YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR USEFUL SONGWRITING STUFF
A rough song demo can be as simple as a guitar/vocal or piano/vocal recording made on an iPhone. Or it can be as elaborate as a concept for a complete track with drums, bass, vocal, keyboard, and guitar recorded on multiple tracks. Whether it’s simple or elaborate, to be truly effective it has to convey the essential energy and feel as well as the complete melody, lyric, and chord progression of the song. (See “U.S. Copyright Office” below for demos without chords.)
Many songwriters begin their songs by strumming a chord or two. Without really thinking about it, they let the chord progression lead them through the song. If you write that way, though, you may end up spending more time thinking about what chord comes next than your lyrics and melody. You don’t hear listeners talking about how much they LOVE that chord progression. They respond to the lyric and a memorable melody. Chords are low on their list, so why should they be at the top of yours?
Let’s say you’re in love with someone and you want to let that person know how you feel. You could simply walk up to them and say, “I love you.” That might work. Or you could make an effort to create the right surroundings: The two of you take a walk along the beach, holding hands on a summer evening, a light mist floating in the air. Then, as the moon rises and hangs like a giant disco ball in the sky, you whisper, “I love you.”
Without a doubt, the second option seems more likely to convey your I-love-you message convincingly (except for the disco ball). And while it’s not guaranteed to make the other person love you in return, as a songwriter it’s definitely going to give your audience a better chance to feel what you’re feeling and believe you really are in love! And that’s what songs are all about.
When you give your listeners the details of an experience in a way they can see, feel, and touch, you draw them into the experience: they picture the beach at sunset, feel the warm air, and hear the words that are spoken. They’re involved in your situation without even thinking about it. Using the physical senses – sight, sound, smell, touch, taste – to convey emotions is much, MUCH more effective than simply telling your audience what you think or feel. Here’s how you do it.
Most of today’s hit song structures are made up of of three different sections: Verse, Chorus, and Bridge.
CHORUS: The chorus has the same melody AND the same lyric each time we hear it. The lyrics sums up the emotional heart of the song. It’s the section that listeners will remember and want to hear again and again. Be sure to include your title in your chorus so listeners know what to call your song. The title is often in the first or last line, sometimes both.
VERSE: The verses all have the same melody but different lyrics. A verse takes us deeper into the feelings or situation that created the feelings in the chorus. Because the chorus is repeated three or more times, you can keep it interesting by giving listeners more information in each verse – something that reveals more about the chorus and deepens our feelings or understanding of it.
by Robin Frederick
Does this ever happen to you? In a flash of inspiration, you write a monster first verse. Then you work for hours or days on a chorus until you have something you think might work. Then… nothing. You’re stuck; you have no idea what to write in your second verse or bridge! And now you notice there’s a disconnect between your first verse and the chorus you worked so hard on. Even these two sections aren’t working together.
This happens to every songwriter at one time or another. Sometimes it happens A LOT! So here’s a simple song craft technique that will keep your song on track and ideas flowing: Create a “song path.”