INDIE MECHANICS
[ THE SECRET TO BETTER SONGWRITING IN 9 STEPS ! | Keith + Sue Mohr ]
That title got your attention , didn ’ t it ? Did your heart skip a beat ? Was your level of interest increased ? Were you feeling that , possibly , you found a clue how to do this songwriting thing better ? Well , we will let you in on the secret ; there is no secret . It is a continued process of defining and refining .
There are tips , though . Did you see how the paragraph above sparked your interest ? How it made you want to take a deeper look inside ? That is what a song needs to do to get the continued attention of the listener . We have been working with songwriters writing reviews of their songs . As consultants , we are able to step back and take a view of the entire picture , hands on our hips , ears ready to receive , without emotional attachment . One of the main things that continue to show up time and time again is that most of the songs do not grab the immediate attention of the listener . We found long intro ’ s , to forced lyrics , to boring melodies , to confusing changeups . If we feel a yawn coming on within the first 20 seconds , be sure that your listener will feel the same way .
With some of the reviews fresh on our minds , here are some tips to writing a better song .
TIP 1 The introduction needs to be short , but inviting . These days , people will not sit through 30 seconds of instrumental music to see what the song is all about . Online , they will move on to another song , or another artist profile . Get into Verse 1 by 10 seconds and start your story quick !
If you are not emotionally attached to a song and the song starts off with vague lyrics , are you going to want to listen further ? They might give you a line or 2 , but if something doesn ’ t reach out and grab their cerebral cortex , they are going to check out .
TIP 3 Reveal your chorus by the 1-minute mark , at the latest . Keep verse 1 short . Four lyric lines and then enter either a pre-chorus or right into the chorus . Make sure the chorus is different melody line wise than the verse . Do not repeat the same melody line over and over in the verse and chorus . Change it up . The last line of the chorus is where the hook should be . The very last part of the chorus lyric can either be your song title , or something that strongly suggests it . Have the song title somewhere in your song if possible . Make it memorable .
TIP 4
[ If we feel a yawn coming on within the first 20 seconds , be sure that your listener will feel the same way . ]
Verse 2 needs to continue the story from Verse 1 . Expand on the thought from Verse 1 , or maybe tell another side of the story that you told in the first verse . Make sure to keep your lyrics either first person or 3rd person . Switching back and forth will confuse the listener .
TIP 5 Get back into the chorus again and keep driving home the main thought , which is the hook . Make sure it makes sense ! Change the intensity , do something different musically . Keep the same melody line , or maybe give it more ummphh . Resist the urge to copy and paste chorus 1 into chorus 2 . different music , either break it down with the same chords , or use new chords and melody line . Try to keep the listener guessing . Also , a bridge without any lyric is not called a bridge . It ’ s called a musical interlude , or a solo section . Be an engine and not a caboose in your songwriting . Drive that train ! Don ’ t be pulled along .
TIP 7 Now get back into the chorus again , or maybe do another short verse with a final lyric thought . Come up with something that makes other songwriters say , “ I wish I ’ d thought of that !”
TIP 8 The end of the song is super important . Always leave the listener wanting more . You can end with a chorus or 2 , or maybe one final lyric line that really drives the hook home . Don ’ t leave the listener wondering what you were trying to say . A confused listener is not the goal of any songwriter .
TIP 9 Say what you mean to say . After writing your lyrics , take a hard , objective look to be sure the entire lyric takes the listener from Point A to B . Before you come up with a melody line , remove filler words that do not need to be there . Writing the song will flow better if you don ’ t write lyrics to a melody line . Write the lyrics first , then once they are clean and tight , write your melody line . Use as few words as possible to tell your story . Reduce it to the ridiculous .
Use the above as a guideline . These tips will help you start and finish a song . Apply them to one of those songs that are collecting dust on your shelf — Hopefully they will help you take an ordinary song and turn it into extraordinary .
TIP 2 The opening lyric line needs to be super strong ! Think about it from the listener standpoint .
TIP 6 Here ’ s where you may want to go into a bridge , which would be a new thought and hopefully
Creatively His ,
Keith and Sue Mohr
Sep � Oct 2016 ChristianMusician . com
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