week 6a - imagery
TRANSCRIPT
IMAGERYWeek 6a.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
➤ At the end of the session the students will be able to:
➤ Understand the function of similes, metaphors and imagery
➤ Practice sense bound object writing to create a store of imagery
➤ Complete an effective song lyric
BEFORE WE START: FINAL ASSIGNMENT
➤ Write a song
➤ V-C-V-C-B-C form
➤ Verses have same melody as other verses, but different lyrics
➤ Chorus contains the title, same melody and lyrics as other choruses
➤ Bridge is three lines
➤ Include lyric/chord chart
➤ Record a demo of reasonable standard
➤ You can use your work from previous assignments to complete this song.
IMAGERY
➤ Which line is more interesting?
➤ Let’s have fun.
➤ Let’s get a little mud on the tires.
➤ Which line makes you want to find out more?
➤ I’ve changed my attitude and I feel better.
➤ I’ve put some new shoes on and suddenly everything is right.
➤ Which line do you believe?
➤ I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house.
➤ I can handle loneliness
IMAGERY
➤ The more effective lyric lines are using imagery to communicate an abstract idea.
➤ Each line expresses the same idea, but the ones with images have more impact.
➤ Why should we use images in our lyrics?
EXPANDING YOUR LYRICAL POTENTIAL:
➤ Write out or find a one sentence definition of the following devices:
➤ Similes
➤ Metaphors
➤ Imagery
TYPES OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE:
➤ Write out or find a one sentence definition of the following devices:
➤ Similes: a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g. as brave as a lion ).
➤ Metaphor: an expression, often found in literature, that describes a person or object by referring to something that is considered to have similar characteristics to that person or object: "The mind is an ocean" and "the city is a jungle" are both metaphors.
➤ Imagery: visually descriptive language, especially in a literary work.
➤ Now come up with an example for each starting with “your love is…”
STORING UP IMAGERY
➤ As songwriters, we need to have a store of interesting imagery at our finger tips.
➤ What are some ways we could do this?
Imagery Store
OBJECT WRITING
➤ Object Writing is a specific writing exercise developed by Professor Pat Pattison at Berklee College of Music.
➤ Any daily writing activity will be good for your inner songwriter, however, object writing is specifically designed to help you access sense bound imagery for use in your lyrics.
➤ This exercise should take 10 minutes only. Set a timer and stop writing the second it goes off.
➤ Over time, this time limit will force you to delve into your senses faster.
OBJECT WRITING
➤ Here's how it works: "pick an object at random and write about it. Dive into your sense memories and associations surrounding the object. Anything goes, as long as it is sense-bound. Write freely. No rhythm, no rhyme. No need for complete sentences. Use all seven senses" (Pattison, 2009, p. 5).
➤ "There's no reason to stay loyal to the object that sets you on your path. Your senses are driving the bus - you can go wherever they take you. The object you begin with might only be your starting point. Full right turns or leaps to other places are not only allowed, but encouraged. Think of it as sense-bound free association" (Pattison, 2009, p.8).
➤ Remember to try and show, not tell. Try and create a cinematic picture of your senses on the page. But mostly, have fun!
EXAMPLE: PURPLE
The fumes coming from the board in my hand, are beginning to give me a headache. One that I choose to ignore. I mix the red and blue paint on the smooth, wooden board in my hand. The mix becomes a rich, dark color. As the classical music plays throughout the studio, I pick up my brush. Swiping it across the canvas in front of me as the symphony crescendos. My movements are quick and steady, as the vision in my mind comes to life. I dip in to the purple once more, gently, not wanting too much. I swirl my hand and watch it fit in with the rest. I stop and stare at the colors in front of me, reminding myself of what the finish product will look like. Thinking of my next move, next technique. I continue with painting in front of me, until I wipe the sweat of my brow with my sleeve. I step back, taking the rest of the paint with me. Putting it away before returning to what I have accomplished in front of me. I find flaws in what I've created but decide against fixing them. - joceyu objectwriting.com
I’m feeling purple. Like one soft ball of hurt. Black and blue, skin pruning in the sun. Swarms of flies buzzing around me, taking shits and biting at my sweet sugary flesh. Laying on my back on that dry, dusty road, stretching out through the Arizona desert, I look up.
The white clouds float above through the blue atmosphere. Making peace, making slow love in the day time. The once soothing sun has started to cook me alive, as I feel the energy sapping from my face, from my limbs. Leaving me lethargic, melting down like molasses stuck to the insides of a pancake, hidden underneath a seat cushion where no one can see me.
I’m feeling purple. A black hole you can’t see. Consumed, spit out into the ether. Floating around through the banks of my memories. Memories of last night, singing “Kiss” in a cramped room with no AC in Little Tokyo while my friend spreads his arms in the corner cushion, inching his way towards my latest love interest. Clenching my jaw, I blink, and wish they had made a successful alcohol run. My mind wobbles once in a while, like I’m still on the cruise-ship to Mexico.
psudonym - objectwriting.com
ACTIVITY
➤ In groups of 3
➤ Complete the object writing activity in the forum on Moodle.
➤ Remember, time yourself for 10 minutes only
➤ Read your object writing to each other
WORD WORKSHEETS
➤ Word worksheets contain two things:
➤ A list of key ideas
➤ A list of rhymes for each idea
1. FOCUS YOUR LYRIC
➤ Object writing
2. MAKE A LIST OF WORDS THAT EXPRESS YOUR IDEA
➤ Thesaurus
3. LOOK UP EACH WORD IN YOUR RHYMING DICTIONARY
➤ Rhyming dictionary
➤ 10 rhymes per word
ACTIVITY
➤ Moodle Word List Activity