Song writing Step 1 Developing successful

Song writing

Step 1 : Developing successful song structures The most successful song structures are four: -CHORUS E US-VERS SE-CHOR VERSE-CHOR US-VERSE-CH ORUS-BRIDG E-CHORUS US VERSE-CHOR SERSE-CHORU S-V ERSE-CHORU V VERSE-VERSE -BRIDGE-VER SE

o, on a radi clude ed it can in roadcast s that o be b element ur song t nt yo endly If you wa radio-fri the this are bridges verses choruse s pre-choru ses now let me explain each of them in detail

VERSE tion of the he primary func ♫T e the verse is to provid formation – position – the in ex ong hook. will lead to the s that ♪It tells the story and sets the emotional tone. The verse lyrics contain the plot, the details and th e action. Each verse typically has the same melody but different lyrics. All the correspondent lines in each verse should have approximately the same number of syllables and the emphases should be also in the same place. ♪There’s ro om for varia tion, but not too dra stic. Each v erse should possibly be four to eigh t lines long, expre ssed in eigh t to sixteen bars. lude songs that inc ♫In song title choruses, the peated in ust NOT be re m the verses.

PRE-CHORUS The pre-chorus is a two or four line section, immediately preceding the chorus. It is a lift, channel, climb, set-up to the chorus. It is optional to include it in a song, but if a verse has it, you must include it in each verse of the song The pre-chorus has a different melody and rhythm of all other sections of the song. It is typically four bars long. It can be longer, but not more than eight bars. All pre-choruses has the same lyric. It is crafted to connect lyrically and melodically to the chorus.

CH Melodically, the chorus is the catchy, repetitious part OR of a song that you can sing along with US Lyrically, its job is to summarize ideas and emotions of the song in a general way and to hammer home its title The chorus lyrics should sound natural to have it repeated following each verse. It should be easy to remember and it’s not the place to introduce new information. The chorus is four to eight lines long which translates into eight to sixteen bars. Most important, the chorus has the same melody and lyrics each time. TITLE IN THE CHORUS The title can appear In the first line In t he fi rst and sec ond It can be the ONLY lyric of the chorus xcept e lines In all line In the fir st and la s t lines In the first, middle and last lines t t he las he In t las e t lin y onl

The bridge is a departure, or release, f the song. It u rom the rest sually consis of two to four lines of and four to e lyric ight musical bars ntal. e instrume it can b asionally, Occ trast or job is to add con The bridge ation. additional inform Outside the USA it is som etimes called “the middle eigh t”. lement to the ld reveal an added e Lyrically, it shou atements specific to general st story, switching from isclosing g the time frame, d atin or vice versa, altern a surprise. Musically, it s hould add ch ords never us before, use d ed ifferent rhyth ms and melod y, use higher or low er notes ♫

Variations on song structures • A-A-B-A (verse-bridge-verse-bridge-verse) • Verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-verse-chorus • Chorus-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus • First verse is double the length of the verses that follows • A-B-A-B third verse repeats the lyrics of the first. • A-A-A only verses (three or more) Exercise Identifying song structures Now listen to two of you favourite songs and write down these things : What structure is it written in? Is there an ins trumental bre If yes where is ak? it and how ma ny bars long is it? ch section? es are there in ea How many lin ch section? re in ea many bars are the How tro? long is the in ars How many b Where do es the title app ear?

Introductions, instrumental solos and turnarounds They are more a function of the arrangement than the basic song form. However, there are some guidelines to follow INTROS four or eight bars are sufficient, with eight being the maximum. SOLOS Instrumental solos should be included: • in a verse-chorus-verse-chorus, after the second chorus, with an additional chorus after it. • In a verse-chorus-bridge-chorus, after the second chorus or the bridge • In a verse-bridge-verse, after the third verse followed by a fourth verse. TURNAROUNDS instrumental section. Often four bars long. Same melody each time • Verse-chorus-verse-chorus, after the first chorus. • Verse-chorus-verse-chorus, after first and second choruses. • Verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus, also between second chorus and bridge • Verse-verse-bridge-verse, no turnarounds.

Song structure checklist! q. Song adheres to one of the most successful structures, or one of the variations : q. Verse-chorus-verse-chorus-verse-chorus q. Verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus q. Verse-verse-bridge-verse q. Variation q. Each verse has same melody and new lyrics q. Corresponding lines contain the same approximate number of syllables q. Each verse contains four or eight lines of lyrics (eight or sixteen bars) q. If the first verse includes a pre-chorus, each other verse include it q. The chorus contains four or eight lines of lyrics (eight or sixteen bars) q. Each chorus has same melody and lyrics q. If there’s a chorus, the title appear at least once in it q. In there’s a bridge, it contains two or four lines of lyrics (four or eight bars) q. The bridge (if applicable) doesn’t contain the title q. The musical intro is four or eight bars long q. The instrumental solo (if applicable) is no more than eight bars long.

Step 2 : Writing effective lyrics ♥To write effective lyrics, you must start with a title, then expand it. ♦The key to find good titles is LISTEN. You can find inspiration in everyday’s conversations. ♣Write real emotions, based on your own experiences, hopes, fears, pain, joy… ♠Keep a HOOK BOOK, so when you hear something that could be a title, you can write it down. Exercise Finding original titles Write a list of five objects near you. Write a title for each. My examples: 1. Letter from a friend Words of love 2. 10£ You can’t buy love 3. Headphones Escape 4. Pictures Frame it. 5. Suitcases Search

QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK YOURSELF TO WRITE GOOD LYRICS What is the essence of the idea? What is the emotion at the heart of the idea? How can I express this in a way that a wide audience can relate to? GOOD RULES TO WRITE GOOD LYRICS 1. Write what is real for you 2. Write what you feel 3. Write what you love Exercise Defining artist’s identity Write a list of five adjectives and/or phrases that describes the qualities you hope to project Strong Funny Friendly Dreamer Kind

How to choose the right voice The voice is the POINT OF VIEW of the songs There are THREE points of view First person Second person Third person (tells about yourself - me) (tells about someone else – he/she) (tells about the person you are writing about - you) Writing from the first person evokes the strongest emotions because the audience fells the singer is sharing something personal and real It’s quite unusual to write a whole song from the second person, however in first person songs it can be effective to add some lines from the second person Third person can be the best way to address a topic about which you might be hesitant to sing (for example : cheating, drugs, abortion or other illegal activities)