lyric writing
TRANSCRIPT
Songwriting - Lyric WritingWeek 9
Harmony 2 Project• Please refer to the Songwriting description on
Moodle for a full description of your project
Song Form• Verse: Same melody, change the lyrics• Refrain: an anchor for listeners• Bridge: a break from repeated sections• Hook: memorable, catchy lyric and melody
The Verse• What is the verse lyric’s job?• The verse gives the listeners information• It is used to develop the story of the song• The chord progression and melody stay the same
in each verse• This is to ensure the listener recognizes this
section each time it comes around
The Hook• What is the hook?• The hook is the most memorable line in your
song• It often includes the title of the song• It grabs the listeners attention • It’s the line you remember even when you’ve
forgotten the rest of the song.
The Refrain• What is a refrain?• A phrase or line that occurs at the end or
beginning of each verse in a Verse/Verse/Bridge/Verse song• In an AABA song, the refrain is also the Hook• The refrain is used in place of the chorus as the
‘home base’ of the song
The Bridge• What is a bridge?• A bridge is the section that provides contrast
from the other repeated sections• It occurs about two-thirds of the way through the
song• The bridge section is usually unbalanced
ACTIVITYListing to the following songs, write down an analysis of the song form:
1. Who Says– John Mayer2. Don’t Know Why – Norah Jones3. Rolling in the Deep- Adele4. All About That Bass– Meghan Trainor
Rhyme• Rhymes provide an aural road-map of your song• It helps the listener hear the lyrical phrases in the
song• There are many different kinds of rhyme• Perfect rhyme • Family rhyme • Additive/subtractive rhyme
ACTIVITY• Find a perfect rhyme for the following words:• Light• Star• Joke
• Find a family rhyme for the following words:• Friend• Juice• Flicker
• Create and additive or subtractive rhyme for the following words:• House• Pines
Scansion/ - / - / - /Ma-ry had a lit-tle lamb- / - / - /It’s fleece was white as snow - / - // - / - /And ev-ery-where that Ma-ry went - / - / - /The lamb was sure to go
7
6
8
6
4 stressed
3 stressed
4 stressed
3 stressed
Working from a TitleWhy start with a title?• Title provides the Hook and Refrain for your
song• Contains the central idea• Offers a multitude of lyric possibilities to be
explored
Criteria for a Good Title:• Your title should be
between 1 and 5 words long:• Make sure your title
isn’t an abstract statement• Be specific• Use concrete imagery
Which title appeals more to you?1. Love Relationships
Can Be Difficult2. Heartbreak Warfare
Why?
How do I come up with a Title?Your title should be between 1 and 5 words long:• Use a common phrase/saying to add your own
spin to• Read headlines in newspapers, online news sites
and magazines• Watch classic movies, TV dramas, and reality
shows• Listen to your own conversations• Play the Find-a-Title Game
Find a Title
Ain’t Fool Inside Ocean Taste
Beautiful Ghost Kiss Picture Thunder
Breathe Halfway Lesson Rain Understand
Empty House Midnight Shadow Woman
Eyes Hungry Never Somewhere Young
1. Pick five or so words from this list.2. Arrange them in pairs or short phrases3. Which one appeals to you most?
• Midnight Woman• Ghost House• Midnight Shadow• Shadow Woman• Somewhere Shadow• Midnight Ghost Woman• Ghosts at Midnight• Shadow’s in the House• Woman’s Shadow• etc
Ghost Midnight Shadow Woman Somewhere House
Developing sectionsFind the questions the title asks:• Who• What • When • Where• How• Why
Shadow Woman• Who is this Shadow Woman?• What is her relationship to the singer?• Why is she a Shadow Woman?• How is she viewed? Negative or Positive• When does she become a Shadow Woman?• Where is she placed in the singer’s life?• How many characters are involved in this story?
Building Boxes – Productive Repetition• To make sure that your title/refrain gains more
weight each time it is heard, make sure you are adding something to the story in each verse.• What are some ways you could do this?• Chronological (different times)• Geographical (different places)• Narrative perspective (different people)• Etc…
The SHADOW WOMAN is mine
I have a SHADOW WOMAN
I like my SHADOW WOMAN
BORING!
V1
V2
V3
I’m cheating on you so now I’m the SHADOW WOMAN
I see you sneaking around, I know you’ve got a
SHADOW WOMAN
It’s me or her, you choose – no more SHADOW WOMAN
V1
V2
V3
Building Word Sheets• Spend some time finding strong, image inducing
(noun, adjective) words that relate to your song• Once you have 10 words, stop• Find ten rhymes for each of these ten words• Allow your imagination to savor each word as
you find it, opening up new lyric possibilities• Only pick the rhymes that you think resonate
with the theme of the song.
SHADOW WOMANSHADOW WOMAN CHEATING DARK LIESDe facto ? sneaking spark wise
tobacco fleeting stark rise
chateau meeting smart wives
plateau sleeping depart prize
Put it all together• Use your brainstorms, word sheets and boxes to
start developing your lyric• Write the whole song out in prose, use those
words to build even more word sheets• Look up words in the Roget’s International
Thesaurus to develop your ideas further• Write one verse, then analyze the scansion to
ensure you have the correct number of stressed and unstressed syllables in each line• REWRITE REWRITE REWRITE
ACTIVITY• Find a title for your song• Brainstorm your title, find an angle• Begin working on your development boxes and
rhyme sheet.