Songwriter Questions - Questions of Interest to Songwriters.

Welcome to the Questions and Answers Section of ultimatesongwriting.com.

This is the place to ask any question that relates to songwriters. This includes themes like songwriting, lyric writing, recording, music software, record deals, publishing, music business and so on.

You can ask questions related to any area discussed on this web site.

Ask questions that fellow songwriters would be interested in and hopefully other visitors like yourself can respond to your question. I will also chip in whenever possible.

I hope we can have a family experience here; one where we all help each other. Please take the time to answer at least one question for each question you ask, all in a spirit of love.

Using the form below, fill out a detailed songwriter related question, and feel free to add a picture if you wish.

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Expressing bitterness in a lyric? 
I don't know if you've heard the song Sunday Paper performed by Jonalee White (available on YouTube). It's a country pop song, tempo 176 (Calaisa version)...

Play music or write it 
I have some lyrics I think are good, but I am not musically inclined and cannot play an instrument, is anyone out there willing to help me work out some ...

do you have to be able to play music to write it? 
I have always been a writer, as far back as i can remember, But I am not musically inclined, or at least i don't think i am. and yes I have tried Guitar,...

Which comes first: the music or the lyrics? 
This is most probably a very stupid question, but seeing as I don't know, I shall just have to ask.

What is the done thing? To first write the words ...

Songwriting Bits and pieces. 
I have never written a song before. I do play guitar and is working on a song to play to one of my friends who i like. She is a singer and a song writer ...

expert songwriters 
i writen a song with melody and lyrics but i don't know how to play any instrumens and i have poor siging abilty is there a place for me in the music ...

Ability to play instruments. 
To become a music artist or song writer, do have to know how to play at least one instrument?.

Three chord problem 
I've recently written a song which I can only find

three chords for. It's currently in the key of G, and

I'm only using chords C, D and G. Can someone ...

How does my husband get started? 
My name is Penny Harmon. I am trying very hard to get my husbands music sold to country singers. How do I make that happen? I have been racking my brain ...

how to turn poems into songs 
My question is. How do you set your poems to a melody. What if you can't read music at all. Let me know. Thanks.....Penny

Another Chord Problem 
Another day, another problem concerning the same song.

The problem here is regarding a chord change. I have

a word in the song namely 'multiply' which ...

Chord name 
Can someone tell me please which chord I am playing if

I play the basic D7 guitar shape but instead of the

F sharp on the E string I play an E note....

songwriter help  
I'm 13 and fined writing songs help me to get out my feelings I have inside. Sometimes I just can't translate this in to lyrics but I have all these tunes ...

Breaking the copyright law? 
I am writing a song about America and I included 3 lines from the Star Spangled Banner.

Is this illegal?

Two of the lines are in order as they are ...

lyrics no music 
where can I go to get someone to help me add music to my songs?

Recording a demo 
How does one know that a song is read to be recorded as a demo and what should one look for when choosing a demo serivce?

Help to write love song. 
i want to write song about love but i dont know how to start and i need a lot of help for the lyrics...... i dont know how to write a song but i want to ...

how to write a "rhymic" song? 
me and my friends are making a girl group together, but they want to make stuff more like pop and hip-hop and rap! and I'm a great song writer...well not ...

How to write a smooth R and B song 
Could anybody here please tell me how to write a smooth R and B song?

After the song then What? 
My daughter is 12 years old and has written 2 songs. She has not put the words to the music well yet, but the music is great!

Someone good with the ...

My Band 
Me and my friends are trying to form a band called "Aftermath," and i have been appointed pianist/songwriter. I have a few questions:

1.I want to write ...

writers block 
I feel totally uninspired and cant write at the moment what can i do ?

Recording 
We are recording a CD in a recommended studio. The people are very nice and accomodating. The problem is that when we get our CD in the car or home and ...

singing your own songs 
If you write the song from your own experience, should you let another singer's voice or should the writer of the song sing it

Writing Deeper Songs 
As I write songs, the meaning of it always fairly obvious what its about, but the songs I actually like to listen to are songs that have a somewhat deeper ...

Copyright 
If I post my lyric online on your site, does that make me vulnerable to someone stealing my lyrics? I have heard a lot of confusing information on exactly ...

Advice about getting songs heard. 
I'm a songwriter who is interested in getting my songs heard (as most songwriters...). I have recently spoken with an agency in Nashville that will pitch ...

Songwriting Help!? 
I've come up with what i think is an okay bridge and a chorus for a song i'm writing to play with my band. I just wanted know if its any good and also,...

How to write a rap song. 
Hi folks. I would like to know the basics to how to write a rap song. What kind of vocabulary should I use? Are there typical expressions I should integrate ...

Help with writing metal/alternate genre songs. 
Hey I was just wondering were there some tips and hints for writing lyrics to a metal/ emo song, because I'm having great difficulty writing songs. I write ...

Songwriting and Drugs 
Does anyone here think that doing drugs can help you write good songs? Especially if it's a party/dance song. I mean, when people are out at a party dancing ...

Brand name use in songs 
I am a songwriter, and I need to know if it is legally OK to use names of credit cards, vehicles, baseball teams, rock bands names, antidepressant pills,...

Pro Tool Software Translator for the Blind  Not rated yet
Is there any software out there that can translate the Pro Tool Software for the Visually Impared? I am trying to enroll in a Audio Programing College ...

What do you do as a songwriter?  Not rated yet
Im doing resarch for mu music course in school and part of it is to research songwriters and what your inolvement is when writing for an artist and generally ...

Percentages for songwriter and artist  Not rated yet
Hello,

I have a song that I wrote and also recorded all the music and vocals on this song. I now have a singer that feels he could do something with ...

Professional composers looking for lyrics for their song music  Not rated yet
Dear friends,
We are the composers union and looking for cooperation. Writing songs and scores for West and East European showbiz market. As usual we ...

Looking for somebody, who can write some inde/pop/rock lyrics... (for example like Coldplay, Radiohead, Snow Patrol...)  Not rated yet
Hi everyone... I'm playing guitar for more than 5 years, and at the moment working of own music project, called "Taste Of Freedom"... I want to made something ...

rights to a song  Not rated yet
I was in band and one of the songs i wrote with the drummer. I wrote the lyrics and melody and he played some riffs on the guitar. He is claiming it ...

Hope this is ok to ask here...  Not rated yet
Very impressive list of song writers you have compiled here. I dont really care much for this bands music but I like to think I can be objective just the ...

Hope this is ok to ask here...  Not rated yet
Very impressive list of song writers you have compiled here. I dont really care much for this bands music but I like to think I can be objective just the ...

Hope this is ok to ask here...  Not rated yet
Very impressive list of song writers you have compiled here. I dont really care much for this bands music but I like to think I can be objective just the ...

I am HORRIBLE at writing music, but good with lyrics.  Not rated yet
I could write lyrics till my hand falls off. I can never get enough of writing how I feel. I play guitar to these songs that I write but I can never write ...

How do I write songs?  Not rated yet
I can write a variety of poems, phrases, songs, etc.; but there's really no method to it. I've got all kinds of words, phrases, and ideas floating around ...

Confidence and Writing Songs  Not rated yet
When l write a song how sure am l that it is a great song when no one knows about it except me

can i use a melody from a pre existing song with my song lyrics?  Not rated yet
Can I use the musical(melody) from a song with my lyrics and call it a "parody" legally?? Weird al does this. Is this copyright infringement?

record deals  Not rated yet
Ive asked this question a million times and the best answer I got was it depends on several factors. Putting the chaces aside for a second, please sum ...

songwriter royalties  Not rated yet
I ve e-mailed some very successful songwriters who told me a top 10 country hit can intially be worth a million bucks to a writer, is this true? Also if ...

Help me....I'm ready to be a songwriter!  Not rated yet
I have a true love for music. I have been writing music for some time now. I just recently started to really getting serious with my writing. I'm ready ...

How to protect my work as a songwriter.  Not rated yet
hi my name johnathan and i been writing songs of a few weeks. my music teacher at the college think what i wrote is great and he say i soon make them and ...

Looking for a record deal. what to look for?  Not rated yet
what do i look for when i'm just on my own looking for a record deal

How to get from chorus/bridge to verse?  Not rated yet
I wrote what I think is a chorus followed by a bridge. What are some tips for finding the chords for a verse? I usually write verses and choruses and stay ...

Hi. :) Thanks for this songwriting web site,  Not rated yet
This site is amazing, thank you so much. I feel like I just found what I need to translate my poetry into songs.

It is scary working with so much emotion,...

Need help to sell lyrics  Not rated yet
I write lyrics but cant sing a note. I need help to sell the things I wrote. AndyL UK . Please contact me at lavellea@btinternet.com if u like any of ...

Geting Known (as a Songwriter)  Not rated yet
I'm 16 years old.I written songs for over 4 years now . And i 've approved really well. But there's one thimg, i can't sing! So i write songs for my ...

Publishing Lyrics   Not rated yet
I have written over 30 songs, as well as recorded them. But being that my producers ego tripped on each other and grew apart, my project fell by the waist ...

How to find inspiration for writing songs.  Not rated yet
How do you find an inspiration for songs? I am a total geek, but have no inspiration anymore...I wrote 22 songs. Only a few are good though...help!

Convert vocal music to written music  Not rated yet
Is there music software available that allows one to sing a tune into a microphone and have it saved to a musical staff which can be edited and expanded ...

How to sell my lyrics (as a songwriter)  Not rated yet
i want to sell my lyrics,how can i go about that?

How to become a singer in Germany  Not rated yet
Okay, maybe it's a question everyone asks but.. I'm from Germany. And I heard in America are lots of contests. And I'm trying to make own songs with my ...

just getting started as a songwriter  Not rated yet
im just getting started as a songwriter, i have great ideas and concepts, i was a artist/songwriter on a hiphop label since i was fifteen, im now thirty,...

Contacts  Not rated yet
I'm not much of a singer but I have been told I am quite talented writing music and lyrics.

I was wondering who I would have to get in touch with if ...

Collaboration  Not rated yet
Hello everybody,
Once I typed "Collaboration" to the Google and I'm here...
My question: I'm srong in music but not in lyrics so I need collaborator....

How to write a country song,  Not rated yet
Can you please teach me how to write a country song? Does anyone have tips that could help me write a country song? Thanks so much for your help.

Making music to match  Not rated yet
Do you have any free download softwares or advice on giving music to the lyrics that match how your voice is pitched

copyright  Not rated yet
After registering my songs with the copyright office in my country,then somebody else where outside my country use or samples it without checking me first ...

Getting Started  Not rated yet
If the song has been written and music added, how do I get it to various Gospel Groups to consider for recording or performance?

My band broke up. As the songwriter, what are my rights? They want to move forward using my music without me... Is this legal?  Not rated yet
My band broke up recently and they wish to move forward without me. I've written all of the music that they wish to play live, as well as sell. What are ...

Looking to form a band located in New Jersey  Not rated yet
Looking to start up a real band for playing live shows. I have been on a creative streak musically, writing some of my best work to date. Real classic ...

Songwriter Help?  Not rated yet
Hello,

I'm a relatively new song writer and am having a few difficulties "taking off". First off some background info. I've been taking piano lessons ...

Songwriter Clauses  Not rated yet
how will i deal with a songwriter who has written work with my client but who is registered with another publisher

Good ideas, bad lyrics  Not rated yet
I always have these great ideas for songs but when I try to write lyrics to it or give the idea a story, I always end up blank. Nothing seems to fit exactly ...

What can i do? (Questions from 16 year old singer.)  Not rated yet
I'm 16 years old i have been singing since i was 6 everybody tells me i have a great voice. I'm not shy to sing in front of people if you ask me then ...

Selling Songs  Not rated yet
Selling Songs

I'm a song writer of many genres and I would like to be able to sell my lyrics to different singers.
All of my songs already have ...

I wrote a song. What do I do with it now?  Not rated yet
Little background, I wrote a song after my boyfriend broke up with me, and I like to think it's really meaningful. I played it for a few of my friends ...

How to sell a song to a specific artist  Not rated yet
How do I sell a song to a specific artist?

lyrics for music not composed by you  Not rated yet
I have been inspired to write lyrics for a solo-piano professional's music from listening to the CD without lyrics. I'm wondering what is protocol for ...

what is the right age?  Not rated yet
hi!
i am 12.
and i love to sing/song write
and i wanted to know,
when is the right age to get into the business
because i don't want people to look ...

About Ideas  Not rated yet
Would it be possible for someone to give me a song writing idea such as a story or situation?

Licensing Deals  Not rated yet
I have a series of questions that I would like to have answered and if you could take some time out to answer them this would help me deeply in where I'...

Song about Dead Civil Rights Leader  Not rated yet
IF I WROTE A SONG ABOUT A DEAD CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER LEGALLY WOULD I NEED THEIR FAMILIES PERMISSION OR IF I WROTE A SONG ABOUT ANY ONE DEAD WOULD I NEED ...

songwriting originality?  Not rated yet
okay really now, i have heard bookoos of songs about loooove gone wrong and suicidal tendencies and hopelessness, etc, they are all starting to sound the ...

song writing and lyric writing diferent or similar?  Not rated yet
Are song writing and lyric writing diferent?
I always thought that writing a song involved knowing how to read and write sheet music where writing lyrics ...

How to get lyrics translated?  Not rated yet
Hi

Is there somekind of organization or something who is making business with translating songs?

I write my texts to finnish and I would be inrested ...

How do you make your songs popular?  Not rated yet
How do you make your songs become known? Just like the guy who wrote Delilah. I love writing. I am 14 and I have been writing since I was 5 and I play ...

Non-sense lyrics  Not rated yet
I'm a big fan of rock music and jam bands. some of my favorite bands are led zeppelin, jimi hendrix, the allman brothers, and phish. my question is this,...

About uniqueness in lyrics?  Not rated yet
Uniqueness that means different or other way. i want to find uniqueness for my lyrics. what if i write something different, something that makes readers ...

Software like band in the box geared towards pop, r&b, garage house sound.  Not rated yet
Im a singer song writer looking for some software. i found something called 'band in a box' which is exactly what im looking for but it seems it may have ...