Songwriting

Handbook VOL 1

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From the Online Course Lyric Writing Tools and Strategies

by Pat Pattison

26

by Ben Newhouse

The 10-Step Process to Songwriting

From the Online Course Commercial Songwriting Techniques

by Andrea Stolpe

How to Write a Hit Song

From the Online Course Songwriting: Writing Hit Songs

by Jimmy Kachulis

The Business of Song Placement and Song Licensing

From the Online Course Songwriting for Film and TV

by Brad Hatfield

Making your Melody Work

From the Online Course Songwriting: Melody

by Jimmy Kachulis

The Art of Setting your Words to Music

From the Online Course Lyric Writing: Writing Lyrics to Music

by Pat Pattison

Starting with the Foundation: How to Build Harmony

From the Online Course Songwriting: Harmony

by Jimmy Kachulis

How to Avoid Writers Block

Writing Scores for the Big and Small Screens

From the Online Course Music Composition for Film and TV

The 10-Step Process to

Songwriting

From Commercial Songwriting Techniques

by Andrea Stolpe
Andrea Stolpe has collaborated with great artists such as Mike Reid, Don Schlitz, and
Stephen Robson, and penned songs for pop and country artists including Faith Hill, Steve
Azar, Josh Gracin, Shonagh Daly and Daniel Lee Martin.

We songwriters are constantly looking

sensestouch, taste, smell, sight, sound,

for great song material. Were also looking to

and also movementas springboards for

express our ideas with an artistic voice that

creativity. When those senses are involved,

is as unique as we are. Furthermore, most

the writing springs to life.

us want to simplify the process and expand

Six keys of connection:

our marketability. One important key to

1.

touch

Effective songs paint rich images for the

2.

taste

listener. Imagine that your songs are paint-

3.

sight

figures scrawled across construction paper,

4.

smell

or does your palette of texture, color, and

5.

sound

6.

movement

marketability in the hit song market is, of

course, content.

ings. Are you the proud creator of stick

light capture the desires and deepest wanderings of those gazing upon it?
To ensure that the latter is the case,

The connection that your audience

you can use a writing process called

makes with your lyrics depends on the

destination writing. In destination writing,

power of this one key word. But how do we

we begin with one key worda placeas

build that connection with the audience?

the momentum for your song content. The

By illustrating our piece through specif-

key to destination writing is to use all of your

ics and actions. We immediately know the

meanings of words like walk and say. But

with the music? How we expect the melo-

these words are generic and will not engage

dy to move is going to influence how the

any audience by themselves. But there are

lyrics move as well. Every new melodic

dynamic alternatives. Consider the sen-

idea presented in a song a movement from

tence below.

the verse to the pre-chorus, for example

will go hand in hand with a new lyrical idea.

And I was saying

Im sure youre familiar with Mary Had a

We know whats being said, but it

Little Lamb.

doesnt mean anything.

Mary had a little lamb

And I was stuttering

Whose fleece was white as snow

And I was stammering

Everywhere that Mary went

And I was blurting out

The lamb was sure to go

All of these phrases swapped out the

These fours lines contain two musical

boring say with verbs that are emo-

and two lyrical phrases (Mary had... white

tionally charged. Verbs and adjectives

as snow and Everywhere...lamb was sure

like these that will keep your

to go.). But this isnt the only way to at-

audiences attention.

tack these four lines. We could have kept

describing the various attributes of Marys

Once youve got a handle on what words

little lamb over all four lines. In that case,

will draw your audience, it is time to craft a

we would continue the same melodic idea

compelling narrative. Any destination writ-

for the entire verse. We could also change

ing will consist of two types of detail: ex-

ideas with each new line if we have a new

ternal and internal. Assume that your song

melodic idea to accompany these ideas.

is centered on a primary character. The ex-

The melodic phrasing determines not

ternal details will be what happens around

only where the topics begin and end but

your character and the internal details will

also where a rhyme might occur. For Mary

be their thoughts and feelings. Any good

Had a Little Lamb, the rhyme was occur-

song will be a mix of both. Toggling, or the

ring between the two large musical phrases.

art of combining internal and external detail,

is integral to providing balance in your lyr-

Mary had a little lamb whose

ics. Too much internal detail and your song

fleece was white as snow A

from will be weighed down by the thoughts

And Everywhere that Mary went

of the characters. Too much external and

the lamb was sure to go A

the audience will have nothing personal to

identify with.

If the four lines were all representing

So how are our words going to work

four smaller melodic phrases, the rhyme

scheme might look more like this. Note

Step 3: Choose a rhyme scheme and

that wherever the melodic phrase closes,

toggling pattern.

rhyme occurs.

Step 4: Add prepositions and

Mary had a little lamb A

and Mary had a pony too

conjunctions.

B
Step 5: Choose a plot progression.

the sun was rising on the land A

and May was slipping into June B

Step 6: Destination-write again using

Once you have your primary lyrical sec-

thought/feeling language.

tions in place and developed, it is time to

Step 7: Look for titles and write the

contrast. Imagine if every section of a song

chorus.

had the same number of lines, the same

rhyme scheme, the same rhythm and the

Step 8: Write a second verse and

same toggling pattern. Sounds boring. By

pre-chorus.

changing up the rhyme scheme, changing

Step 9: Write the bridge.

the rhythm, adding or subtracting lines, and

altering the toggling pattern, a songwriter

Step 10: Assess verbs, tense, and point

can keep things interesting over the course

of view, and conversational quality.

of their work.
Just from these short exercises, its clear

By utilizing all of these steps, youll be

to see that the process of commercial song-

able to craft commercially viable songs with

writing is based on a number of patterns.

ease. Youll notice that I didnt go over ev-

These patterns make up the content of hit

ery step in the process. It wouldnt make

songs and these are patterns that a song-

much sense, commercially speaking, for me

writer can reproduce while still maintaining

to share everything I know here, would it?

a unique voice. Knowing these patterns is

critical to the success of both beginners and
experienced writers. With this in mind, the
best way Ive found to approach commercial songwriting is through something I call
The 10-Step Process.

The 10-Step Process.

Step 1: Destination-write.
Step 2: Find rhyme pairs.

Andrea Stolpes Online Courses

Commercial Songwriting Techniques

Learn to write for commercial success by reproducing the time-tested characteristics of hit
songs while maintaining your own unique voice.

How to Write a Hit Song

From Songwriting: Writing Hit Songs

by Jimmy Kachulis
An accomplished composer, arranger and conductor, Jimmy Kachulis has worked with
great artists like George Coleman, Jon Hendricks, John Lewis and Martha Reeves, and his
compositions have been featured on scores from The Sopranos to Touched By An Angel.

How do they do it? Why does a Beatles

The structure of a song will determine

or a Michael Jackson song capture a listen-

what kind of effect it will have on the lis-

ers attention the way they do? What is their

tener, whether it will be a hit or not. One of

secret, whats the formula? If all of us song-

the most common and possibly the most

writers had the answers to these questions,

effective forms of a hit to write is the verse/

we would all be a lot richer.

chorus. This song form goes hand in hand

While theres no real formula to craft-

with the dynamics of the audience:

ing a potential hit, there are methodolo-

The audience usually listens to the

gies to it. As anyone who has spent time

story the verses are telling

listening to the radio can tell hit songs

And

come in a few well- defined forms. This is no

then the chorus will come

accident. These writers, producers and

around, summarizing the story as the

singers on the radio all know how to put to-

audience sings along

gether a song that will probably be a smash.

Lyrically speaking, the chorus is going to

So how do you think the pros do it? They lis-

summarize the main idea of the lyric and is

ten to hits of the past and they use them as

going to be the emotional high point the

resources for their ideas. Thats one of the

highest intensity section of your song. It

less well-kept secrets of pop songwriting.

wouldnt be a bad idea to include song title

The way they make it their own is by using

in there too. You want people to know what

some of the skills Ill mention below to make

your song is called, right? Now how do you

variations.

want the music to feel? Want something

happy and upbeat? Make your chorus ma-

only part of the songs. Any hit needs to be

jor key with a high tempo and maybe use

greater than the sum of its parts and the

eighth notes. Want something a bit funkier

section that is going to make up most of

and maybe a bit more intimate? Slow the

those parts are the verses. As the verse is

tempo down and use a mixolydian mode

a supporting idea, many successful tracks

will

instead.
Once the general feel of the
chorus in place, we can start to
think about emphasis. If youre
featuring your title in the chorus
then the cadence is going to be
your friend. By having the title
straddle the cadence starting
at the beginning and then ending
on the I chord youre guaranteed
to have it planted in the listeners

Long notes will make any lyric,

verses

melodically,

TT

that

remain

harmonically,

and

lyrically static. This ensures that

TTTT

your verses not pull the power

away from other sections. For

-T-T

example, the same way that we use

T-T-

cadences to ramp up the chorus,

T--T

we shouldnt be using cadences in

the verses. Instead, you could re-

---T

solve to have your verses end on

T---

chords that arent the tonic.

I mentioned before that youre

head. Lets not forget the melodic

tools we still have at our disposal.

have

Figure 1: The seven

standard types of
choruses

going to be telling the story in the

verses. If you want to build a conversational vibe in the verses, make

especially the title, far more

dramatic. Ending on the downbeat, on the

use of short notes, a limited pitch range, and

first beat of the measure,

having the melody in the low to middle reg-

is a subtle but very common way to

ister. All of this doesnt mean that the lyrics

bring out the title too. What do Message in

have to be boring. The audience is going to

a Bottle, No Woman No Cry and Born in

be listening during the verses. That means

the USA all have in common? They were all

that the verses can be the perfect time to

massive hits and they all used these melodic

bring in some complex, sophisticated me-

tools I just mentioned. So how many ways

lodic ideas.

can we use these tools? Well, there are sev-

But in the verse/chorus form we need

en standard types of choruses choruses

two more sections to act as connective tis-

that state the title at one point or anoth-

sue for the verses and the chorus, the bridge

er. You can use all of the tools in standard

and the prechorus. These sections function

types of choruses different ways with each

in similar ways: they connect and contrast

type of chorus. So you do the math.

with the material that comes before and

after and they both build intensity into the

So the chorus alone could have whole

next section.

lessons written about it. But its not the

Lyrically speaking, our bridge will

longer phrases will break the intensity down.

contrast in content with the verse and the

To build the prechorus back up near the

chorus. This can be as simple as changing

end, an ascending melodic shape and losing

the tense, by generalizing if the lyrics pri-

some of the space between the words will

or were specific, or by focusing on a new

get the audience ready for the chorus.

emotion. Musically speaking, you can make

Within a single type of song form, the

the bridge move with a different chord

verse/chorus, there are endless possibili-

progression then the verses or chorus (and

ties and countless variations to be made.

again, avoiding a cadence) or by having the

But there are other forms and variations

bridge modulate away and back to the key

to explore. As you continue to hone your

of the song. Making the bridge a bar longer

craft and create new material with some

or shorter than the other sections is a great

of the tools Ive shared here, you might

way of building tension.

just come up with a smash hit or your own.

The prechorus will also contrast with the

When that happens would you mind credit-

chorus and verse melodically, harmonical-

ing me as a co-writer?

ly, and formally. However, a prechorus will

also break down the intensity at the beginning of the section only to ratchet it back
up toward the end into the coming chorus. Slowing things down, lower notes and

Jimmy Kachuliss Online Courses

Songwriting: Writing Hit Songs

Move your listeners and express yourself more effectively by crafting your songs the way hit
writers do.

Songwriting: Harmony
Learn how harmony can help you to articulate the essential meaning of a song, and the best
ways to adapt chords and progressions to suit your unique songwriting style and ideas.

Songwriting: Melody
Learn to construct strong, expressive melodies that your audiences will remember.

The Business of Song Placement

& Song Licensing
From Songwriting for Film and TV
by Brad Hatfield
Brad Hatfield is an Emmy Award-winning composer and one of Bostons most prolific and
popular musicians. His musical compositions have been heard on movies such as Borat and
Iron Man 2, as well as the TV series The Sopranos, CSI, Saturday Night Live, and dozens
more.

You are about to become a more

This increased popularity in music

marketable songwriter. At least in terms of

featured in television shows has come with

having your songs work great in movies and

the changes of use of the featured songs.

TV shows.

In the old days, a featured song might have

Have you ever heard a song in a movie

been the equivalent of sonic wallpaper.

or television show and exclaimed, I could

Today, the melody of a placed song will

have written that!? Well, you probably

weave its way into the DNA of the scene it is

can, but as youll find, writing for movies or

featured in. If there is lyrical content, it may

television shows is more than just writing a

become part of the storyline. The feel of the

good song. Its about making a good song

track supports the onscreen atmosphere,

work with visual media.

just like underscore would.

Writing songs for film and television is

Now for one of the unglamorous reali-

nothing new, but the explosion of visual

ties of songwriting for film and TV: youre

media output today has created an

not going to have the final word on your

increased demand for a broad range of

material. A good skill to pick up early on is

songs that will work dramatically as part

the ability to write on demand. In fact, song-

of the overall production. And a directors

writing for film and TV is almost always by

or music supervisors choice of a song can

emergency. When writing on demand you

make an unknown songwriter or musical

have to realize that the song itself is not the

act an overnight sensation and potentially

star of the show. One needs to understand

open doors to a fruitful and lasting career.

their role as a contributor. Besides that,

10

people involved in any film or TV project are

produced, and be well connected enough to

going to give input and youre going to take

get your songs placed all by yourself. Thats

that input. After all, the people youre work-

great, but its inefficient. Why labor alone

ing for might not be musicians or songwrit-

when you can strike up a creative partner-

ers but everyone knows about music just

ship? Having a writing partner (or better

ask them!

yet, a team) will expedite any song writing

Youre also going to get conditional re-

process. And Im speaking from experience

quests. A producer might want a song to

here; I would not be where I am in the mu-

feature female vocals or have a guitar lead

sic industry if it werent for collaboration.

or be written in a certain key or mode. Not

only that but chances
are youre going to be
working on a number
of projects that will re-

Period. The end.

This is a business where

you will have to check your
ego at the door if you want
to succeed.

quire you to make some

The power of collaboration

extends

to every phase of the

songwriting process,
especially during production and post-pro-

changes after youve handed them the

duction. A key to successful collaboration,

finished song product. This is a business

outside of clear communication, is estab-

where you will have to check your ego at

lishing recording guidelines. The rules of

the door if you want to succeed.

collaboration need to apply to the people

But writing on demand isnt the only

you are used to working closely with as well

way to have your material featured in film

as to outside parties. Here are a few quick

or television. Some songwriters are prob-

examples of where some adherence to

ably already familiar with the concept of

guidelines will help the songwriting process.

song libraries. Song libraries contain stock

Say a singer contributes their tracks

music that can be licensed out to TV shows,

with the reverb and delay already on.

movies and commercial productions. These

Thats fine but be sure to get the dry

song libraries could easily be what gets your

tracks, or the tracks without the effects

career off the ground and what sustains you

in place.

in the long run. Your material needs to be

up to snuff though. After all, these libraries

Are you recording a live drummer?

are only good as the material they host, so

Make sure your mic arrangement allows

theyre only going to include the best of the

for a clear sound on each track from

submissions they receive.

the floor tom to the crash, just dont

So you might already have all the skills

go crazy.

in place to write great songs, get them

11

 Speaking of tracks, dont forget to

the business side especially for licensing

give those tracks obvious names (ex-

and getting exposure for your songs. Once

ample: for the overhead left mic track,

youve got all that down then the TV and

OL.wav; the floor tom mic track, FL TOM.

film music world is your oyster.

wav; etc...)

Before sending a MIDI track, prepare your file for export, then open up
the exported file yourself to make sure
everything is there before you send it. I
call this an idiot check.
To make it in the world of commercial songwriting, its a given that you need
to know how to put a track together. But
thats not enough. Youll need to sharpen
your technique as a writer. Youll need to
expand your work possibilities by exploring
collaboration and all of the writing and production opportunities it can afford. Finally,
you will also gain a better understanding of

Brad Hatfields Online Courses

Songwriting for Film and TV

Explore the techniques of writing music that will appeal specifically to music supervisors,
editors, directors, and producers across any number of different genres.

12

Making your Melody Work

From Songwriting: Melody

by Jimmy Kachulis
An accomplished composer, arranger and conductor, Jimmy Kachulis has worked with
great artists like George Coleman, Jon Hendricks, John Lewis and Martha Reeves, and his
compositions have been featured on scores from The Sopranos to Touched By An Angel.

Melody is one of the most important and

feel to the listener. Lets start with the notes.

immediate aspects of a song. Its the ele-

Listen to Bob Marleys No Woman, No Cry.

ment that the audience sings along with. Its

Youll find that the verseswhich are con-

the one that most intimately brings out the

versational in tone, and build the story of

emotion of the lyric story. The melody also

the trackgenerally have shorter notes. The

exists alongside and on top of the harmony.

chorus, where the title of the track is repeat-

But that relationship can differ and should

ed, consists of longer notes. This is no ac-

depending on the effect you are trying to

cident. When lyrics are set to longer notes,

achieve with your song.

they are emphasized and are automatically

When were setting our lyrics together

more dramatic.

with the melody, there are three consider-

The melodic phrases you use for your

ations we need to make.

lyric sections can be of a standard or sur-

What are the lengths of the notes?

prising length. Standard two and four bar

What is the length of the phrases?

Surprising phrases any other bar length

What is the space between

will keep things fresh and draw the listeners

phrases will give a song a steady feel.

attention. Good songs will have a mixture

the phrases?

of both. And those phrases will gain addi-

These may seem like trivial questions,

tional power from the spaces in between

but the note length, phrase length, and

them. Verses will benefit from having lyrics

phrase space will determine how your lyrics

be more closely packed together with little

13

room to breathe. Choruses, on the other

a melodic line like this (and you might,

hand, benefit from being drawn out and

considering how flat it could sound), you

require more space between the lyrics as a

can zig zag between the neighbor notes

result. Once you have the basic lyrical ideas

that reside right above and below your

in place for your melody, try developing

original tone. However many chord tones

them with some repetition or present new

you try to base your melody on, understand

ideas as a contrast.

that each will have an effect, creating a distinct melodic shape.

Sure, setting the lyrics to your melody is

important. But it is the interaction between

StationaryA straight line

melody and the harmony will define your

Zig-zagDecorates a straight line

song. Lets say we already have a harmony

in place, or we have a way in mind that we

want our melody to work so were not think-

AscendingStarts low and

ing of melodic ideas with no context. So lets

develop a pitch. When it comes to the pitch

Melody On ChordsWhere the

goes down

ArchStarts low, goes up and

melody stays on a chord

2.

goes up

DescendingStarts high and

of a melody, there are three approaches.

1.

with neighbor

Melody Over ChordsWhere the

then down

Inverted ArchStarts high, goes

melody is in the key, but is only loosely

related to the chords

3.

But say you really want to spice things

Melody Against a Bass Line

down and then back up

(Counterpoint)Where there are two

up with your melody. Counterpoint between

melodies and the vocal melody moves

a bass line melody moving against the

against a bass melody

vocal melody might do the trick. But not all

bass lines are built equal. The easiest way

No matter what approach you take,

to determine if the bass melody would

youre going to start on one of the tones in

make for good counterpoint is if it could

the chord. Starting from the tones will allow

be sung. Bass lines that move all over the

you to build a compelling melody consisting

staff will be useless unless youre going to

of even the simplest materials and develop-

be scat singing.

ment. The example that comes to mind is

There are four kinds of standard counter-

Billy Joels We Didnt Start the Fire, a song

point: parallel, similar, oblique and contrary.

whose melody would resemble a straight

If a bass line has the same melodic shape

line if mapped out. If you want to decorate

as the vocal line, then it is a form of parallel

14

counterpoint. Similar counterpoint features

But you never leave the building blocks. The

a bass line and vocal melody that move in

simplest methods of developing melody

essentially the same direction, though not

are tools youll be using for the rest of your

as closely as parallel. Now heres where

songwriting career. These methods are the

things get interesting; oblique counterpoint

gifts that keep on giving.

will have either the bass or vocal line revolve

around a limited number of notes. The bass
line might stay on one note or move around
in an ostinato. The vocal line will stay in
basically the same place. If youve heard the
opening verse of Stairway to Heaven then
youve heard oblique counterpoint. Finally,
contrary counterpoint, as its name implies,
have the bass and vocal lines moving in opposite directions; the bass line swings down
while the vocal ascends, or vice versa.
Thats just some of the basics of melodic development. I havent begun going
into developing a riff or making a melody
from a mixolydian mode or in blues form.

Jimmy Kachuliss Online Courses

Songwriting: Writing Hit Songs

Move your listeners and express yourself more effectively by crafting your songs the way hit
writers do.

Songwriting: Harmony
Learn how harmony can help you to articulate the essential meaning of a song, and the best
ways to adapt chords and progressions to suit your unique songwriting style and ideas.

Songwriting: Melody
Learn to construct strong, expressive melodies that your audiences will remember.

15

The Art of Setting your Words

to Music
From Lyric Writing: Writing Lyrics to Music
by Pat Pattison
Having written songs since 1965, Pat Pattison brings a lot to the table. His clinics are attended
by songwriters all over the country, and his articles appear regularly in a variety of industry
publications. Several of his students have won Grammys, including John Mayer and Gillian
Welch.

Stressing syllables, note values in swing

melody first for a song. When you write

time, and writing in 3/4 and 4/4 time. Did

lyrics first, it will help you create your

you think I was talking about the melody?

melodies, because youll already know

One of the most beautiful aspects of the

what your lyrics rhythms are. There are

written and spoken word is how it lends it-

cases where your lyrics and music are

self to interpretation. When writing songs,

playing leapfrogone piece of lyric gener-

the title, melody, harmony, and lyrics are

ating a larger piece of music, which in turn,

all going to contribute to the impression

creates more lyric rhythms to match. And,

that will be with whoever is listening. As

of course, there are always those situations

the songwriter, you want to ensure that the

where you have to write that pesky second

feeling of the track is conveyed in both the

or third verse after most of the rest of the

music and lyrics. Without cohesion between

song is finished.

the music and lyrics, the song will be hurt.

How the lyrics should be set to the music

Matching lyric and melody communicates

depends on the strength of each beat in the

your ideas smoothly and naturally, giving

melodic line. The 4/4 two bar phrase on the

your listeners easy access to the feelings

next page will illustrate the strength of each

you created when you wrote your song. It

beat relative to one another. The strength

gives them an entry to your intent.

of the beats, from strongest to weakest is

There are many different ways to go

1, 3, 4, and 2. But what if we change up the

about writing the words for your music. It

wording a little bit, like changing long days,

doesnt matter if you write the lyrics or the

long nights to day time, night time? Look

16

at the four bar phrase. Even reading it in

is going to fall. The third beat is, of course,

your head it sounds different, but say it out

strong, so put a strong syllable there. The

final note is strong, too, so put a strong syllable there. The only question is what to do
about 3&. Should it be strong, secondary, or
medium? Lets look at all three possibilities.

loud. This illustrates the power of secondary

DUM DUM DUM hard days night

stresses, the relationship between a phrase

with a strong/secondary emphasis in the

DUM dum DUM daylight shines

words.

DUM da DUM first in line

So what happens in cases when we need

to set lyrics to music that is already written?

I prefer the middle syllable being a sec-

Lead singers and band lyricists will be very

ondary stress, since the anticipation makes

familiar with situations like this. Check out

it stronger, and especially since its a sur-

the diagram below. The bar is in 4/4 time

prise after all those regular eighth notes in

a row.
So we now have a good sense of how
the setting should work. But we cant forget
about the story. At any point in a track in
the lyrics for the bridge, the verses, the pre-

and is populated primarily with eighth notes.

chorus, wherever always make sure you

Because were dealing with eighth notes,

can get the answers to these two questions:

we have three levels of strength: beats 1 and

3 of each bar are strong, beats two and four
of each bar are secondary stresses, and the
upbeats (&) are weak. So look at the mea-

1.

Where did I just come from?

2.

Where do I go from here?

Where did the first chorus come from,

sures. The first and second bar function

for example? What situations, people, ac-

in a pretty straightforward fashion. But

tions, perspectives or attitudes preceded it?

look at bar 3 and youll notice that the last

Youre looking for ideas that lead naturally

two notes are on upbeats. Since there is no

into the choruss statement. Keep in mind

note on the fourth beat,

that when putting the lyrics together youre

and no note beginning on the downbeat

crafting a narrative. The listener is not going

of bar 4, these are both anticipations. They

to have the same insights into the meaning

both gain a little more strength. Lets focus

of your track so it can be easy for a listener

on this third bar then. When setting the lyr-

to get left behind if youre not careful.

ics, we have to consider where the syllable

Even with all the right words and a

17

Pulitzer worthy narrative, if the structure of

Lyric writing is an integral skill for any

the words doesnt conform to the shape of

songwriter. The melody and harmony will

the music then all of your power will be lost.

give your song its sonic power. But that is

There are simple tricks to building power

only a part of the equation. Good lyrics will

in your music and lyrics. By separating or

be matched to your music. Good lyrics will

isolating a note by itself, it automatically

communicate your intent. Good lyrics will

gains prominence and power. Notes that

let your words sing naturally. And good lyr-

are preceded by rests but followed by notes

ics will make your song greater than the

of lesser value gain power in this same way.

sum of its parts. So whats stopping you

But if that following note is longer then that

from taking your writing to the next level?

first note will act as a pickup, lending power

to the material that follows it.

Pat Pattisons Online Courses

Lyric Writing: Writing Lyrics to Music

Get the most out of your lyrics by learning how to combine them accurately and effectively
with melody.

Lyric Writing: Tools and Strategies

Generate more and better ideas. Express them in compelling and original ways.

Lyric Writing: Writing From the Title

Make your writing process more efficient and your lyrics more effective. Learn how to find
a powerful and effective song title, and discover how to build lyrics, develop the rhythms of
your song sections, create contrasting sections and ideas to re-color your chorus based on
that title.

Creative Writing: Poetry

Learn to craft and control your writing, enhance your ideas, and write better lyrics through
the study of poetry.

18

Starting with the Foundation:

How to Build Harmony
From Songwriting: Harmony
by Jimmy Kachulis
An accomplished composer, arranger and conductor, Jimmy Kachulis has worked with
great artists like George Coleman, Jon Hendricks, John Lewis and Martha Reeves, and his
compositions have been featured on scores from The Sopranos to Touched By An Angel.

Harmony is one of musics profound di-

songs harmony will come from how these

mensions. Harmony is a background player,

simple elements work against each other

supporting the rest of the sonic cast. While

and how they are developed. Visualize the

melody articulates the conscious narrative,

sound of a lone sustained chord. Without

harmony gives shape to a songs subcon-

a groove, that chord would hold only lim-

scious emotional message or subtext. From

ited interest. However, inside a groove, that

building suspense to lending your song a

same chord could be interesting enough to

polished, balanced feel, without harmony,

last the duration of an entire song. There

no other part of the song will have context.

are endless rhythmic variations that can be

When were talking about harmony,

used to build up a groove. A guitarist and

were often thinking about the groove. So

a bass player might use the same rhythmic

what is the groove? Its not just a funky

ideas, though the idea might be offset by a

bassline. The groove is a combination of

beat or two. Similarly, the rhythmic ideas of

elementsincluding

and

the groove may share rhythmic ideas in the

rhythmthat make up the rhythmic core

melody. Basing some songs elements on

of a song. Whether the groove is played

others is an easy way to develop an organic,

by a lone guitarist or a 15-piece mambo or-

connected feel.

tempo,

feel,

chestra, all of these elements are present in

We can see how rhythm can add to the

their groove.

feel of the track. But how do we develop

Individual groove elements are often

the overall sound? Like any artist you have

very simple out of context. The power of a

access to a palette of different colors to

19

work with. Major, minor, power and seventh

heard over the years. Many of these songs

chords are the

use the same chord progressions, chord

four types of chordal colors. Each key

progressions that become familiar very

color can serve as a source for harmo-

quickly. These progressions occur so often,

nies that will work with the primary chord.

and are so powerful I refer to them as power

Lets describe

progressions. They are so strong, that you

a C major chord color as bright yellow.

can use any one of them alone to suggest

Like a painter, you may choose to paint

an entire key color. The power progressions

your song entirely with that shade of yellow.

will be your constant allies as a songwriter.

However, as the emotions of a song become

Consider the power progression below.

more subtle, you may find yourself wanting

I IV V

to use other shades of yellow, and maybe

That progression is arguably the most

even related colors. These chord colors are

famous chord progression in rock music.

suggestive too.
But its important to remember that har-

Countless songs have been written around

mony thrives on variation. Changing the

this simple progression. So what can we

progressions length, chord rhythm, and

do with it? What if the chord progressed

chord order can all keep a harmony fresh.

backwards? How would adding a mi-

All of these are variations of timing, and

nor second or a minor third into the pro-

the chords themselves stay intact. Varying

gression change the feel of the harmony?

the timing and order

of a chord progression
preserves much of its
essential character, and
helps you adapt a stan-

By just considering the

without harmony, no
other part of the song will
have context.

dard progression to a

different chords we can

add to this progression,
weve opened up pandoras box.
But were not limited

song. These changes can highlight a unique

to the realm of major and minor. Lets look

lyric, change the pacing of the groove, build

at how we can utilize modes in our progres-

excitement, and otherwise support the

sions. For example, the difference between

songwriters dramatic intentions.

the major and mixolydian key colors is only

Putting together these variations in

one note. But what a difference it makes!

timing, color, and rhythm are easy enough

Listen to Jimi Hendixs Manic Depression

out of context. The real trick is putting

and pay attention to the riff. The song moves

everything together. But how do we de-

in an I bVII IV progression, another power

velop the harmony throughout a song?

progression. What kind of feel does it give

Think back to some of the songs youve

the whole track? How does it support the

20

lyrics? More importantly, now that youve

Chord progressions, the power of a

heard it, what kind of variations could be

groove and the colors of the keys are all just

made to mix things up a bit?

barely scratching the surface of harmony.

Power progressions like these are com-

Harmony is the bedrock, the backbone of

mon phrases of speech, or expressions

any song. Every harmonic development,

tried and true musical objects. Though they

every means of variation will become a tool

may have been used countless times be-

in your arsenal. And with the more har-

fore, there is always something new that

monic tools at your disposal, the easier the

power progressions can be used to say. By

songwriting process will be.

modifying the power progressions, or any

chord progressions, you can create endless
variations of them, and spin countless songs
from the same essential material.

Jimmy Kachuliss Online Courses

Songwriting: Writing Hit Songs

Move your listeners and express yourself more effectively by crafting your songs the way hit
writers do.

Songwriting: Harmony
Learn how harmony can help you to articulate the essential meaning of a song, and the best
ways to adapt chords and progressions to suit your unique songwriting style and ideas.

Songwriting: Melody
Learn to construct strong, expressive melodies that your audiences will remember.

21

How to Avoid Writers Block

From Lyric Writing Tools and Strategies

by Pat Pattison
Having written songs since 1965, Pat Pattison brings a lot to the table. His clinics are attended
by songwriters all over the country, and his articles appear regularly in a variety of industry
publications. Several of his students have won Grammys, including John Mayer and Gillian
Welch.

The compelling concepts that you

How important are the lyrics really?

What kind of question is that?!

can convey to the listener and the words

A written well enough song should be

that will be the vehicles for those ideas.

able to bring in a listener on the strength

The sounds, the sonic relationship

of its melody and harmony alone, right?

words have with one another, will raise a

Well consider this. The relationship be-

listeners expectations, speed up or slow

tween words and music is what makes a

down a song and can signal the begin-

song, by definition, a song. Words build into

ning and end of a song.

phrases just like musical notes build into

musical phrases and can be developed as

The order and delivery of the words

such. Finally, the nature of the lyrics defines

builds a cadence that, when meshed

the feel and the interpretation of the song.

perfectly with the rhythm of the music,

But how do we do that?

create a whole that is greater than the

Your job as a lyricist is to write words

sum of its parts.

that work with music. You can write the

Much of the power of your lyrics rely on

lyric before the music, write the lyric to

their balance. In every aspect of our lives

already written music, or write them both

we try to even things outbring them into

together. However you do it, you will always

symmetry. Thats why being able to create a

be working with at least three elements:

regular rhythm is so important. It gives you

ideas, sounds, and rhythms.

the ability to satisfy the listeners need for

symmetry. Rhythm is created by repetition

22

of figures through time. Music and language

a mix or a split of these sections, we build

move through time and symmetry is mea-

the listeners interest. This illustrates

sured by the relationship between what has

the idea of prosody, the supporting of

been and what is now. So, if you have al-

your meaning with your structure. Look at

ready heard

these lyrics:

da DUM...

Slam the door and tell me

And then you hear another

that youre leaving

Say you feel a darkness closing in

da DUM...

Tell me that youre gone I wont believe it

you will hear the symmetry the two

Just another last goodbye

together create as

Its ringing through the night

Run like a renegade

da DUM da DUM...

Run from the love we made

And if we then hear two more

But weve gone too far too long

And were Too Far, Too Far Gone

da DUM da DUM...
you see even more symmetry

The first section is unbalanced, supporting the emotion of the scene; the second

da DUM da DUM da DUM da DUM

section is balanced, stating the truth. As

You can start tapping your foot now. You

structures into one another, the way they

have established a regular rhythm. So an

move should reflect the ideas they contain:

even number of lines with the same syllabic

worrying, feeling off balance, and then find-

count in each line will create a balanced,

ing out everythings fine, or feeling com-

even feeling piece of prose. Balanced lyrical

pletely content waiting here, loving you.

passages will have an even number of lines

However balanced or unbalanced your

and a complementary rhyme scheme. But

section is wont matter if the words arent

a song of just balanced lyrics will feel like

up to par. Its not enough to have a rhyming

a gentle, soothing lullaby. We add drama

dictionary. Though that is a good start. As a

and tension to the mix with the addition

writer, you need to be ready to find meta-

of unbalanced sections. Featuring an odd

phor on a daily basis. Look for connections.

number of lines, unbalanced sections are

Ask yourself:

great in helping to emphasize lyrics that are

What quality does my object have?

presenting unstable emotions and imagery.

What else has that quality?

Every song needs to be a mix of balanced and unbalanced sections. By having

23

Imagine a gate. Think of all the nouns,

deal of information immediately. For start-

verbs, and adjectives that go along with

ers, it suggests ideas and concepts through

gate. Gates are openings or hinges that can

the specific and the implied. A classic ex-

swing, slam shut, and intimidate while being

ample of this is Elvis Presleys Heartbreak

squeaky, sticky or rusty. So weve answered

Hotel. What does its title suggest?

our first question. But what else is like a

1.

gate? What else is an opening to something

A place you can check into

or out of.

else? A college exam is certainly something

that opens up to new possibilities. Now we

2.

can build our metaphors.

but no one really lives there.

She felt locked out by the weight and

3.

size of the exam. Her future hung on rusty

A place you can stay for a while,

Perhaps a place that, if you check

in, your heart will be broken.

hingeswould the exam open the way

or refuse to budge at all? The last three

4.

questions slammed shut on her hopes for

your heart has been broken.

a scholarship.

Perhaps a place that you go after

With that setting, consider all of the

We just hit the tip of the iceberg for

questions that have been brought up to

metaphor. But what if you dont have any

the listener and the songwriter. Why would

idea of what to write about? If you at least

you go there? How do you feel about being

have a title for your song then youll have

there? When would you check in? Or out?

something to work off of. Some songwriters

We instantly have material for the story of

believe that a song title is simply what you

the song.

finally decide to put at the top of the page

Your title carries obvious thematic

something you decide on after youve fin-

weight with the meanings of your words.

ished the songsomething that provides

But your title, like any other lyric, will have

an interesting angle on the lyric content.

innate musical qualities. Look at the phrase

So time for a controversial position: your

below and say it aloud a few times. Dont

title isnt just something you put at the top

overthink it. Just repeat the phrase until the

of the page. It is the centerpiece of your

flow of the words feels natural.

songthe target area that every aspect of

the song aims for, controlling everything

Cast Out the Demons.

else. If there are elements in the song that

Which word or syllable has the highest

dont relate to the title somehow, they dont

pitch? That highest pitch word, whichever it

belong in the song.

is, will have the most dramatic impact and it

Even simple titles can carry a great deal

would make sense to put it in the strongest

of weight. A title (or hook) gives you a great

musical position in the chorus. Buts its all

24

a matter of intent. With your song, do you

want to CAST out the demons, cast OUT the
demons, or cast out the DEMONS? How you
set the syllables rhythmically can express
any of these emphases. Finding a good title
and building off of it is just one of the many
ways you can compose your lyrics.
This is just a brief overview into how
you can come up with the material that will
make up your lyrics. Now why dont you
give it a shot.

Pat Pattisons Online Courses

Lyric Writing: Writing Lyrics to Music

Get the most out of your lyrics by learning how to combine them accurately and effectively
with melody.

Lyric Writing: Tools and Strategies

Generate more and better ideas. Express them in compelling and original ways.

Lyric Writing: Writing From the Title

Make your writing process more efficient and your lyrics more effective. Learn how to find
a powerful and effective song title, and discover how to build lyrics, develop the rhythms of
your song sections, create contrasting sections and ideas to re-color your chorus based on
that title.

Creative Writing: Poetry

Learn to craft and control your writing, enhance your ideas, and write better lyrics through
the study of poetry.

25

Writing Scores for the Big and

Small Screens
From Music Composition for Film and TV
by Ben Newhouse
Ben Newhouse has worked as a music supervisor and composer on dozens of television
shows, films, and stage productions for media corporations including ABC, FOX, MTV, and
Disney.

Cinematic orchestral music is very

ask, What do we want the audience to be

powerful, capable of making the audience

feeling at this moment? This will be the

cry, laugh, cringe, jump, and/or sit on the

guiding question in deciding what kind of

edge of their seat. For the composer, hear-

music to compose.

ing your music in a movie theater or broad-

Look at whatever work youre writing for

cast on television is an immensely gratifying

as though you were a literature professor.

experience. Moments like those have been

That question of what the audience should

some of the most gratifying of my career.

be feeling can be broken down even further:

At its core, film scoring is the discipline

What is the plot in this scene?

of composing music appropriate for a film.

Who is the audience going to be

That immediately distinguishes it from any

kind of absolute music, or any music that

relating to here?

conceived of as a self-sufficient art form.

What is the person the audience is

Film scoring comes with a much different

relating to feeling right now?

set of considerations compared to writing

What is the audiences perspective?

for the stage or the concert hall. More often

then not, the music is not going to be the

Consider a scene with intimate, close

most important thing happening.

dialogue between two characters. There

The fundamental role of music in film is

might be a hint of melancholy and sadness.

to enhance the emotions that the audience

The scene completes with a pan out of the

is experiencing. It is invariably valuable to

characters looking off into the distance,

26

towards a panorama and an uncertain

requirements as a restraint, rather as a way

future. Scenes like this call for smaller

of framing your musical ideas.

instrumentation with sustained textures

Im assuming that anyone trying to break

running beneath the dialogue. It might work

into film scoring has some past composing

to keep the harmony in the minor key and

experience. So lets get down to the nitty

fairly diatonic. The same applies for the

gritty, the business end of film scoring. Say

melody; too many accidentals would

you want to build a portfolio for prospective

distract attention away from whats hap-

film music supervisors. Try getting in touch

pening on the screen. Keeping things

with student filmmakers. Theyll be very

metrically simple, either in 3/4 or 4/4, and

excited about the idea of anybody com-

with a slow, free tempo would work well

posing for their films and they will probably

here too.

be receptive to letting you use their mate-

As for orchestration, there are a few

rial to promote yourself. Its also important

different routes to take. Its important

to have examples of your work that are set

to remember that the highest pitched

to picture and examples that are just the

instrument in the score

is automatically going to command the

enhance the emotions the

audience is experiencing

most attention from

music. Any music set

to film that you send
to a filmmaker is going to be scrutinized

the audience. Considering that, handing

by the merits of the film itself. What Im

the melody off to a solo oboe or flute (with

saying is you dont want to not be hired for

support from lower register strings) might

a project just because the producer has a

make sense. A scene like this would benefit

real problem with the lighting in the scene

from a structure of incremental complex-

you sent them.

ity. A strategy frequently used by master

Once youve got the job, youre going to

of orchestration John Williams, incremental

be beholden to the work flow and the habits

complexity finds the composer presenting

of the production team. In the past I have

multilayered material one layer at time, sav-

myself producing music for a project where

ing complex textures for later renditions

Ive never seen a picture. This is found more

of the material. This means that you might

frequently in smaller scale projects, like

present the harmony alone at first. Then

commercials or TV shows. More frequent-

add the melody and harmony together,

ly the producer or director will hand you a

followed by the melody, countermelody and

scratch version of the film with a temp track

harmony. Ultimately, the music needs to

in place to help give an idea of the music

develop and move in time with the struc-

that they are looking for.

ture of the scene. Dont think of the scene

27

Ben Newhouses Online Courses

Music Composition for Film and TV

Get the most out of your lyrics by learning how to combine them accurately and effectively
with melody.

28

Online COurses in Songwriting

Study with the renowned faculty of Berklee College

of Music from anywhere in the world, with online
courses at Online.Berklee.com

ONLINE COURSES
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Lyric Writing: Tools and Strategies

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Writing and Producing

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