JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Songwriter Message Forum Why are there so many lyric-only folks?

Mag,
I actually agree with the 10-1 ratio, I don't find it offensive at all. I don't see a reason to have a war over who does more, making a song work is like making a marriage work, it takes both parties doing what they do best.

Everyone else, this is just my opinion, so don't take anything personally.

The fact is, I write, and write and write, and write. I can write a lyric in 15 minutes, it may still need work, but it'd get the point across and be able to pull on a melody. That part is true, but learning how to write correctly didn't happen over night. I've looked at lyrics, I've had some major errors, I've had some dumb-luck, good ones too. I've taken every bit of coaching I could drag out of folks I've come across. Overall though, I'm still learning. So, it's not as easy as some might imply, to write a solid lyric that will still be that way once it has music.

I think everyone has their niche (sp?) and for some, it may be picking up an instrument that makes music, for others, it may be picking up a different instrument that makes what our mind sees, visible to the world.

Honestly, I don't see a reason for this. If you write your own music, you write your own lyrics, great! Some of us don't/won't/can't, so if a composer would rather not work with those of us who don't play, that's fine, after all, there are composers who will, we peons can work with them (that's sarcasm guys, no need to get offended, lol)

I do agree that learning what a composer does, the time taken, the effort on their part, is important. I also agree that to have a full appreciation for the other party, you should at least put forth a solid effort to learn something useful. If I write 10 lyrics a day, I'm not going to get 10 full songs back the next from the composer I work with. Knowing what their end entails is helpful, to say the least. I do feel that if a composer feels they are doing most of the work, they shouldn't take on a cowrite with a lyricist, this only breeds friction, which I've encountered and posted on in another thread. So, if you as a musician, a composer, don't want to work with those of us who are handicapped, it's not a big deal, but why should it be a big deal that we don't play or learn to? And why is it lyricists being picked on? Not all artists can write their own material, some never even try, but they get all the public credit. No one scoffs at them, or the singers who don't play, but can write, or the players who don't sing, for that matter, why leave anyone out? It's a big musical web we're on, balance is best achieved when we all keep our places and do our parts, I think.

OK, babbling now, bye!