Tom O'Brien
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3/3/2024 2:52:06 AM
Which Side of the Brain Do You Write With?
As you know, our brains' two hemispheres are responsible for different things. The left brain tends to be the logical, orderly, analytical side, while the right side can be more abstract and creative. Lyrics are usually a left brain activity, while music tends to be a right brain activity. There is plenty of crossover - I think of Michael Stipes' very right brain lyrics and Bach's very left brain fugues.. I've realized that I used to be a much more lyric oriented as a a songwriter, but I'm learning to write more with my right brain, because that is what people are reacting viscerally to. That's where the deep emotion happens. Great lyrics are still important, but music shouldn't be an intellectual exercise. It's all about the music.
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Richard Scotti
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3/3/2024 12:04:32 PM
I strive to strengthen the relationship between my right and left brain. For me a song should be a marriage of lyrics and music that produces a hybrid of the intellectual and the creative, an offspring, so to speak. The question I ask for each song is: are the words meaningful and interesting by themselves - without the music?
I also ask: is the music soulful and compelling
without the words? And finally: does the combination of the words and music create something greater than the sum of the parts?
The music is the canvass and the lyrics are the paint. They depend on each other for their existence, their beauty and their meaning.
IMO-Like A Rolling Stone is a great song although the lyrics are not particularly great by themselves and the music is pretty simple. But together they create a masterpiece. The music is the foundation that supports and enhances the words, making them more powerful. The words expand the urgency and importance of the music. It’s a perfect partnership of right and left brain.
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