An Introduction - this is the section at the beginning which leads into the song. Sometimes it might sound different from the rest of the song, might be faster or slower, or it might not exist at all. Many songs do not have an introduction, so don’t feel like you have to use it. [3] X Research source A Verse - This is the main part of the song. It is usually fifty percent to twice the number of lines as the chorus but it does not have to be. What gives away a section of a song as a verse is that the melody is the same but the lyrics are different between the different verses. [4] X Research source A Chorus - The chorus is the part of the song that repeats without changing: both the lyrics and melody are unchanged or nearly unchanged. This is usually where you try to fit the catchiest part of your song (usually called the hook). [5] X Research source A Bridge - The bridge is a part that exists in some songs but not all. Usually coming sometime after the second chorus, the bridge is a part of the song that sounds completely different than the rest of the song. It is usually short, just a line or two of lyrics, and will sometimes lead into a key change. [6] X Research source
C usually signifies a bridge, other letters that you see cited elsewhere likely just mean that that section of the song is none of the traditional parts and is unique to itself (sort of like taking a verse from a different song and putting it in).
Do your exercises every day to help you brainstorm. In time, this may help you write better lyrics.
What you consider to be a good song might differ from someone else’s preferences. Focus more on what you like because that’s what’s important. For practice, you might try writing different lyrics for a song you like. You might change a few lines or create a totally new version.
If you’re not sure what kind of music you want to write, give your favorite songs a listen and look for similarities. Find the song writers who penned your favorite songs. Then, check out their body of work to look for trends and to evaluate their style.
Songwriting is an art-form, so it’s good to develop your own style. Don’t feel like you need to do what everyone else is doing.
Lyric writing may go through stages. Don’t worry if what you’re putting down on paper doesn’t look like a song at first. You’ll be able to shape it later. Keep everything. If you write a single sentence of a song down, it always leads to something else sooner. It’s okay if your songs aren’t very good at first. You can always revise them to write better lyrics.
Journal entries can be a big inspiration for a song. For instance, when you’re going through hard times, you might write song lyrics that encapsulate your frustration, despair or hope. This will help your listeners relate to you. You’re probably going to get writer’s block, as it happens to everyone. The best way to get past writer’s block is to just get words down on paper. Don’t worry if they’re good or not.
Think of a section of music as being like four cups of water. Now, you can pour half of one of the cups into a fifth cup, but that now means that you have two half-full cups. The first doesn’t get any more water in it. You similarly can’t add extra beats without making it up somewhere (usually with a pause).
If you’re writing the song for yourself, you’ll need to find your own vocal range. First, warm up your voice, then hum and drop your voice down as low as you can go. The lowest you can go while still humming clearly is the bottom of the range. Then, go as high as you can go. Wherever you can hold a note for 3 seconds, that’s the top of your range. [10] X Expert Source Amy Chapman, MAVoice & Speech Coach Expert Interview. 1 April 2020. If you’d like to improve your vocal range, repeat this exercise, but try to stretch your voice a little further each time you do so. [11] X Expert Source Amy Chapman, MAVoice & Speech Coach Expert Interview. 1 April 2020.
A good example of this is the USA’s national anthem, after the line “For the land of the free”. There is a pause before “And the home of the brave”, which allows the singer to recover from the very powerful previous few bars.
A good example of an alternative to this “I’m so sad” thing is from Damien Rice’s song The Animals Were Gone: “At night I dream without you, and hope I don’t wake up; ‘Cause waking up without you is like drinking from an empty cup”. Brainstorm some ideas so you can see what you have and choose or even build off of an existing idea. It is probably best if you have an inspiration.
Good: “You make me feel real again/You just have to smile and I know/The sun’s coming out - Amen!” Bad: “I really love my cat/My cat is where it’s at/Her tail looks like a bat/She’s getting kind of fat. . . " Of course, there are some genre considerations. Rap often has far more rhyming than other genres, but even then it’s not required. It’s just stylistic.
For example, Macklemore’s Same Love uses many examples of assonance rhymes and other non-standard rhymes: lately/daily, anointed/poisoned, important/support it, etc.
Try to write a great first line to hook the listener. Revising your song is the best way to write better lyrics.
With practice, you may be able to teach yourself how to play a musical instrument. However, you might prefer to take classes. This will make it easier to learn proper techniques and concepts like chord progression. Learning to write music will help you write a whole song rather than just writing song lyrics.
