音樂人的創作靈感從何而來？鮑勃·迪倫說《魯濱遜漂流記》等小說給他提供瞭寫歌詞的靈感。音樂劇作曲傢斯蒂芬·桑德海姆認為研究歌詞的抑揚頓挫對創作旋律很有幫助。泰勒·斯威夫特表示她的歌詞中有很多反映真實生活的字句。看來不同的音樂人有不同的創作方法，這中間沒有什麼鐵律。本期 “隨身英語” 討論歌曲創作的藝術。
詞匯：music 音樂
Singer-songwriters write songs, but how do they do it? Where do musicians get their inspiration from? What comes first – the music or the lyrics? It turns out that everyone has their own way of writing which works for them.
Bob Dylan is a musician with a unique musical style. It has been described as folk rock, gospel, country and jazz. He told the AYYBLOG that he gets a lot of his writing inspiration from novels like Don Quixote and Robinson Crusoe. He said ‘They give you a way of looking at life and understanding of human nature and a standard to measure things by. I took that all with me when I started composing lyrics’. It seems to have worked for him. He has had a career spanning six decades and has won many songwriting awards.
And what comes first, the music or the lyrics? Stephen Sondheim, a musical theatre composer who died in 2021, said in an interview with The New Yorker that, when it comes to songwriting, the stress in a phrase is very important for him. ‘You can start writing a lyric, and then the inflection of the lyric suggests a tune.’ Therefore, in his way of writing, the music and lyrics come at roughly the same time.
In 2022, Taylor Swift won a Songwriter-Artist of the Decade award. In her speech, she said lyrics are her favourite part of songwriting. She describes the majority of her songs as having a ‘modern storyline or references, with a poetic twist‘ and commonly uses real life experiences and conversations as influence.
Aside from lyrics, an important part of many songs is the instrumental backing. This is often created with chords, where at least three notes are played at the same time, often on a piano or guitar. Chord progression is where different chords are played one after the other, and therefore can act as the base for vocals.
So, if you’re feeling musical, lay down some chords, get inspired and give it a go yourself!
詞匯表
singer-songwriter 創作型歌手
lyric 歌詞
folk rock 搖滾民謠
gospel 福音音樂
country 鄉村音樂
jazz 爵士樂
compose 創作
composer 作曲傢，創作者
stress 重音，強調部分
phrase 樂句
inflection 語調的抑揚變化
tune 旋律，曲調
storyline 故事情節
twist 轉折變化
instrumental backing 樂器伴奏
chord 和弦
note 音，音符
chord progression 和弦進行，一連串的和弦轉換
vocal 人聲演唱部分
lay down 寫出，錄制
測驗與練習
1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。
1. What musical style does Bob Dylan have?
2. True or false? Bob Dylan quotes novels in his lyrics.
3. What type of music does Sondheim compose?
4. What type of lyrics do most of Taylor Swift’s songs have?
5. How is instrumental backing often created?
2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。
1. Stella incorporates many genres into her songs. She has her own _______.
folk rock gospel country musical style
2. I don’t know the words to this song. I’ll look for the _______ online.
lyrics phrases tunes chords
3. This part of the song is very high for me. I can’t reach that _______.
vocal note storyline inflection
4. She’s a _______ so she writes the music, but she doesn’t sing or play.
composer singer-songwriter musician artist
5. I didn’t know you could _______ the guitar.
lay down compose write play
答案
1. 閱讀課文並回答問題。
1. What musical style does Bob Dylan have?
He has a unique musical style. It has been described as folk rock, gospel, country and jazz.
2. True or false? Bob Dylan quotes novels in his lyrics.
False. He gets a lot of his writing inspiration from novels.
3.What type of music does Sondheim compose?
Stephen Sondheim is a musical theatre composer.
4. What type of lyrics do most of Taylor Swift’s songs have?
She describes the majority of her songs as having a ‘modern storyline or references, with a poetic twist’.
5. How is instrumental backing often created?
This is often created with chords, where at least three notes are played at the same time, often on a piano or guitar.
2. 選擇意思恰當的單詞或詞組來完成下列句子。
1. Stella incorporates many genres into her songs. She has her own musical style.
2. I don’t know the words to this song. I’ll look for the lyrics online.
3. This part of the song is very high for me. I can’t reach that note.
4. She’s a composer so she writes the music, but she doesn’t sing or play.
5. I didn’t know you could play the guitar.
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