Copyrights and Songwriting

It’s a little-known fact that a work is copy written from the moment of its creation.  That song you wrote in the middle of the night on a notepad by your bed is yours.  You made it and you own it.  That’s not to say someone might try to take it from you, either on purpose or inadvertently.

There were and are many ways we were told in the past to protect copyright.  One was to mail a copy of the completed work to yourself.  If unopened, the work is protected and is your domain.  This was also said to work with email by emailing a copy of the finished (or work in progress) to your email address.  Supposedly, that shows you are the only one who could have been the author.

It’s much easer and more sensible to actually apply for copyright through the Office of Copyright.  Although many people don’t do this, it’s often because they don’t know how to go about it.  There is much help online and with a little research this process is relatively easy.

For a minimal fee, you fill out a form, mail it with your payment to the Office of Copyright, and receive a certificate of registration.  This means that no one can duplicate your work and call it his own.  Remember, titles cannot be copy written, so that issue is settled.

In the case of a song, if you submit a tune and words, the first nine bars of the music cannot be the same as another work of art.  If it is, it will be rejected as  possible copyright infringement.  This is often done inadvertently – a song you’ve known forever creeps into your head and you add it to your music without even realizing it.  Don’t worry, the Copyright Office will catch this error and send you a nice letter making you aware of the problem.  They ask that you change the music and resubmit.  

That’s all there is to it – easy!

Here’s the link for the Copyright Office:

http://www.copyright.gov/

HOW TO WRITE A SONG BRIDGE

There is no correct way to write a song bridge and some songs don’t even need one.  Defined as a path to travel from one place to another, the way to write a song bridge varies with the type of song you are writing, including content and story line. 

At times there needs to be a break in the melody and lyric line and a song bridge inserted gives not only interest but a nice way to segue way from the chorus to either another chorus or verse or some other combination of the song, creating interest and character.

Listen to a favorite song of yours and discern whether or not there is a song bridge included.  If you hear only verse, chorus, verse, chorus repeated, there is not a song bridge.  However, if you hear verse, chorus, verse, chorus and a different line and melody followed by another verse, chorus, or something of the sort, there is a song bridge.  What makes it interesting?  Does it work?  Does it please the ear?

Most songwriters become comfortable with creating a song bridge after they have written for a while.  The art of good songwriting comes with a lot of practice and exposure and if you are a beginning songwriter it is perfectly fine to omit a song bridge from your work.  When you are ready the muse will let you know.  Keep in mind whether or not you think the song will be monotonous without a break, whether or not you have a good chord structure that you can build on, whether or not it is easy to sing and if it creates a good segue way into the end of the song.  Keep your song “hook” in mind and include part of it in the song bridge if you can.  This will make a neat and tidy way to wrap up your song and will create one that people will find catchy and easy to remember. 

Rule Number 1:  Listen to lots of music – not just one genre, but many.  Every songwriter will approach the song bridge differently and you can learn much from listening and paying attention.  Good luck!

WRITE GOOD SONG LYRICS

Writing good lyrics to songs takes practice.  Even the seasoned songwriter sometimes has difficulty writing good lyrics if they suffer from occasional writer’s block.  It happens to every writer.   Here are a few tips to help you learn the habits of writing good lyrics:

• Subject matter is the key
• Pay attention to rhythm, cadence, subject and flow
• Keep your eyes open for catch phrases that might make a good hook for your song
• Playing an instrument may be a viable tool to help you on your path to writing good lyrics – it may be a good idea to take lessons on an instrument
• Listen to your favorite songwriters and get a feel for how they write
• Browse the Internet for song lyrics ideas
• Join writer’s groups and interact with other writers for support
• Develop a good “listening” ear and be critical of your own work
• Learn to take criticism constructively and use it to better your writing
• Don’t be afraid to move verses around to make the song better
• Develop a bridge in the song
• Read good books on the subject of songwriting

If you follow these steps, writing good lyrics to songs will become second nature to you.  If you are a singer/songwriter, perform your own material every chance you get.  Get a feel for whether or not the audience enjoys what you present.  Ask for feedback.  Don’t take criticism personally – use it to make your song good.  Enter your songs in various competitions and listen to the winning songs to get a good feel for what listeners want.  Above all, enjoy songwriting – it’s a creative outlet that can afford you a lot of enjoyment whether you do it as a hobby or for a career.