SONGWRITER TIP: USE CONTRAST TO GET ATTENTION!
by Robin Frederick (c) 2008.
Based on “Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting: 126 Proven Techniques for Writing Songs That Sell” available at Amazon.com.

Imagine you and I are standing in a room full of people. If I suddenly start yelling, I will get everyone’s attention. But if I keep on yelling at the same level for awhile, what happens? Pretty soon they all get bored and stop listening (and probably leave). It’s natural to think that being loud, is an attention-getter but if loudness becomes the norm then it ceases to be something we are interested in.

We are ‘hardwired’ to notice change. When something changes, we check it out. What’s happening? What’s different? It’s a survival mechanism, like the ‘fight or flight’ response. Once we are satisfied that everything is safe, we no longer need to devote energy to it and we disengage our attention. When I started yelling, everyone noticed the change; when they determined there was no threat, they disengaged their attention.

So, let’s try this. What happens if I yell for 30 seconds, then speak softly for 30 seconds, then yell again? Each of those changes in volume level will attract attention. It’s the change — the AMOUNT of change, which we call CONTRAST — that gets attention. Contrast says: “Hey, notice THIS! It’s different.” The more contrast, the more difference, the more it captures attention.

We’re going to do the same thing with songs: grab the listener’s attention and hold it by using CONTRAST!

If I sing in a loud, urgent tone of voice I will get attention, especially if the words are emotionally compelling – let’s call that a chorus. Then, if I employ a softer tone and the words reveal intimate details, I pull the listener closer, still keeping them involved because I’m doing something different. I’ve used contrast to create a new section. Let’s call this the verse. Then, when I return to the first section – louder, more urgent – I’ve got their attention again and it’s clear that we’re not in the verse anymore, we’re in the chorus. Thus, I have created a structured experience, directed the listener’s attention and successfully kept them involved in what I’m doing. And I used contrast to do it!
This example of yelling and whispering is pretty basic. In a song, we can create contrast with NOTE RANGE, PACE OF THE WORDS, and PHRASE LENGTHS. Try adding contrast to your songs by writing the verse in a low note range and the chorus in a higher note range or write a verse with a lot of words sung quickly and a chorus with slower, smoother delivery of the words. Listen to current hit songs and you’ll hear both of those techniques.

SONGWRITER TIP: LOOK FOR THE MELODY THAT LIVES IN YOUR LYRIC
by Robin Frederick (c) 2008.
Based on “Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting: 126 Proven Techniques for Writing Songs That Sell” available at Amazon.com.

Every time you open your mouth to speak, you start singing! Don’t believe me? Just try speaking without rhythm or pitch. You can’t do it. We generally imagine singing as something quite apart from everyday speech. People who think nothing of talking your head off, are scared to death if you ask them to sing a few notes. (Hmm, might be a good way to shut them up) In reality, when we speak we use pitch, volume, pace, rhythm, and words — all the elements of a song. The only difference is in a song these elements are exaggerated. Of course, we also add some repetition and a couple other things but to get your raw melody going, speech is all you need.

It’s the melody portion of speech that communicates emotion. In fact, just by changing the melody you can give the same words an entirely different emotional meaning. Try this: say the phrase “Oh, no?” as if you are asking a simple question. Now, say the same phrase –“Oh no!”-as if you are anxious and frightened. Notice the difference in the melody? Exaggerate the emotion in the second phrase and you’ll really hear it. In the first phrase the “no” has a slight rising melody. In the second phrase, the “no” has a slight downward melody, words were higher pitched, the pace is faster, the volume louder. Now try saying “Oh no.” with a sarcastic, disbelieving, ‘you’ve got to be kidding’ tone. It’s an entirely different melody from the other two.

We begin tuning into the melodic/emotional elements of speech from the time we are born, even before we ever understand the actual words being used. By the time we’re teenagers, even small nuances of melody convey loads of meaning. You can use this melodic element of speech to give your songs added emotional impact and credibility. If you’ve got a lyric that asks a question, try a rising melody on end of the phrase, just as if you were really asking a question. Or, if your questions are the kind that don’t really want an answer, try a descending melody on the end of the phrase. It will convey a lot of information and sound natural and believable to your listeners. If you’ve got a song with sarcasm in it, try lowering the melody a la “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon. Add a descending, ‘sighing’ note for a sense of resignation and hopelessness as at the end of the bridge in “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

To achieve the conversational tone of many of today’s verses, try speaking your verse lyric in an offhand, conversational manner, then exaggerate it a little to begin creating your verse melody. Keep the pauses that occur naturally and exaggerate the little ups and downs in your speaking voice. You’ll want to make changes later but, for now, this will give you a good place to start. Remember, this is your raw material, not the finished melody.

Choruses often have more energy and urgency, conveying more of the song’s emotional heart. As we saw with the “Oh, no!” phrase, the more emotion there is, the more the melody of speech tends to rise. That’s why very emotional pop and rock choruses work well in a higher note range. Speak the chorus lyric with as much emotion as you can put into it. Now, exaggerate the pitches, keeping the rhythm of the words and any pauses that occur naturally. This will get you started on your chorus.

Once you have found the melody your lyric wants, then sit down with your guitar or keyboard and starting roughing out the chords. I like to record my vocal ideas before I even start to add chords, that way I can recall the original “spoken word” melody if the chords start to pull me away.