What makes a song more interesting than hard-driving banjo solos, booming bass, chopping mandolin or an awesome guitar break? The lyrics, of course! They are the heart of the song, the part of the power to make a person laugh, cry, or even laugh and cry at the same time! But, how you you - the songwriter - give a song that power? It all begins with a simple thing called song structure.
The First Verse:
Ever heard the saying, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression"? Well, that saying goes for more than just social occasions, it's an essential thing to remember in songwriting. The first verse is your chance to grab the listener's attention, that's not to say without an amazing first verse your song will flop, but you'd better have a mighty interesting chorus and follow-up verse or your song might as well be an instrumental. Keep these things in mind when writing your first verse:
1.) Include a character (or place or thing) that is the song's main subject.
2.) Songwriting is a lot like story-telling -- and this is the beginning of your song's story. Just tell your listeners enough to get them interested, but leave some things for later.
3.) Just like in a story, there should be some kind of message or theme. If your song has a main character, there should be something that the character goes through to show who he is. If your song is about a place or a thing, you should try to make people feel like they are in that place or have seen, touched, heard, that thing.
The Chorus:
A good song can't stand on first impression alone, though, which brings us to the equally important topic of the chorus. Besides tying the verses together, a chorus brings much needed change to a song - since the chorus will typically sound different than the verses. Maybe more important than the change it brings, is the promotional work a chorus can do as the part of your song that listeners will be most likely to remember. So, give that chorus the extra sparkle it needs and help your whole song in the meantime. Keep these things in mind when writing your chorus:
1.) The chorus should be a summary of the song. The listener should understand what the song is about even if they only hear the chorus. Be careful though, you don't want to give away the end of your song, or make the chorus irrelevant after the listener hears the last verse.
2.) The chorus should have the same mood as the rest of your song. If your song is fun, make the chorus fun. If it is sad, the chorus should be sad, too.
3.) Do what you can to include the song's title in the chorus. Remember, it's the promotional piece of your song, and you want the listeners to remember the title.
The Last Verse:
Now that you have a solid first verse, and a catchy chorus, you'll want that amazing song to end with a bang! Now is the time to finish the story you began, get one last laugh, jerk one last tear, bring on one last sigh -- now is the time to prove your songwriting abilities. Don't leave your listeners wondering what's happened ! Keep these things in mind when writing your last verse.
1.) This is your story's ending. Make it good, make it quick, and most of all, make it understandable!
2.) Think of all you wanted this song to say when you started. Did you forget anything? Look over your song to see what you can or cannot include. Remember, you can add more verses if you need to.
3.) Remember, there are no real rules to songwriting. Just say what's on your mind, say what's on your heart and say it the best you can. If you are pleased with the outcome, that is all that really matters, except those listeners ears!
