And nothing will tear us apart

How your lovely lyrics get woven together with your marvellous melody is one of the most mysterious and magic match-makings in the world. But when the two strands of song are meshed well and truly, it becomes really hard just to say the lyrics - you literally have to sing them.  And that wonderful coupling is called prosody - working with the weave. 

​In songwriting, this means how your words and music match. On a fundamental level, it's how they work together to convey emotional meaning - minor chords with more sombre lyrics and major progressions with upbeat tunes. But prosody has many levels to it that you can incorporate consciously in your writing. Here's some.

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1. The contour of your melody

You can match where your melody rises and falls with the repetition and flow of your lyrics. Just as lyric phrases are made with groups of words, melodic phrases are constructed with small groups of notes (motifs). Both melodic phrases and lyric lines can be repeated - not necessarily at the same time or at the same pitch. A little shift can make a big difference to the shape of your melody.   Current Billboard 100 songwriting practice has the verse starting on a lower note than the pre-chorus, which is turn is lower than the chorus. Highest notes for the most memorable song section. 

 2. Rhythm of speech in song

But how long is spent on the strongest syllables and where they land within each bar is part of prosody too. Because lyrics are sung, they are filled with the rhythm of natural speech and songwriters can really go to town here (evidenced in rap and hip hop). Where do your key words land? Are the longest and strongest notes given to the most important syllables? Is your title highlighted melodically AND rhythmically? And do you have too many words per second for your mouth to move? Gotta breathe too!

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3. Intervals and rests. 

A word about what's actually not even there in songs. Space! Where will you put your nothing? The space vertically between notes is called an interval, and it can be up or down in pitch. The space horizontally between notes is called a rest and it can be  a very short time or several bars worth. It's space that makes us wait and long for the next line or the next beat. Think about where you put nothing in your song. We need some of that too!

Try this exercise today.  Here is a short lyrical phrase:      I want you in my life forever

Use this lyric above, write and record the following variations a capella ( with no backing - super basic!) on your phone

1. An eight note melody that rises throughout the phrase.
2. An eight note melody that falls and rises throughout the phrase.
3. Try it at 120 beats per minute - an uptempo rhythm
4. Try it at 90 beats per minute - the downbeat version.

Feel the difference! Let me know how you get on.

best wishes
Charlotte Yates 

ps Pleased to announce that the Song Doctor Mailer has been awarded one of the Top 75 Songwriting Blogs & Websites for Songwriters in the world. Well, fancy! 

pps Preparations are going well for the upcoming Songwriters Retreat this Waitangi Weekend Feb 2-6, 2018. Thanks so much for all your bookings and inquiries so far - exciting! Prosody, and how to really incorporate it into your songs, is a topic we'll cover in detail on Monday Feb 4 ( first session) Retreat Day 3. Get into it!