MUSIC EDUCATION

The Art of
Songwriting
Jack Riordan

Introduction
What do you consider the perfect song?
Maybe you think Chopin composed the
most interesting classical music, Bob Dylan wrote the best folk, or Frank Zappa
wrote the most experimental rock music.
If you answered yes or no to any of these
questions, then congratulations! You
have your own musical opinion, which
should be respected by all. There is no
correct taste in music. Similarly, there
is no correct way to write songs or
study the art of songwriting.

C HAPTER 1

Form
Song form has been around since the beginning of
time starting with the earliest forms of music. One of the
simplest forms, or strophic form, consists of a repeated
melody with different words or rhythms. This is typically
called AAA form because of its constant repetition.
AAA form can be found in early tribal music or slave
songs. This is also seen in the popular song, 99 Bottles of
Beer....

Personal Examples:
Complications
by Jack Riordan

Intro, Verse 1, Pre-chorus 1,

Verse 2, Pre-chorus 2, Chorus,
Verse 3, Pre-chorus 3, Chorus,
Bridge, Chorus (Inner Usage of
Strophic Form for Verse and
Pre-chorus

Jazz
by Jack
Riordan

Intro,
AABA, Extended C,
AABA,
Outro

The most common song structure, which can be

found from early church hymns all the way to current pop
music, is a Verse-Refrain form. A solo singer would sing
one verse by himself/herself, and the rest of the congregation would sing a catchy hook as the more memorable
and repetitious section. A popular form used most frequently in jazz music is called AABA form. The A section is repeated twice, which is then followed by a similar
or dissimilar B section. Sometimes, jazz artists change
the feel of the song completely when transitioning to the
B section. An example would be in the jazz standard, A
Night in Tunisia by Dizzy Gillespie. The A section is in a
Latin feel, but the band transitions into swing for the B.
Studying the form of songs is an effective way to approach
songwriting.
2

Alternatively, there is a form, or lack thereof, known

as free form. Free form can include any music that does
not have any repeating sections or motifs. A guitarist
named Henry Kaiser is known for his film scores and production, but mostly for his avant-garde guitar playing. He
receives copious amounts of negative feedback for his technical ability.

Henry Kaiser, Radio Flyer

Kaiser does not play this style of music for other people. He plays it to express himself in a creative and innovative way, which is important to mention. He does not limit
himself to a single genre or style. Kaiser, along with many
great songwriters, incorporates different aspects from
varying styles to reach his full songwriting potential. Selfexpression is the key to successful songwriting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kJus_qf2Pk

C HAPTER 2

Expression

E XPRESSION IN S ONGWRITING
1. Think Creatively - Some musicians try to
reach success by being carbon copies of an
artist that is already successful. There is no
issue with having influences, but look for
individuality within those influences.
2.

Listen and Learn - When listening to

different songwriters, try to focus on the
emotion the artist is portraying. Try to
research the reason that particular artist wrote
the song and how the artist communicated
their message (feel, mode, instrumentation).

3. Start Early - Achievement in songwriting

comes with personal experience. Write lyrics
frequently and try to hear how they would
work with a melody over chords.

All songwriters have their own way of approaching a

new composition. Some focus heavily on complex musical
ideas while some concentrate more on deep lyrics and
song meaning. Chris Thile, mandolin virtuoso and songwriter for Punch Brothers, once said that lyrics are his absolute last focus. He spends most time writing the arrangement of a song and adds the lyrics when the song is basically done. Bob Dylan, on the other hand, uses simple harmony and expressive vocabulary to tell a story. His lyrics
contain purposeful symbolism that alludes to war protests
and national struggle.
Personally, I have experimented with varying songwriting approaches to find one that effectively and easily
allows me to express myself. I have tried writing a melody
line first and harmonizing it with different chords and I
have written the entire instrumental part adding vocals
and melody afterwards. Ive come to realize the most productive way for me to write songs is to write unrelated sections over time and find a way to put them together. I believe that this has trained my ear to develop smoother harmonic transitions along with opening up new doors to
expression and bringing me one step closer to finding my
sound.

Multiple Choice

Quiz

1. __________ is most commonly found in jazz

music.

True or False?

a. Blues form
1. When writing music, you must follow
a certain formula for it to sound good.

True
False

b. AABA form
c. Standard form

2. Lyrics are the most important part

of a song.

True
False

2. When expressing yourself through songwriting, you

must
a. think creatively.

3. Self-expression is subjectively the most

important aspect of songwriting.

4. Henry Kaiser plays his music strictly

to please others.

True
False

True
False

b. listen to various types of music & learn how it

fits into the musical spectrum.
c. start writing music early, even before you are
proficient at your instrument.
d. All of the above

Bibliography

Hess, Tom. Express Yourself. Achieving Musical Self

Expression. Tom Hess Music Corporation, n.d. Web. 29
Nov. 2016
Meckler, DC. Song Forms. Song Forms. N.p., 1 Oct. 2006.
Web. 29 Nov. 2016.