There are many ways to approach the process of songwriting.  One of the most common questions once a melodic or lyrical idea is established as a starting point is “what next?”

Although it’s important not to feel confined by the idea of a generic template, such a device is useful in that it provides a basic map to follow as you assemble your ideas into a coherent whole.

Popular rock music is usually arranged around lyrics.  If you don’t have lyrics for your idea yet, you can use the various lyrical “building blocks” (verse, chorus, bridge, etc.) to assemble an arrangement.  First try to create to different dynamic parts from your main riff or chord progression in order to represent the songs’ verse and chorus.  For example, you might use a “palm mute” to bring the volume (dynamic) of a guitar part down to imply a vocal space, with a more aggressive strumming pattern representing the chorus.

By playing each part in turn, you can get a feel for the arrangement, and be that much closer to adding lyrics, either your own or a lyricists’.

A “bridge” is a commonly used device that connects the first half of a song to the second.

It can be instrumental or vocal, create a dynamic peak or valley, a solo space, or a number of other possibilities.  The main distinguishing element of a bridge is that it occurs once in a given song, although a piece may contain more than one bridge.

Here’s an example of a generic song arrangement of parts: top (chorus)/ verse/ chorus/ verse/ chorus/ bridge/ verse/ chorus x2/ end.  Since lyrics often follow even numbers of lines, repeat each of your chord progression or melody 2, 4, or 8 times depending on length.  This will give you a chance to hear how well the idea flows with repetition.

If possible, record your idea so you can experiment with lyrics at your leisure, or give it to a lyricist.

Microphone technique is an aspect of vocal performance that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves.  How a singer uses a mic on stage can make or break a show.  After all, what does a vocalists’ skill count for if the sound quality is bad or barely present?

 A “dynamic” microphone is most commonly used for live sound.  This type of mic takes advantage of electromagnet effects.  In a dynamic microphone a membrane called a “diaphragm” moves either a magnet or a coil when struck by sound waves, and the movement creates a small current.  They generally have a relatively small “cardioid pattern” which is the area of sound sensitivity radiating from the tip of the microphone.

Because of this limited sensitivity, dynamic microphones are ideal for use onstage, which is often a very noisy enviroment. Proximity to the mic is crucial for the same reason, as even a slight change in the position of the vocalists’ mouth relative to the cardioid pattern can dramatically effect the volume of the signal.

An experienced singer will vary the distance from the mic according to volume, in order to maintain consistent signal level.  It’s important to develop familiar physical postures in order to achieve this more or less automatically.  

One method is to curl your fingers around the mic with the thumb positioned underneath the end of its’ protective screen, allowing  you to rest the thumb joint agianst your chin.  This will keep your lips within the cardioid pattern while enabling you to move your head without affecting volume.  If you want to move the mic to reduce the amount of signal, be sure you keep the screen aligned with your mouth, and its’ length perpendicular to your spine.    

The last post described a common method for counting rhythm by assigning numbers and syllables to the various note values. By emphasizing or accenting different sounds in the verbal count, a variety of patterns can be expressed using the voice only. Although it is possible to “beat box” a rhythm by making drum-like sounds with your voice, the more formal number and syllable system allows for the identification of a specific beat in a phrase or song. For example you might say to the drummer in your band: “it’s the “and” of the third quarter note in the fourth measure of the verse that I want you to accent with a cymbal crash.” Let’s experiment a little with describing 4/4 drum kit rhythms using accent placement.

Here is an example of “straight” or synchronized time with the snare drum accents falling on quarter notes: 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4. This is an example of a “common” time feel, the history of which may be rooted in the simple rhythm of walking.

Now we’ll add 8^th notes, and place the accent outside the quarter notes. Think of the 8^th notes as “up” beats and the quarter notes as “down” beats.

1- and- 2- and-3- and- 4- and- 1- and- 2- and- 3- and- 4- and (repeat).

Notice how the feel is dramatically changed. This is because by placing the accents outside the quarter note down beats, a more syncopated rhythm is described. Syncopation means that the beats occur within the overall rhythmic framework, but not on a consistent downbeat pattern from measure to measure. By accenting different 8ths and quarter notes you can describe all kinds of different rhythms without changing the time signature.

Musicians with some knowledge of the “language of music” (i.e. music theory) have at least a general idea of how note lengths (whole, half, quarter, etc.) represent rhythm in a song. Yet even those who have a fair amount of sight-reading experience sometimes have difficulty getting the “feel” for odd-time signatures or unfamiliar rhythmic phrases.

The “time signature”, usually represented by a fraction, traditionally has a somewhat long-winded description: “the top number tells you how many beats are in a measure, and the bottom number which note value gets one beat.” The first time I heard that, I felt a little unsure of weather or not I understood it. Even the “common time” example of 4/4- “there are 4 beats in a measure, and a quarter note gets one beat,” still seemed over-complicated to me.

Now maybe that’s in part due to my taurian thick-headedness, but why not simplify? Let’s break down the time signature as directions for a verbal count of rhythm. How should time be counted? First we assign numbers and syllables to the various note values using numbers for quarter notes, and other sounds for smaller note fractions. With this in mind, a description of 4/4 would read “count 4 quarter notes for each measure.” Literally as easy as counting “1,2,3,4,” over and over to describe the “common time” feel, which is similar to walking.

As smaller note values are introduced, syllables are added to the verbal count between the quarter notes. Eighth notes are counted: “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and.” This allows us to keep track of 8 notes in a measure without losing the quarter note count. Some students have asked: “why not just count to 8 instead?” Numbers above 6 include those with more than one syllable, which interrupt the important one-syllable-per-note aspect of verbal rhythmic articulation. Thus the word “seven” takes up too much space in speech to represent one note in a measure. Sixteenth notes are counted: “1 e and ah 2 e and ah 3 e and ah 4 e and ah,” which is usually abbreviated to: “1 e + a 2 e +a 3 e + a 4 e + a.”

For notes below sixteenths (32^nd, 64^th, etc.) the same sounds are used with greater density. You can use the above method in combination with rests and accents to verbally describe virtually any rhythmic aspect of music.

How many times have you heard the phrase “music theory made simple”, only to find subsequent writings and information on the subject were anything but? Some years ago I decided to write a book encompassing my own exploration of fingerboard theory for the guitar and in order to do some research, went to a few websites. Here are a few examples of what I found:

Music theory

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Music theory is a field of study that involves an investigation of the many diverse elements of a music, including the development and methodology for analyzing, hearing, understanding, and composing music. While musicology may include any statement, belief, or conception of or about music, music theory is limited to (1) discussions concerning synchronic (or diachronic) events of a specific composition (or compositions) and (2) abstract music-theoretic issues (e.g., set theory, group theory, tonal tension theory, etc.). A person who practices music theory is a music theorist.

While this is a reasonably concise and thorough definition, it doesn’t exactly make the average musician who is aspiring to increase their knowledge of the subject feel all warm and fuzzy about the prospect! Here’s another from an “introduction to music theory” for teens and adults who play an instrument but haven’t had much instruction in theory:

Where Octaves Come From

Musical notes, like all sounds, are made of sound waves. The sound waves that make musical notes are very evenly-spaced waves, and the qualities of these regular waves - for example how big they are or how far apart they are - affect the sound of the note. A note can be high or low, depending on how often (how frequently) one of its waves arrives at your ear. When scientists and engineers talk about how high or low a sound is, they talk about its frequency. The higher the frequency of a note, the higher it sounds. They can measure the frequency of notes, and like most measurements, these will be numbers, like “440 vibrations per second.”

Once again, valuable information, but not for someone who is looking for a practical approach that doesn’t involve a physics lesson! Music theory is a HUGE field, spanning all aspects of the interaction between pitch and rhythm, so it’s understandable that getting started can be a daunting task to contemplate. As with any broad subject, the most important step is to establish the perspective of the individual seeking information.

Are you a vocalist desiring to improve your ability to arrange lyrics into melodies, or a guitar player who’d like to know how to harmonize lead solos? Obtaining a fundamental understanding of music theory is much easier with your particular application in mind: while a vocalist should certainly know about harmony, how often will a singer find a use for altered chord extensions?

A good start for understanding melodic theory in popular western music styles can be based on the following concepts.

1) The seven notes of the major scale are the cornerstone of western melody and chord construction.

2) Each note of the major scale represents a distinct melodic potential or “mode” including the minor scale.

3) There are seven chords associated with each major key. The chords are formed by skipping every other note within the scale beginning with the root note. For example, the first chord of the key of “C” would include the notes “C”, “E”, and “G” which make up the “C” chord.

In my exploration of music, I have found that no matter how advanced a melodic musical idea or example is, it is ultimately based on the above fundamentals. Granted, this is a little like saying “if you can measure and cut wood you can frame a house”. Obviously there is more to it than that, but effectively applying extended chords, altered scales, counterpoint and harmony all rely on an understanding of the major scale, chords and modes.

I’ve……..got…..to……WRITE- every day, apparently. Getting started is kind of like waking up in the morning after a particularly tiring night. Ideas like flocks of nervous birds flutter in a confused mess as I mentally look around for my cerebral shotgun to bring a few of them down, a metaphor admittedly a result of the aforementioned hard night which brings me in a roundabout way to the topic of lyric writing. (Whew!)

The most common barrier to lyric creation is the way in which the words in a song are perceived by the writer. Too often preconceptions about content and delivery eclipse the flow of ideas: writers tend to obsess about subject matter, word choice, and rhyme schemes rather than the arguably more relevant issue of how effective a vehicle for the communication of emotion the lyrics are. This is not to say aesthetics are unimportant, as a flowing, measured arrangement of syllables is conducive to rhythmic and melodic delivery. Rather that through the application of phrasing and melodic improvisation, almost any writing can become lyrics! The degree to which we are moved by singing often has little relation to the actual words in a song. How many times have you read written lyrics to a well-liked song only to find that they appear nonsensical?

As long as the vocalist sings convincingly and with feeling, the content of the lyrics needn’t impede the enjoyment of the song. “Jingles”-short, catchy tunes that incorporate product description into song lyrics for advertising- are an example. One might think singing “all natural, nine grain bread with no preservatives” would be awkward, but with the right separation of syllables it can be made to flow naturally and even rhyme in a roundabout way:

All natural, nine-grain bread

With no preser-vatives

“Bread” and “preservatives” don’t rhyme poetically, but with a little creative inflection on the part of the singer the last syllable in the word “preservatives” can be made to share similar vowel characteristics with “bread”. Simply pronounce “preservatives” with a short “e” in place of “i”, and you have your “lyrical” rhyme!

Many other long and short vowel sounds are somewhat interchangeable, even more so if you add accents, slang, and other colloquialisms. “Grow” and the word “you”, “scream” and “tame”, “trip and “left”, are more examples of vowel sounds that can be made to be lyrically compatible.