ComputerHunter.org

 

How To Write A Song


Did you ever wish that it was your song playing on the radio? It could be. It is not that hard once you know the formula. With a little creativity, a little knowledge, a little luck and a good formula to follow, your song could be one of the next biggest hits.

Songwriting comes easy for some, and is very difficult for others. I have actually written songs in my sleep, and immediately upon awaking, written it as quickly as I could get the words on down on paper.

What I want to discuss here is popular songwriting, like the songs you hear on the radio. A good pop song, whether rock, country, middle of the road, is composed of two things: a catchy tune and some good lyrics.

There is a formula that most great songwriters use to write great songs. It regards the structure used to write a song. Granted, it is music and it is art, so the rules are not hard and fast. But if you want to increase your chances of getting your song on the radio, it is a good starting point.

Here is the formula. Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus.

Write that down on paper leaving plenty of space between each word and this will be your script.

Verse

The verse is the part of the song that tells the story, the part that leads to the chorus. Each verse is usually different, telling a different part of, or adding to, the story. It usually explains how you got to the things you are singing about in the chorus.

Chorus.

The chorus is the part of the song that is repeated after each verse. The lyrics are usually the same each time the chorus comes around. The verse usually leads to the chorus, and the chorus is usually the pay off for listening to the verse. Does that make sense?

Here is a lame example (you did not think I would give you my best work, did you?):

(verse)
My dog is sick, he's got a tick
He's my best friend, don't let it end


(chorus)
Oh, woe is me, can't you see
Woe is me, will I ever be free


(verse)
My car broke down, just out of town
It got towed in, but it's broke again


(chorus)
Oh, woe is me, can't you see
Woe is me, will I ever be free


Now, if you would kindly stop laughing at my lame song for a minute, I want you to think about whether or not you understand my point. Songwriting is story telling. The verse tells the problems, the chorus expresses the results or the emotions.

All right, now that you have that mastered, let's tackle the bridge. Ah, yeah, there is more to the song than the pain and the release. We need the diversion. That is what the bridge is; it is the diversion from the verse and the chorus.

The bridge may have a slightly different melody to it, or it could even have a different rhythm or a different tempo (Elvis' "Suspicious Minds" did a great job on this technique).

Let's go back to the lame song and add a bridge:

(verse)
My dog is sick, he's got a tick
He's my best friend, don't let it end


(chorus)
Oh, woe is me, can't you see
Woe is me, will I ever be free


(verse)
My car broke down, just out of town
It got towed in, but it's broke again


(chorus)
Oh, woe is me, can't you see
Woe is me, will I ever be free


(bridge)
Tomorrow is a better day, I've got a new truck on the way
My dog just had a flea it seems, so once again I'll live my dreams


(chorus)
Oh, woe was me, can't you see
Woe was me, but now I'm free


The bridge offers a solution to the problems I was having. You don't want to leave your listener on the edge of suicide, you want to give them hope.

Notice, I also changed up the wording of the chorus. This was done to reflect my new found joy.

One more thing on formula. It can be anyway you want, but most verses and chorus come in lines of 4. So, instead of this:

(verse)
Oh, woe is me, can't you see
Woe is me, will I ever be free


(verse)
My car broke down, just out of town
It got towed in, but it's broke again


it would be:

Oh, woe is me, can't you see
Woe is me, will I ever be free
My car broke down, just out of town
It got towed in, but it's broke again


The same goes for the chorus. Again, if you are creative, do it however you want. But for a new songwriter, this gives you some guidelines to scratch out and start carving out your new creation.

One more thing, do not make the notes to the melody so high that your fans cannot sing along. We are certainly all not Stevie Wonder.

Michael Russell
MgrCentral.com
Established 2001
Home Business Training and Information Guides







Google News - Top Stories

Washington Post

Cheney’s Office Said to Edit Draft Testimony on Warming
New York Times - 2 hours ago
By ANDREW C. REVKIN Vice President Dick Cheney’s office was involved in removing statements on health risks posed by global warming from a draft of a health official’s Senate testimony last year, a former senior government environmental official said ...
Cheney's office tried to alter greenhouse gas testimony, former ... Los Angeles Times
Ex-EPA official: Cheney sought to delete agency testimony on ... San Francisco Chronicle
ABC News - USA Today - The Associated Press - Wall Street Journal
all 552 news articles


ABC News

Taipei shares open higher on Wall St rebound, oil pullback - UPDATE
Forbes - 54 minutes ago
TAIPEI (XFN-ASIA) - Share prices opened higher, tracking Wall Street's rebound after oil prices dropped for a second day and US regulators assured that they will take further steps to help the ailing financial sector.
Fed may extend Wall Street lending Reuters
Bid for Power By Bernanke Aimed at NY New York Sun
CNNMoney.com - Bloomberg - Nightly Business Report - MarketWatch
all 1,469 news articles


AFP

McCain, Obama at odds over Iraqi withdrawal demand
AFP - 50 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Iraq's hardening demand for a pullout deadline for US troops on Tuesday sent shockwaves through the White House campaign, putting Republican hopeful John McCain on the defensive.
Video: Iraqi PM Calls for Withdrawal Date AssociatedPress
Iraq presses US for pullout date Aljazeera.net
Bloomberg - Washington Post - CNN - New York Sun
all 1,657 news articles


Voice of America

US, Czech missile deal prompts Moscow warning
Reuters - 2 hours ago
By Arshad Mohammed and Jan Lopatka PRAGUE (Reuters) - The United States signed a pact on Tuesday to build part of a US missile defense shield in the Czech Republic, prompting neighboring Russia to warn it will react with military means if the shield is ...
US criticises 'bellicose' Russia BBC News
Czechs Sign Missile Shield Accord Washington Post
The Associated Press - AFP - TIME - Washington Times
all 6,822 news articles


Boston Globe

Candidates woo Hispanic group
USA Today - 1 hour ago
By David Jackson, USA TODAY WASHINGTON - Barack Obama and John McCain touted their respective tax plans to a key Hispanic group Tuesday, arguing that their different approaches to the economy would benefit all Americans.
Video: Obama Calls for Immigration Reform AssociatedPress
McCain, Obama pitch economic plans to Hispanics The Associated Press
Washington Times - CNN Political Ticker - Washington Post - Monsters and Critics.com
all 427 news articles

Google
 

Copyright © 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base