I got an email from someone who felt that I might be slighting the importance of serious rhyming in songwriting. I had suggested that when working up the raw material or first draft of a song, songwriters don’t need to focus on rhyming. If a rhyme happens to come along, hang on to it, but keep your focus on communicating emotion. The reason I wrote this is because I often see lyrics that have sacrificed meaning or depth for a rhyme.
Category: SONGWRITING TIPS
Develop a Verse from a Chorus
Q: How do I develop a verse from a chorus and how do I to create a strong transition between sections?
A:Â For writing a verse based on a chorus, think “contrast.” If the chorus is in a high note range, try a verse melody in a low note range. If the chorus melody has a smooth flow, try a
How to Rewrite Your Melody
Q: Â I usually get stuck on the first melody that I think of but all my melodies are starting to sound the same. How can I rewrite my melody?
A: Most of use know how to rework a song lyric to make it stronger but melodies are often left out of the rewriting process. Try these tips to work on  your lead melody line:
1. Break up a series of similar lines into different lengths. Turn a long line into two shorter phrases or run two short phrases together by adding notes/words.Â
Linking Verse and Chorus
Q: Arash asks… I have written a good chorus but the verse I wrote for it sounds like it doesn’t belong to that chorus musically.. What can I do?
A: There could be a few things causing this…
1. In today’s successful songs, the chords in both the verse and chorus are usually very similar. Check to see if your chords have changed too much, if you’ve moved too far outside the key, if you’re changing chords too frequently in your verse.
Find a Chord Progression
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?