sequencer tutorials

Transposing

Saving time while recording

Transposing for all tracks individually

See sequencer tutorials

Quantization and transposition

Quantization as beginners help

Changing keys

Playing in time

Quantization piano or keyboard and drums

Correction of notes onto the beats

Accurate recordings for beginners

Quantization of MIDI, guitar, bass and vocals

Quantization of virtual instruments

Reducing tempo in sequencer

No recording of quantization

Changing quantization

Quantization of quarters, eighths, and sixteenths

Quantization of long and short notes

Swings and triplets with 24ths

Difficult recordings

Doubling the click

Correcting imprecisions

Quantization of piano or keyboard

Quantization of drums

Quantizing sixteenths with triplets

Audio quantization

Quantization of bass

Quantizing good tracks

Quantization of percussion

Song vitality

Slow recording

Synthetic sound

Before and after the beat

Playing drumson piano or keyboard

Recording drum tracks on keyboard

Bass drum and snare drum

Open and closed hi-hat

Various cymbal sounds (C,A)

Ride cymbal

Toms (C,A,F) and tom rolls

Basic beat on keyboard

Opening and closing hi-hat

Toms, tom pairs and tom rolls

Combining toms and snare drum

Loud and soft playing

Suitable for bridge or fill

Sequencer setting

Ride cymbal and ride basic beat

Variations and composition

Congas and Bongos

Played with both hands

Very prominent sound

Filtering congas and bongos

Quantization

High creativity

Cabasa and shaker (A and A sharp)

Dynamics and correction in the sequencer

Quantization

Inaccuracy as creative device

Percussion volume

Muted and unmuted triangle

G sharp and A

Quantization

Triangle volume

Triangle stereo arrangement

Muting in filter

Claps (D sharp)

Claps and snare

Tight and Loose

Quantization

Sample library

Chimes (B, C)

Slow transition between song parts

Song example Mountains (Barricades) at Download My Music

Sample library

Stereo panorama

Tambourine and snare

First stroke louder than next three

Changes in sequencer

Quantization

Drumsand Recording

Recording simultaneously or subsequently

Cymbal and hi-hat not together

Authentic sound, realistic combinations

Electronic drums

Grooves

Combination with claps

Sixteenths accentuated on 2

Using the sequencer

Composing your own grooves

Recording double strokes on piano or keyboard

Sequencer at 65 bpm

Feeling insecure when recording

Learning to play drums and quantization

Higher metronome resolution