THE

ESSENTIAL
S IN SONG
WRITING
BY: MYLE C. MANAYON
 CONCEPT (STORY)
All songs have a storyline or theme. Typically the
song title will convey the essence of that idea and the
words (lyrics) will expound upon that idea or theme.
The story concept and theme is typically stated in the
title of the song.

LYRICS
From the greek word LYRIKOS meaning “ singing to the lyre.” It
describes a concept or a theme which rhyme in rhythmic phrases in
the sections of music. Lyrics can also be analyzed with respect to
the sense of unity (or lock of unity) it has with its supporting music.
 SONG SECTIONS
Songs are divided up into sections and have names, such as intro,
verse, chorus, bridge, etc.
typically, the verse describes the concept of the title and the hook that
are typically in the chorus. Other sections such of music, intro,
bridge, lead breaks, etc., will function to support these main
components of the song.

MELODY
A melody is a collection of musical tones that are grouped
together as a single entity. Most compositions consist of
multiple melodies working in conjunction with one
another. In a rock band, the vocalist, guitarist,
keyboardist, and bassist are all playing melodies on their
respective instruments.
 CHORDS ( CHORD PROGRESSION
The chords accompany the melody of the song. It is formed
when multiple pitches (notes on a musical instrument) are
placed together on a staff. Chords come in a lot of different
varieties, which includes the major, minor diminished,
augmented, seventh and nepolitan chords.

GENRE AND
STYLE
The genre of the song is typically established by the beat and
rhythm of the song. The style may vary once the song is
constructed with the words and/or instruments.
 Beat and Rhythm
 The beat of the song is what drives the listener to feel the
song (fast or slow). Also referred to as the tempo (speed)
of the song.
 The rhythm on the other hand is the beat that the various
instruments create.

ARRANGEMENT
 The order in which the sections of music are placed, such
as, intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus and so on.
 The organization of the instrumentation, vocals or the
other parts of music that make up the song.