May 29, 2010, 12:11 PM
Is there some kind of official lyric sheets that you present to publishers ,artists ,composers….etc…????????
official lyric sheets
May 30, 2010, 08:43 AM
Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) has a Portsmouth, Ohio chapter, headed by Russ Pruitt. He cited the format they recommend and I think I posted it here once. I’ll see if I can find it.
Basically, off the top of my head;
Label all pieces of what you submit with your name and other contact data, phone, email, address. That’s the CD, the jewel case, any inserts, lyric sheets and letters. These things may get separated by busy publishers and artists and the labeling will enable them to put it all back together, hopefully, so they can get back in touch to tell you the good news.
The lyric sheet should have the title of the song, the copyright date, and the author:
“Over The River Tonight” © 1979 by Gary E. Andrews
Label the verses, Verse 1, Verse 2.
Label the chorus, Chorus. If you set a segment apart from the verse or chorus as a pre-chorus, label it, Pre-Chorus.
You don’t need to reprint the chorus. Simply note, Repeat Chorus. If the chorus is different each time, you DO need to reprint it.
Indent the chorus. Some recommend using italics in the chorus. I don’t. I think the whole stanza in italics is aggravating to read.
If there’s a bridge, label it, Bridge.
If there’s a ‘tag’ at the end, a little piece that isn’t a full verse or chorus or bridge, you can label it as Tag, or the proper musical term for a final passage, Coda.
There will always be another song to be written. Someone will write it. Why not you? http://www.garyeandrews.com
May 30, 2010, 09:28 AM
Hi Gary…I knew you would give me some information,,,but now I am confused ..
A friend sent me this article which defies everything I heard or read
See if it makes sence to you?
Thank You Gary
May 31, 2010, 10:13 AM
I might agree with the article on not labeling Verse, Chorus, etcetera. On this site I’m sometimes confused by unlabeled stanzas because the content doesn’t clearly identify it. Sometimes writers have many verses and then a chorus, identifiable as a chorus because it contains the title. Or they have what they intend as a chorus but that doesn’t contain the title. And they have pre-chorus stanzas that are spaced away from either the verse or the chorus. And sometimes they have 4 lines in the first stanza, 5 in the second, and 8 in the chorus, then 8 in another stanza and then three in another segment.
The article is about 9 pages. I recommend going through it, taking notes, and then setting up some of your lyrics in the format it suggests. See what looks good to you, makes sense to you, and it will probably do just fine.
Oh, I think I agree on reprinting the chorus, as opposed to simply noting ‘Repeat Chorus.’ On songwriting sites I like reading the continuity of a lyric given that way, as opposed to having to jump back up to get a chorus repeat, then back down to find where I left off to go to the 3rd verse or bridge, then back up for the final chorus. And it’s a good guage of whether a song is too long. You should sing through any lyric to see how long it takes to execute, and, if it’s more than 3:30, you probably need to edit down.
I’d say take all advice and condense it down to your own notes, and then see what the finished product actually looks like. If you omit something recommended, you should have a good reason for it.
There will always be another song to be written. Someone will write it. Why not you? http://www.garyeandrews.com
Apr 02, 2011, 03:33 AM
Never send lyrics without a demo, otherwise you are wasting your time apart from that Gary’s advice is spot on.
Keep intros short and be politie in your letter .
