songstress abroad

Rhyming can make or break your song.

It’s also a very fine line to walk. If you choose words that are less appropriate for your lyrics just because they rhyme, it can take away from your song. On the other hand, the listener sometimes expects certain words and rhyming structure. Varying that structure can result in one of two things: a unique quirk that makes people listen, or disappointment.

How do you know the difference? I can’t really say.  It takes a lot of work and studying other people’s rhymes. I’d like to say it’s intuitive, but it isn’t. It’s a skill you have to practice to the point that it becomes intuition.

Here are a few rhyming exercises to get you started.  I recommend you purchase a rhyming dictionary–if you get bored, you can try reading passages out of it at high speed. It’s like a Dr. Seuss traffic jam on your tongue.

Exercise #1:

Pick a theme, preferably a mundane one that isn’t love. I like to look around the room and pick an inanimate object. Hey look, a coffee cup.  Awesome.

Next, pick a rhyme structure. I’m going to write a verse where the word at the of every sentence rhymes, and the last line of every verse rhymes. You could make it every second word, or even and odd lines, or none at all, or the last word of every verse. Totally up to you.

Now, just write down whatever, trying to make it rhyme.

my morning coffee mug

waits here like a hug

caffeine works out the bug

that’s been running through my head 

 I don’t wash it every day

the stains won’t go away

the handle’s cracked decay

fills my heart with dread

See? Not that hard.  It doesn’t make sense, but it helps to further sophisticate your rhyming abilities and song structure.

Exercise #2: Word Vomit

Okay, you’ve got a great idea for a song, but it’s just a general concept. Specifics always work better, so work on that, and your rhymes, by doing this exercise.

Take a piece of paper and write your theme at the top.  Now write down every word that comes into your head when you think of it. Brainstorm here, don’t eliminate everything, just write it all down for a minute or two. When the flow of words trickles out, stop and re-read them.

Find a group of words that is related, and write them down on another piece of paper. Now write down every single word you can possibly think of that rhymes with those words. Write ‘em all down.  Now you’ve got a cheat sheet!  Go to your instrument, start working on your song, and when you get stuck on a rhyme, you’ve got backup!

Exercise #3: Three chord wonder

Pick three chords, or a simple melody, and a sound commonly found at the end of words such as “ay” or “er” “tion”. Start singing your simple melody and ad-libbing words that end in that sound. Think annoying kid’s songs.  (they stick in your head for a reason, you know!)

I walked down the street/nothing on my feet/but a piece of toilet paper

I found it after eight/but my hand wasn’t on straight/so I left it there for later…

These are great little activities to do before you sit down to a serious songwriting session. It gets your mind working in all the right places, and the silliness loosens things up.

Happy writing!

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