The course continues, "Once you have an idea, you can start shaping it into a song. For this step, you can use an instrument, such as a piano or guitar, to think of chords to match your lyrics and melody. If you have a DAW, you can record your idea immediately. Perhaps you can also play some basic instrument parts."
“Study your notes and recordings to see which parts stand out, which parts can be kept, and which parts need to be expanded. There are no rules here – as you gather more ideas, you will find that some of the things you jotted down yesterday can be connected to what you wrote six months ago.”
At this point, Fang Yang glanced at the attentive audience below and said, "An occasional flash of brilliance may just be the climax of a legendary piece of music. So, accumulate knowledge regularly, and it will always come in handy someday."
"Alright, enough chit-chat, let's keep trying out the lyrics, melody, and chords. Some people can write both the melody and the lyrics at the same time. Some people write the lyrics first, like writing a poem, and then add the melody. Others hum the melody first and then think about the lyrics."
"Whatever you do, don't put too much pressure on yourself. The key here is that you are free to try anything that comes to mind – you can always discard or edit them later. Don't think you need to write songs in chronological order – jump freely between the lines and use placeholders for your creative process."
Fang Yang paused for a moment, then said, "The above is the foundation of creation. After mastering this foundation and achieving some success, you can move on to the next step—creating a theme."
"If you start with a title or a specific concept, then you probably already know what your song will be about. However, that's not always the case; sometimes, the theme only emerges as you work through the building blocks from the previous step. If you're not ready yet, you should start deciding on the theme of the song, what kind of energy it should have, and what kind of emotions you want to evoke."
"Once you have a theme, jot down anything you want to mention in the song but haven't included yet. These notes don't necessarily have to be lyrics, but they will remind you of important information you're missing. You'll turn them into actual lyrics in the next step."
"At this point, you should start thinking about the structure of your song. Most songs follow the structure of 'verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus,' but there are actually no strict rules. Let your message guide you – if you have more to say, don't worry, you can add another verse or change a section of the chorus."
"Now, it's time to think about rhymes. Your song doesn't have to rhyme. But if you do use rhymes in certain parts of the song, try to keep them. It's not that the whole song needs to have the same rhymes – that's too restrictive and makes the lyrics lifeless. When you're writing a song, you should prioritize the message and emotion you want to convey. Only think about rhymes after those are in good condition."
...
Zhao Liang, watching Fang Yang speaking eloquently on stage, fell into deep thought. "Since when did Fang Yang break free from his obsession with playing instruments and begin to develop in all aspects? Now he can even give lectures in front of the entire school, and he does them very well! This is a bit strange. Could it be that he has had an epiphany?"
Professor Chen and Professor Hu from the composition department were sitting together whispering, "Old Hu, Fang Yang's lecture is quite good!"
"It's not just that he's skilled; he's extremely skilled, and his lectures are packed with valuable information. Even I gained a lot from just one class. This kid would be more than qualified to be a professor here!"
"That's true. It's a pity that this kid has such a large business in Shanghai, it's impossible for him to come here."
"That's fine too. Just like this time, it's nice to attend a large lecture every now and then!"
"What you said makes so much sense! You truly live up to your name as a fox!"
"Hey, Lao Chen, don't talk nonsense, or I'll get angry!"
"Okay, okay, that's enough, let's get back to the lesson!"
Wang Jin's mind was also in a daze at this moment. He had been teaching Fang Yang for four years. He didn't know everything about Fang Yang, but he at least had a general idea of what was going on. Watching Fang Yang speak eloquently and freely on stage, he seemed like a completely different person from the boy who was only focused on his instrument.
Perhaps it was all related to that terrible news that summer. Facing the brink of bankruptcy, Fang Yang was forced to break free from his cocoon and be reborn, becoming famous overnight!
Regardless of what the people below thought, Fang Yang on the stage finished his lecture in an orderly manner. He looked at the audience below, some deep in thought, some suddenly enlightened, some confused, and some with disdain. Their reactions were varied.
Fang Yang smiled. Just as the old principal said, adult education is ultimately different from exam-oriented education. Whether you study or not is up to you; others have no obligation to urge you to study.
"Alright, that concludes today's lesson. I hope it has been helpful to you all, and I wish you all the best in writing more and more widely popular songs. Thank you!"
Fang Yang didn't bring much to the stage, so there was nothing for him to pack. He walked off the stage amidst enthusiastic applause. Ma Donglai stood up, grasped Fang Yang's hands tightly, and said, "Xiao Yang, you spoke very well. In the future, come and give more lectures to your juniors when you have time. Even for an old man like me, listening to a lecture is very beneficial. Good, well done!"
Fang Yang was a little embarrassed. "Principal, it's not as bad as you say, is it? I was just expressing my thoughts. I don't have much experience, and I'm afraid it might confuse the younger students!"
"No, Xiaoyang, you've already explained it well enough. Don't be modest about this. This old man isn't senile yet! You've worked hard today. Come on, let me treat you to a meal at the cafeteria. Don't mind!"
"What are you saying, Principal? I also spent four years at the Central Conservatory of Music, and I've always missed the food in the school cafeteria. It's my honor to be able to eat in the cafeteria with you today!"
"Good lad, you've got a silver tongue, it's all sweet talk. The real world really does toughen you up!"
As they were speaking, Wang Jin had already stood on the stage and was directing the students in the back rows to evacuate first. Row by row, under Wang Jin's command, they evacuated the auditorium in an orderly manner. In a short while, almost half of them had already evacuated.
Professor Hu pulled Professor Chen over and said, "Xiao Yang, this is Professor Hu from the Composition Department. You two should get to know each other. You'll definitely benefit from asking Professor Hu questions about composition in the future."
Professor Hu laughed and said, "Xiao Yang, don't listen to Professor Chen's nonsense. I shamelessly dragged Professor Chen over to meet you. I've listened to several of your songs and I'm ashamed of my own inferiority. So I came over to get to know you and hope to have the opportunity to learn from you in the future."
"I can't agree with Professor Hu at all. I've heard of your great reputation for a long time, but I've never had the chance to hear your teachings, which I regret. I'll definitely listen to your insightful opinions and learn from you when I have the opportunity in the future!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com