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•"The Essential Secrets of Songwriting - LESSONS" gives you lessons and activities that make you a better songwriter. Read more...

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... and you really should take the time to read this important article. It will show you seven basic songwriting errors, and how to avoid them!

LESSON 6

INTEGRATING LYRICS with MELODIES

NOTHING STANDS ALONE
It's important to reiterate at this point - very rarely are songs good because of lyric or melody alone. It's the integration of melody, lyrics and chord progression, in a sensibly coherent form, that make a good song.

Good melodies are ones that set the lyric up, and that offer the same basic attitude of the lyric. Here are some guidelines:
Lyrics that exhibit...
 ...Work well with melodies that:
determination, dedication, forthrightness
  • use many repeating notes;
  • start on a strong beat;
  • are pitched at the outer reaches of the singer's voice (high or low).
love, tenderness, compassion
  • use a motivic leap (i.e., a particular interval that recurs);
  • are pitched centrally in a singer's range, with higher notes reserved for more emotional moments.
a narrative (story)
  • use mainly stepwise motion, with leaps at more emotional moments.
  • are pitched centrally in a singer's range.


STRUCTURE
Melodies generally need to be structured so that they don't sound like an aimless wandering of notes, and melodic patterns need to strongly consider lyric at any given time. A later lesson will deal with form specifically. But for now, take this important piece of advice: melodies generally work well if you keep the following structural elements in mind:
  1. The number of phrases should be a factor of two. A phrase is a spot in the music where the line rests momentarily, and most singers feel that it's the spot where they would breathe. Two-bar, four-bar, eight-bar, and sixteen bar phrases are the norm. (However, that being said, don't be afraid to experiement.)
  2. Repeated figures in a melody usually go hand in hand with an intensifying of lyric. For example, finding a four or five note idea "motif") and using it somewhat repetitiously works well in a bridge.
  3. Complex lyrics do not necessarily need a complex melody. In fact, you can use a somewhat simplistic melody to allow the lyric to be easier for the listener to remember. And a simple melody will make a complex lyric seem less daunting. (The music of Leonard Cohen is a great example of this principle.)
  4. Using a repeated-note motif and a slower tempo can add a sense of profundity to an unremarkable lyric. This doesn't always work, but if your melody takes a certain note, and repeats it often over a line or two of text, it has the same effect of someone tapping their finger on a desk as they talk: it offers emphasis.
  5. Repeating a line both melodically and lyrically adds emphasis and a sense of deeper meaning to a lyric. Some songs, like "Fly, Little White Dove, Fly," by The Bells, use a repeated line as an outro, repeating that title line over and over again until it sounds even more like the ultimate anthem for peace.

SO WHAT'S THE RULE?
The following activities are meant to do just that. Depending on the way you like to work, you may want to create a simple chord progression to accompany yourself as you create your melodic fragments. Write down or record your creations.

You can read much more about how to construct good melodies in "The Essential Secrets of Songwriting." Download it today!

ACTIVITIES for INTEGRATING LYRICS and MELODIES

1. The following are short fragments of text. Try setting each fragment to several possible melodies. The kind of melody you choose will affect a listener's reaction. For each one, try:
i) Many repeated notes, for "determined" quality;
ii) centrally-placed with melodic leaps, for emotional quality;
iii) mid-range, and mostly stepwise, for narrative quality;

a) You held it up like a dying flower.
b) Sister Susan, tell me why.
c) In the darkest hour of night.
d) No one saw and no one cared.
e) I answered the call.

2. Create a melody for the following text fragments. For each one, write a melodic fragment that could serve as:
i) A verse
ii) A chorus
iii) A bridge

(Note: Refer to Lesson 5 for refresher on structuring verse, chorus and bridge melodies.) Feel free to repeat certain words or phrases within the text if needed (i.e., for emphasis).

a) I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too? (Emily Dickenson)

b) The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry. (Lewis Carroll)

c) And I am praying to God on high,
   And I am praying Him night and day, (Padraic Colum)

d) As their fathers watch’d them once,
    As my father once watch’d me; (Edmund Blunden)

e) He who is waiting
In the rain outside,
He who is standing
Where the dew drops wide. (James Stephens)
 

...on to Lesson 7 - CHOOSING THE RIGHT CHORD

-Return to The Essential Secrets of Songwriting-

Lesson 1 - Focusing your Lyrics
 Lesson 4 - Writing Melodies that Work
 Lesson 7 - Choosing the Right Chord
Lesson 2 - Writing Creative Lyrics
 Lesson 5 - Structuring Melodies
 Lesson 8 - Mixing Strong and Fragile Progressions
Lesson 3 - Writing "Familiar" Lyrics
 Lesson 6 - Integrating Lyrics with Melodies
 Lesson 9 - Considering Form

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I'd love to hear from you! If you find these lessons useful, or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to write me (Gary Ewer): gary@pantomimemusic.com
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