Here we will cover some of the basics of writing songs.
A song needs to do three basic things to impress a listener. I call it the songwriting triangle. A song needs to draw the listener in with an interesting lyric. A song needs to be "catchy", as a song must please the ear rather than just reading it like a poem. Lastly a song needs to have good sound structure. Below I will explain some of the basics of good structure and some common songwriting terms. If you have all three sides as strong as possible from the songwriting triangle, you will give your song it’s best chance at success. If you have a weak side of the triangle or more, generally your song does not have a very good chance at pleasing listeners. It is suggested that you always continue improving your writing in those three areas. Study songs and look at those three areas within songs that are successful. Now, lets go over some basic songwriting terms and structure fundamentals.
A song is composed of several items. A stanza is similar to a paragraph in a book. A stanza is a section of grouped lines. Usually a song will have multiple verses and a chorus. A verse is a stanza, or two of lines that give the details of the song. The chorus is a section of lines that generally contain the catchiest part of the song. Usually the chorus
contains a songs hook. A hook is a phrase of words or music that catches the listener’s ear and if the listener remembers anything of the song, it’s usually that part. The hook is often the title of the song and is similar to a slogan for a company. In most cases, a song contains a chorus that is the same or has only very small changes to it’s content each time it’s repeated. Some songs have no chorus, but most do. A song format of AAA would mean three verses with no chorus for instance. Some songs use a bridge as well. A bridge is usually of different length than a verse and usually has different music accompaniment. A bridge usually will "sum up" a songs message, or flash forward or backwards in time or often give a different perspective or surprise twist to a song.
Here we’ve mentioned "usually" and "generally" and words like that because there are no rules in songwriting. There are guidelines or principals though that we will continue discussing here. Below I will go into some detail of rhyming in songs. Again, I will say that songs do not have to rhyme, but I will also say that the vast majority of successful songs do rhyme and would strongly suggest you consider using this wonderful tool to aid your songs. Take caution though because cliché’, boring, predictable rhymes can ruin any song. Often a new writer gets so tied up in rhyming that the rhymes force the song to use words that sound like the words were picked simply because they rhymed, not because they helped the song. Don’t get discouraged. Like anything, writing good songs takes practice and some effort. A rhyme works best when it seems like it was an accident that words rhymed, and the lyrics are so fresh that the rhyming isn’t even noticed, the song just has that "effect" of all fitting together somehow and rhymes were a part of that. Rhymes should not be in the way; they should be like the icing on the cake that made it taste better.
Rhyme patterns are simply the pattern of rhymes within a stanza. The rhyme pattern in each verse should match other following verses in the song, but this pattern does not have to be the same in the chorus or bridge and is usually best to be different than the verses.
Songs do not have to rhyme, but the vast majority of successful songs do rhyme. Rhymes are generally categorized as "perfect" or "near." A perfect rhyme is not the best rhyme; the name just refers to the way it is. For instance, the two words "mind" and "find" are
considered perfect rhymes. The consonants following the rhymed vowel (in this case I) are the same. The two words "find" and "line" are considered "near rhymes because the consonants after the rhymed vowel are different. (The E in both words is silent)
Rhyme patterns in songs are referred to in several common formats. This is simply a way of looking at the particular rhyming pattern. Usually rhymes come at the end of the line, but not always. Let’s look at several popular rhyme schemes below. I will use 4 line stanzas, which is a popular stanza length, but don’t get caught up in 4 line rhymes all the time.
This is called a, the very first line
I am the second in the stanza this time
The third goes here in this song of mine
This stanza ends with another silly rhyme
Written by Dave Byers
Dave is the founder of "writingsongs.com and the Christian Songwriters Organization. He has been writing songs since 1979. His book "Songwriting fundamentals" is available by clicking here
http://www.dcmusicstore.com/Songwriting-Fundamentals-book?sc=2&category=-109
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