So... I've been thinking about the way I go about writing vocal parts for my band and I've come to the conclusion that it's pretty half-assed when compared with how we treat writing for the instruments. Basically, we'll have one part of a song that's easier than the others to play and that's where the vocals will be. Then we scribble some very dry lyrics about everyday life experiences that sometimes come out jokey and growl them over the music in whatever rhythm we feel like growling in.
I want to take greater care with vocal and lyric writing in the future so that it's more integrated into the compositional process that we use when writing our music. I've already catalogued various pitches of death vocals that I can produce and figured out how to notate them on the staff and now I want to write the vocals on the same score as the rest of the music. Thus the aural side of improving the vocal parts is well on its way to being taken care of. I have ideas for lyrical content that I think are halfway decent as well. The only problem is that I lack technique as a writer of poetry/lyrics. Anyway, I know there are a lot of literature and poetry buffs in maudlin and the motW entourage so I was wondering if any of you could suggest technical books on poetry dealing with form, meter, rhyme schemes, etc. - particularly ones that focus on the science of it (as my brain is more apt to understand technical/mathematical/scientific empiricism than the comparably vague musings of critics or philosophers) - to help me along in my endeavor to become a better lyricist. What are your suggestions?
I'm also open to suggestions as to good poetry itself. I'm pretty ignorant to that whole art form as I'm mostly inclined towards mathematical, scientific or muso-academic things though I've been getting into the work of William Carlos Williams a lot. In fact, he's the only poet I've ever read who's really resonated with me. I think I'll investigate Ezra Pound soon too. I guess I'll probably end up liking the modernist stuff the most but feel free to suggest earlier poetry to me as well.
I want to take greater care with vocal and lyric writing in the future so that it's more integrated into the compositional process that we use when writing our music. I've already catalogued various pitches of death vocals that I can produce and figured out how to notate them on the staff and now I want to write the vocals on the same score as the rest of the music. Thus the aural side of improving the vocal parts is well on its way to being taken care of. I have ideas for lyrical content that I think are halfway decent as well. The only problem is that I lack technique as a writer of poetry/lyrics. Anyway, I know there are a lot of literature and poetry buffs in maudlin and the motW entourage so I was wondering if any of you could suggest technical books on poetry dealing with form, meter, rhyme schemes, etc. - particularly ones that focus on the science of it (as my brain is more apt to understand technical/mathematical/scientific empiricism than the comparably vague musings of critics or philosophers) - to help me along in my endeavor to become a better lyricist. What are your suggestions?
I'm also open to suggestions as to good poetry itself. I'm pretty ignorant to that whole art form as I'm mostly inclined towards mathematical, scientific or muso-academic things though I've been getting into the work of William Carlos Williams a lot. In fact, he's the only poet I've ever read who's really resonated with me. I think I'll investigate Ezra Pound soon too. I guess I'll probably end up liking the modernist stuff the most but feel free to suggest earlier poetry to me as well.
