If a rhyme occurs by accident or in an unusual place, it’s okay to keep it. You can add a melody afterwards or write to an existing hit song melody.ĭon’t make an effort to rhyme any lines, just write what you feel. You might start by writing phrases that describe an emotion, a person, a conversation, or situation. Play with it: Write a lyric that doesn’t rhyme. => Use rhymes to add memorability and structure to your song lyric. Example: Dierks Bentley’s “Say You Do.” (See the song analysis below.) For an R&B example, check out “Truth Is” by Fantasia. Create contrast by varying the rhythm or phrase lengths of the melody. Or you can try putting both verse and chorus in the same note range. What kind of lyric does the lower chorus melody suggest? What emotion?Įxamples are “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon and “Maps” by Maroon 5 which has a pre-chorus and chorus in the same range, both are lower than the verse. Put your chorus in a lower note range than your verse. Play with it: Write a verse and chorus melody or rewrite an old one. => Increase the energy in your chorus by putting it in a higher note range than the verse. And don’t be afraid to bend a few more rules along the way. But, of course, if you do happen to get something going that you like, by all means finish it. There’s no need to write finished songs this is just for the fun. I’ve included examples of successful songs so you can hear how it worked out for someone else. Try a couple and see where they take you. Here’s a list of ten song craft techniques you’re probably familiar with, followed by some suggestions for totally messing with them.

No matter what level of songwriting you’re at, you can start playing with your songwriter’s Lego set right now. Here are a few thoughts on writing authentically while using song craft.

It’s what you do with what you’ve got that counts. In other words, he was playing with the same “Lego set” as the rest of us. Think of it like this: Shakespeare was undeniably original, but he followed the same rules of poetry and play writing as everyone else. No, you won’t be un-original because, even though you’re working with the same set of song crafting techniques as other songwriters, you’re going to use them in your own way. If I use song craft won’t I end up being UN-original? Once you know what’s in the box and how it fits together, you can build something special and uniquely your own. It’s kind of like having the coolest Lego set ever. To do that, you need to know what the rules are, then you can select which ones to play with and what you want to do with them. While a rebel breaks the rules, an Original bends them, plays with them, twists them around and reshapes them until the results are surprisingly unique and fresh. An Original is a person living an authentic, creative life, one whose work expresses truth and emotion in a way that speaks to others.

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