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.
Tag: songwriting
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: 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: 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.
SONG PLAYLISTS: A Film & TV Songwriter’s Secret Weapon!
When I asked successful music supervisors how they manage to find the song they’re looking for among the thousands of song links, mp3s, and CDs they collect every year, they all told me they keep “song playlists.”
Music supes have to find songs quickly. When a film director or TV series producer shouts “Get me a quirky, upbeat love song!” the music supe has to scramble to find three to four songs that fit that description ASAP. A playlist of “Quirky, Upbeat Love Songs” will be just what’s needed. If they don’t have that, the chances of uncovering the right song in a few short hours will be next to zero.
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.