Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2. Metaphors
3. Similes
Example:
"The sidewalk cracks are canyons to cross"
The third thing that emerges is the idea of struggle and
challenge overcoming obstacles. Walking along a
sidewalk with cracks between the blocks becomes
symbolic of challenges that are being depicted in the
story.
In a metaphor, our attention is transferred to the
second thing. In this case, the canyons stand out more
than the sidewalk cracks.
Example:
"The sidewalk cracks are like canyons to cross"
"The sidewalk cracks are as wide as canyons"
In a simile, our attention remains more strongly
focused on the first thing. In this case, the sidewalk
cracks stand out more than the canyons.
So one of several reasons to chose a metaphor or a
simile would be deciding which word needs more
emphasis, and which idea, the first or the second, you
would want to develop further in the next line.
4. Rhyme scheme
A really quick way to add many possibilities to a song section is to change the rhyme scheme.
For example, if the following are the ending words of a four line section,
Line 1: "June"
Line 2: "Moon"
Line 3: "Love"
Line 4: "Glove"
A
A
B
B
try
Line 1: "June"
Line 2: "Love"
Line 3: "Moon"
Line 4: "Glove"
A
B
A
B
or
Line 1: "June"
Line 2: "Love"
Line 3: "Road"
Line 4: "Glove"
X
A
X
A
or
Line 1: "June"
Line 2: "Moon"
Line 3: "Soon"
Line 4: "Glove"
A
A
A
B
and possibly rhyme "Glove" with "Love" in Line 4 of the next section.
There are many other rhyming possibilities, especially when there are more than four lines in the section, or
when rhyming lines between sections.
5. Internal Rhymes
within a Line:
Perfect rhymes have the same ending vowel sound and ending consonants, but
different beginning consonants.
Perfect rhymes sound stable, and should be used for stable moods.
Example:
Examples:
"She seemed so shy when she winked
her eye and left just after dark"
"I've forgotten my sorrow and dream of
tomorrow's blue eyes in the park"
If you are utilizing internal rhyming in
the lines of a verse, it works even better
if you can use internal rhymes in the
same places in every verse.
Also, notice here that we would expect
"blue skies" to go with "park," but
instead we get "blue eyes," which
usually causes the listener to envision
both blue skies and blue eyes. This
enhances the lyric by adding multiple
layers of meaning.
9. Mis-accenting Words
This is a technique that is good to check if something sounds awkward within a phrase.
In the English language, words have either stressed or unstressed syllables. Words that are used as connectors, such as
"the," "into," "and," "a," "to," and similar words, should not be stressed within a phrase. If you speak the other way
around it sounds very funny.
Don't place connecting words on strong beats of the music. This causes them to become stressed, and sound awkward.
Instead place the words with meaning on strong beats. These will be your nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.
Good Example: "The sun was soothing on my back"
Bad Example: "The sun was soothing on my back"
Similarly, don't mis-accent words with multiple syllables by placing unstressed syllables on strong beats of the measure.
Example:
The word, "Actually," phonetically sounds like this "AC-tu-AL-ly," not like this "ac-TU-al-LY," If the unstressed syllables
are placed on strong beats they will sound awkward. A quick fix for this is to simply shift the placement of the awkward
sounding melody note so that it is not on a strong beat.
Checking for mis-accented words and syllables can be a little tedious, and sometimes hard to hear at first. However, when
you fix one or two of these and hear how much clearer your lyrics sound as a result, you will be really glad that you learned
this technique.
MELODY
10. Pitch from section to
section
Vary the starting and ending pitches of your lines within a section.
If every line within a song section has the same starting and ending
pitches, your melody will usually sound very dull. You might not want
to start and end each line on a completely different pitch. The melody
could start to sound a little too random. Some repetition is usually
helpful, as it helps to create a pattern. But the most common mistake
is too much repetition of the same starting and ending pitches.
CHORDS
14. Using Chords from the Key
What key is your song written in? When you need more chords, first look to the chords in the key that you have
not used yet.
It is always an option to either
a) mix in chords from outside of the key, or
b) add a 7th, 9th, sus4, and other notes to your chords.
But it is usually a good idea to first check what chords you have not tried yet from the key that you are in,
before trying chords from outside of the key, or modifying chords from within the key. This is due to the fact
that when your melody and chords are both coming from the same scale/key, they will fit each other very
easily. Chords from outside of the key can be a bit more challenging to work with, and often require more
advanced knowledge of chord-melody relationships.
Note: A free chord chart has been provided that lists all of the basic chords in every key at
www.SongwritingPlanet.com. Just log in to your free account to download it.
SONG
STRUCTURE
17. Resetting the
Phrasing in Different
Sections
Symmetrical number of measures in song
sections, eight measures each, for
instance, is very common, and often this
works perfectly with a verse and a chorus.
However, adding or deleting a measure
from the verse can sometimes help the
melody of the chorus to enter on an
unexpected beat, which often can add an
interesting melodic transition, in addition
to removing monotonous phrasing. This
technique can help to reset the phrasing of
the melody.
Example:
If you use a seven measure verse, the
melody of the next section will now enter
earlier.
If you use a nine measure verse, the melody
of the next section will now enter later.
Sometimes this can fix the problem of a
verse and chorus starting on the same
exact beat of the section, and sounding
monotonous. And even if you only add or
remove measures of chords, keeping the
melody where it was, resetting the phrasing
by adding or deleting a measure of music
can similarly add an interesting transition
between sections, and keep the music
moving ahead.
BONUS SECTION
The 6 Characteristics of a Hit Chorus
A chorus literally means a group of people singing together. The chorus section of your song is the part that everyone sings along
with and can easily remember. To make your chorus stand out and allow large groups of listeners to more readily sing along,
follow these general guidelines. Note: You do not need to use all of these common characteristics, but if you do not use any, it
will be very difficult to create a catchy chorus.
Hook : place the hook, or title, in the chorus.
Repetition : use repetition and repeat the hook or title at least two times in the chorus.
Space : There is often more space between the phrases in a chorus than there are in the verse.
Simplicity : use simple phrases that are not overly wordy which summarize the verses: simple, to the point, and easy to sing
along with.
Higher Pitch : the chorus is often set at a higher pitch level than the verses.
Long Notes : the chorus is often a good place for holding out notes longer.
Note: these are just a 21 of over 347 Awesome Songwriting Techniques explained step-by-step in our songwriting video courses
at www.SongwritingPlanet.com.
Thanks for sharing your passion for songwriting!
Kevin Thomas
2014 Songwriting Planet