Entry posted by Kel
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Syllables.
We know all about them. They are in every word we speak, think, say, sing or write. Yet why is this fundamental building block of language completely overlooked when we are overcome by our creative urges? I'm no Freud (but yes, it IS my mother's fault!) and I'm far from anything anyone in any way may consider intellectual, but I think it's a choice we make! Choice! Not just a word the Kiwis have adopted as their own! You've heard about the case currently before the International Copyright Organisation, (a sort of parent figure to all national Copyright offices from every nation) that whenever anyone not from New Zealand uses the word "choice" in a sentence in public, a royalty must be collected by the appropriate Performing Rights Organisation and paid to the New Zealand Department of Culture and Heritage, haven't you?
I'm the first to advise anyone not to bother editing while the Muse is sitting on your shoulder and whispering her/his sweet words into your ear. Go with it, run free like the buffalo... sorry I digress! The Muse must not be interrupted. But when she's finished and gone for a cup of tea and a lay down, then it's time to revise.
Just look at our beautiful lyrics! I'm brilliant! I'm clever, and oh, I'm gonna be rich!
Nup! Not gonna happen, well not that easily anyway. Sure we hear about inspiration hitting songwriters in the most awkward of places. Willie Nelson and his furious scribblings of "On The Road Again" on a napkin while flying the friendly skies. Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore and the other Deep Purplers scratching away at "Black Night" in a 15 minute download at a restaurant. Athol Guy writing "Georgie Girl" on the back of a coaster at a pub, or the Troggs drunken recording session that blessed the world with "Wild Thing"! One day I'll tell the story behind Forever And A Day!
True these are wonderful stories. But don't for one moment think they're the whole story. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't there, but remembering the mystique we love to entwine around ourselves, as creators of songs, stories and insights beyond the comprehension of most music consumers, let's not let the truth get in the way of a good story. Even if these songwriters never changed a word from what they first scribbled down, I'll bet my left one they still revised what they had come up with while the Muse was delivering.
And here lies the true subject of this entry. Revision. Not just because we love reading our "pearls of wisdom!" but because we need to get them right!
I'm a bit of a structure Nazi. In fact I get requests from other Songstuffers particularly asking me to critique their lyrics. And I'm tough on the rules (well, not so much rules, as a set of guidelines, really!) of successful songwriting. Remember I don't profess to being a "successful songwriter" but I try to pay attention to successful traits. Why, because I want to be a successful songwriter, so I look for whatever is common to successful songs. I'm not going to get into an argument about how success is defined. Well at least not without alcohol being involved. For the sake of needing a yardstick of some sort, I look toward the common elements of songs that reach #1 in the charts. I don't care what charts, Country, Pop, Soul, Nursery Rhyme, Pie, Bar... anything. From what I have seen they all have several things in common. And fundamental to this is Structure, in my belief. (Note the capital, that means it's important!)
Lets look at Structure for a sec. Or rather, lets look at what it is not... it is not whether you use two verses, two choruses, a bridge and another chorus, or verse, verse, bridge, verse. That is Form. There are already great articles on Form here at Songstuff. I don't believe in re-inventing a wheel, as I've said before.(Though I think a square one would be great, imagine the control going down a steep hill!)
Structure is about the construction of each of the elements of form. The way a verse is put together. The way a chorus is presented. Line by line. That is what I mean by Structure.
Here are the rules (okay, okay, more a set of guidelines, really!) that I try to stick to:
1. All verses have the same number of lines,
2. All verses use the same melody,
3. Each line within a verse has the same syllable count as the same line in all other verses.
Verse 1
Line 1 :10 syllables
Line 2: 8 syllables
Line 3: 12 syllables
Line 4: 7 syllables
Line 5: 9 syllables
Line 6: 5 syllables
Verse 2
Line 1 :10 syllables
Line 2: 8 syllables
Line 3: 12 syllables
Line 4: 7 syllables
Line 5: 9 syllables
Line 6: 5 syllables
Verse 3
Line 1 :10 syllables
Line 2: 8 syllables
Line 3: 12 syllables
Line 4: 7 syllables
Line 5: 9 syllables
Line 6: 5 syllables
I bet you're glad I'm not Bob Dylan!
Before you go charging off and count all your syllables, there is another aspect that is just as important. And that is accent. I'm not talk about the Proclaimers singing The Devil Went Down to Georgia type of accent, I mean making sure the syllables align with conversational speech patterns. I gave an example somewhere using "The rain in Spain."
In normal conversational speech, the accents (in bold) may be:
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.
Say that a few times, out load. You can pretend you're rehearsing for Eliza Doolittle if you like...
Now say it like:
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.
Sounds a bit odd, right?
Sure does. Unless where you come from that is how everybody says it, it will sound odd. So why sing it odd? By paying attention to accents, we keep the lyrics conversational and easy to understand. Rarely do successful songs pronounce a word in a way we wouldn't expect. Remember, not everyone will be sitting in a booth with headphones on listening intently to every lyric.
Rarely do successful songs pronounce a word in a way we wouldn't expect.
Say that out loud:
Rarely do successful songs pronounce a word in a way we wouldn't expect.
Lesson over.
In summary...
1 Try to keep the shape of your verses consistent with other verses... we do that by keeping out syllable count similar in corresponding lines of all verses.
2. Try to have words pronounced how we would say them in everyday speech. Test the accents by speaking the lyrics out loud.
3. When you are as famous as Bob Dylan, you can do whatever the hell you want!
Now, the part you're all waiting for... the next installment.
Don't forget to vote in the poll at the top of the page. YOU determine what comes next!
Early leader is "Where did THAT idea come from?"
Cheers,
Kel
Resources: Pat Patisson from somewhere on the net!
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