To listen to the hit song example in this video, be sure to turn on Youtube “Annotations.” Click on the square speech bubble at the bottom of the video screen.
Category: WHAT’S ON THE SITE
Rhymes – Not As Important As You Think!
Working on an early draft of a song? Don’t worry about rhyming too early. Forcing a rhyme can twist your song out of shape, making a line sound unnatural. Worse, it can make you say something you don’t mean. That’s when listeners start to tune out. Instead…
1st: Say what you want to say. Write a couple of lines that express the heart of your song. (Don’t think about rhyming.)
To Rhyme Or Not to Rhyme
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.
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