Songwriting Masterclass: Song Structure

Song Structure & Useful Tools every songwriter needs to craft a compelling song. In the words of Ani DiFranco, “Every TOOL is a weapon if you hold it right.” I say not a weapon of cruelty, but one that is a force to be used to impose your will upon the world. Although the topic of song structure may seem like basic information I assure you that songwriters of all levels will get something from this material and that there are many gems within this material that you will find helpful as a songwriter. This course is not a how to structure a song, but is also a reflection on how and why certain structures work. Watch till end and I’ll give you some advice I came across, accidentally, that changed the way I think about songwriting entirely. So… Song Structure: As my friend Steve Gillette loves to say, “we are going to get all the sled dogs to pull in the same direction”. Writing a song is like telling a joke. If you don’t say it in the right order or mess up the punchline it doesn’t work.It makes all the difference between what is noise and what is song! The first question you must ask yourself is, “Who is my audience?” Once you are clear about who you are writing it will clarify your content. There are 2 basic main components of songwriting that I like to talk about.  The first is what I call the organizational mind, or analytical mind, and involves using your right brain to manage ideas, chord structure, work out the logistics, and do the editing in the end so that it all makes sense. Song structure uses the analytical part of brain.  Most artists will claim they have poor organizational skills, but that is something we can work on to become better. It is good practice to employ this side of your brain in some point when crafting a song. The other main component of songwriting is the creative mind and involves tapping into higher consciousness. It’s where intuition, insight, innovation, imagination, & resilience come into play. The aha! moments. I talk about this more in another class titled Creativity. It’s when we use both sides of our brain in harmony that we create the best songs! Think of your passion, intuition, and creative mind as the Creative Fire. The flame that burns inside of you and compels you to create songs in the first place. The wood or the fuel is the structure or foundation needed for the fire to feed off of. Without fuel, a fire will not burn. There is one more element we can add to this metaphor: Air. Air is the expertise, persistence, skill and practice it takes to bellow the fire so that the flames burn bright and reach high into the sky. I know a songwriter who never writes down a thing. She will create a song and recite it only from memory. I am not like that. If I don’t write it down and work it out it will be lost forever. That’s why for me, and most of us, having a songwriters journal is crucial to the songwriting process. I personally have two journals I keep with me. One for my creative writing and the other for more logistical things like booking, lists of tasks I need to do, and a place to keep contacts. It doesn’t matter what you call it: a journal, diary, notepad, binder, sketch book… Keep it with you at all times because you never know when inspiration will strike. It could happen while driving in the car, or just before you fall asleep, sitting on a bench in a park, while your jogging, or even in the bathroom! It may seem redundant to talk about it, but along with your songwriters journal you will need a writing utensil. I bring it up because it varies among peoples preferences. Your can choose from pens, markers, Sharpies, wood pencils, mechanical pencils, crayons, and of course typing. I know many other songwriters who find inspiration from using an old fashioned typewriter. The physical act of writing something down is like a magic spell. You are casting a spell. That is why it is called “SPELL-ing”! Although I know that using computers to type, phones to record ideas, and voice memos for speed and convenience have there place as tools in the songwriters toolbox, nothing can be more impactful in creativity than physically taking pen to paper. A thesaurus and rhyming dictionary are two tools a songwriter must have. They are tools that can help you with the Organizational part of your brain. A thesaurus can help you find alternatives for overused words and help you find words that are more colorful and descriptive when painting your audio landscape. A rhyming dictionary is useful for finding new words to include in your rhyme scheme. A regular dictionary is also a great tool to have in your songwriters tool box. I have literally taken the definition of a word from a dictionary and put it into a song word for word. Another great organizational tool is a calendar.