By Guest Blogger Paul Freynet
A special occasion is coming up and you want to mark it. Your girlfriend said yes and you want to tell her what that means to you. You’re walking down the street on a sunny day and you’ll burst if you can’t express how good you feel.
Lie down in a quiet place and write your song. This one song is all you need or care about right now. Empty your mind and let it soar. That is your melody. To keep things simple and focused, we are writing a happy, upbeat song which goes best with a verse-chorus song structure.
There are two components to a song:
1) Melody
2) Lyrics
1) The Melody – A melody is a natural thing. It is everywhere. They are innumerable. Catch one. Let your imagination snare one and dance with it.
- Begin with a few notes that reflect how you feel. That moment of elation is what you want to capture. Don’t try to force a melody, release it. Those first few notes will naturally lead to a complete phrase which will lead to a complete chorus simply by repeating the phrase. Try some variations of it.
- Use a recording device and record the best variations. Hum the melody or sing la la la. You don’t have to be able to write music, but if you don’t keep a record, you’ll forget your melody like you do a dream.
- A musical phrase is very much like a phrase in speech, except that it demands to be repeated. Anyone who can talk can write a song. You don’t need music theory.
2) The Lyrics – A song’s structure is set by the lyrics. We are writing a verse-chorus song because it matches a happy mood, its the most popular and also the simplest form.
- Write the chorus first. That is the point of the song. The core of what you want to say. Keep it very simple, adding words to the melody and following its line and rhythm.
- The first word or words of the chorus is the title of the song. The chorus drives home the point of the lyric and it is repeated after each verse.
- The verses elaborate on the chorus in words and music. The melody of the verse complements the melody of the chorus and its the same for the lyric.
- A song lyric is not a poem. Focus on one idea in your lyric, keep it very simple and direct. Each verse elaborates a little more on the chorus. Whether or not it rhymes is up to you but it should follow the rhythm set by the melody.
- The words should follow the line of the music; a high note should have a key word, one that is important to what is being said, because that word is emphasized.
Study the Beatles song Oh Blah Dee, Oh Blah Dah. This is the story of Desmond and Molly. Nothing spectacular, just two people who meet in the market place, fall in love, get married, build a home, have kids.
The chorus says “oh blah dee, oh blah daa, la la la la life goes on”, twice. That’s it; a simple song, great in its simplicity, an everyday story of life and love. Study the structure and how the verses compliment the chorus, elaborating a little on the story, progressing through time with each verse.
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