Songwriting Pt. 1

The main message or subject of the song's lyrics, such as love, a breakup, loss, friendship, or hope. Telling a story can also be the theme of the song.

Exercise 1: Take 2 minutes. Brainstorm. Write down as many potential song themes as you can. Don't self-edit. Don't cast out any idea. Write them all down.

Great lyrics use vivid, emotional words that make a song feel powerful.

• Some words just sound beautiful. (It's not a coincidence that "Carolina" and "Caroline" are in so many songs).

• Other words are beautiful because of the images they trigger in our minds (golden sunset, emerald waters).

  • Country Music is particularly good at using specific imagery in lyrics.

Exercise 2: Take a few minutes. Brainstorm beautiful words. Again, don't self-edit. Write everything you think of. Beautiful sounds. Beautiful images. Write it all.

1. Perfect rhymes have the same vowels and ending consonants (e.g. “lean” and “mean”). While they're the strongest rhymes, they can sound tedious or childish when overused.

2. Family rhymes contain the same or similar vowels or consonants (e.g. “crate” and “braid”, or "orange" and "storage", or "girl" and "world" ). Family rhymes are looser, so they add interest without seeming cliché (unless it's "world" and "girl").

3. Additive and subtractive rhymes contain the same vowels, plus or minus a consonant sound (e.g. “eve” and “believe”).

4. Assonance rhymes contain the same vowels but different consonants (e.g. “had” and “glass”). They're “near” or “weak” rhymes that open up more creative options.

5. Consonance rhymes have different vowels, but a similar consonant (e.g. “scene” and “when”). They’re the weakest rhyme and give you even more writing flexibility.

Rhyme Schemes
and Syllables

Rhyme Scheme is the pattern of rhyme within your song. Usually, the last word of lines in a song will rhyme with the last word in another line(s).

Syllables are an often under-appreciated aspect of song writing. Great songwriting considers the number of syllables in a line and creates patterns in those numbers. These patterns can be especially important when songs have a weak rhyme scheme. (Like most guidelines, this rule is best broken by those who have mastered obeying it.)

Rhyme Schemes
and Syllables

"I Will Always Love You" Dolly Parton

Verse 1

Chorus

Verse 2

If I should stay
I would only be in your way
So I'll go,
but I know
I'll think of you every step of the way

And I will always love you
I will always love you

Bittersweet memories
That is all I'm taking with me
So goodbye,
please don't cry
We both know I'm not what you need

Rhyme Schemes
and Syllables

Hello
I've waited here for you
Everlong

Tonight, I throw myself into
And out of the red
Out of her head,
she sang

"Everlong" by Foo Fighters

Come down
and waste away with me
Down with me
Slow, how
you wanted it to be
I'm over my head
Out of her head,
she sang

Verse 2

Verse 1

Rhyme Schemes
and Syllables

"Everlong" by Foo Fighters

If everything could ever be this real forever
If anything could ever be this good again
The only thing I'll ever ask of you
You've got to promise not to stop when I say when

Chorus

Writing Lines

Exercise 3: Now it's time to put it together. Pick a theme. Write 2 to 8 original lines. It doesn't matter what part of the song it is. Use some of the beautiful words you brainstormed, pay attention to rhyme scheme, consider syllable count, and complete the lines.

Homework

Start with the lines you wrote in club today. Complete the verse/chorus/bridge, at least. Be sure to pay attention to syllables, rhyme scheme, and theme.

Bonus: Complete the lyrics for the entire song!

​Structure is the organizational blueprint of a song

The structure describes the arrangement of the song. The most common elements of song structure are:
- Verse(s)
- Chorus
- Bridge

Other common elements of structure include:
- Intro
- Solo(s)
- Prechorus
-Tag
-Outro

​Common Song Structures

ABABCB -
- Verse 1
- Chorus
- Verse 2
- Chorus
- Bridge
- Chorus

ABAB -
Verse 1
Chorus
Verse 2
Chorus

AAA -
All verses
No chorus
No bridge

ABCABC -
Verse
Prechorus
Chorus

"High and Dry" - Radiohead

"Like a Rolling Stone" - Bob Dylan

"Tangled Up in Blue" - Bob Dylan

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana

​Key, Melody, & Chord Progression

The key identifies the "tonic", which is the most stable and "home" note that the song resolves to.

The melody is the sequence of musical notes that creates a recognizable tune and is generally considered the main musical part of the song. In most pop music, the lead singer sings the lyrics to the notes of the melody.

Chord Progression is a sequence of chords that forms the harmonic foundation of a song

​Common Chord Progressions

I-V-vi-IV I-IV-V I-vi-IV-V I-IV-V-IV

​The Numbering System

I - ii - iii - IV -V - vi - VII
G - am - bm - C - D - em - Fdim

"When I Come Around"
"Glycerine", "Good"
(vi-IV-I-V)
"Otherside", "All of Me"
(IV-I-V-vi)
"Bad Blood" "Whatever It Takes" chorus

"Sweet Home Alabama", "Ring of Fire"
"Three Little Birds"

"Stand by Me", "Every Breath You Take"

"Wild Thing", "Louie Louie" "Tough Folks"

​Homework

• Pick 3 songs that inspire you, the kind of songs that you want to make.

  • Identify the Key(s)

  • Identify the Chord Progression(s) - in letter and numeral form

  • Identify as many instruments present in the song as you can

    • List different types of the same instrument separately. Example: Lead Vocals, backing vocals/harmonies, lead electric guitar, rhythm electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, violin, cello, drums, other percussion (bongos), piano, organ

• Bonus: Learn to Play the Songs on Your Instrument of Choice!