An Interactive Song Writing Flow Chart

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An Interactive Song Writing

Flow Chart

Writing a song is one of the most simple and beautiful things we can do as human beings yet it's

often perceived as a lofty goal best left to someone else. I wrote this chart to help my

students create music and perceive song writing as a manageable and rewarding activity. You'll see

that my written phrasing and level of required pre-requisite knowledge is geared towards 6th-8th

grade students but could easily be adapted to other levels. Every blue button is clickable and

will take you to the next step in your creative process (like a "choose your own adventure" book).

I'd love to hear your feedback through

www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Brian-Lenz

Good luck in writing and remember to enjoy the process!

-Brian

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Songwritin' Time:

Among all the types of musical composition, the song may be the most common. The

defining characteristics of a song are:

1.

A singer performing melodies on text

& 2.

Accompanying instruments or voices (unless there are none in which case we're left with

only 1 defining characteristic).

There are several ways to write a song. This file will guide you through the steps that

will hopefully lead you to some good sounds. If you find yourself feeling the urge to

jump ahead, go out of order, or forget this file altogether (for a while) then go for it,

this should fuel your creativity, not slow it down.

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Where to Start?

We're looking for

Lyrics

,

Melodies

, &

.

Starting can be the hardest part some times.

Choose (and click on) one of the ideas to begin.

Put your hands on an instrument

(or voice) (or paper) and see

what comes out.

I'd really like some

specific help getting

started...

Play (or listen to) a different

song you know, find something

great about it and put that great

thing in your song.

Close your eyes and

hope something

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Eyes Closed

There are thoughts and ideas rolling around your head all the time,

the challenge is getting them out. Let yourself be totally still

for a while - physically move to a place where you're away from

distractions and see what happens. Thoughts will appear in your

mind, whatever presents itself is the most anxious to get out. Find

some thoughts you like and turn them into lyrics. OR mentally 'hum'

a little tune and see how it sounds. OR think of what you want the

'backdrop' of your song to be and consider what chords would make

that happen.

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Throw Your Hands At It

Grab an instrument you like and start making noise on it. The point here is NOT to have

a plan so just play and listen. When you hear yourself make a good sound, do that good

sound again and again and then expand it into something more (repeat it on different notes,

change the rhythm a little and do it again, add some rests between repetitions, etc.).

Keep going until you've stumbled across something you like. Or in the case of writing (or

typing) to look for lyrics you do basically the same thing. Open your notebook (or

computer) and write for 5 minutes straight. Don't plan it out, don't have a conclusion in

mind, and DON'T LET YOUR PEN STOP MOVING! 5 minutes from now you'll see what's on

your mind. The nice thing about this technique is that it allows you freedom to 'dive in

head first' and be a little reckless (which is a good thing right now). The bad thing is

that your hands might just play things they've done before and not look for new ideas.

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Borrow a Great Thing

I'm not suggesting that you copy anyone else's ideas, only that you look for inspiration

until you find it.

Step 1: Think of a song that is fantastic

Step 2: Play or listen to it

Step 3: Listen for what makes it so good. Are the lyrics telling a great story? Is the

melody fun to sing? Are the chords of the instruments exciting? Is the performer wildly

confident?

Step 4: Put that great thing in your song. Write a great story inspired by theirs. Make

your melody fun to sing. Make your chords exciting. Perform it all with great confidence.

Hopefully you'll be inspired and come up with something original. If your composition ends

up sounding too much like the original you can change things or call it 'My song,' inspired

by 'other song' That being said, if it sounds just like the original you haven't actually

composed anything, only copied theirs. If this is the case, try again.

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No Problem

Thomas Edison's first 9,000 light bulbs didn't work

Babe Ruth struck out twice as often as he hit a home run

Not every attempt is a success

Everyone fails, not everyone is brave enough to try again.

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Incorrect

The correct answer was 'Try Again!'

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AWESOME!

What do you have?

Chords

Actually... none

of these

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Ok

Which element of your song would you like to start with?

Chords

Melody

lyrics

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Composing a Melody

A melody:

it's what you hum after hearing a song. it's what your voice can do all by itself.

To compose one, you can start with long notes. Next, make them a pattern (you can

start with a scale if you get desperate). sing that pattern a bunch of times until it's

definitely memorized. sing it again but put in a couple short notes between the long

notes. Then change some more... add more 'in-between' notes, add a random high or low

note, perhaps change when your original long notes happen. When you find something you

like, sing it over and over so it doesn't get forgotten. Then reconsider your tempo and

time signature to make it just right. If you have 1 unsuccessful attempt, just try it

again.

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Writing Lyrics

is writing a poem

or a letter

or telling a story by yourself

or telling a story with all the characters telling their own part

or is 1 tiny part of a play

or shouting for joy

or what you wish you could tell someone but can't

or what you would say to the whole world if only they'd listen

or what you want to tell just 1 person

The truth of it is that the subject matter of songs can be almost anything and people will love it as long

as it's done well. If you're a planner, map out some lyrics first and then fill them in. If you're feeling

dangerous, just start writing and don't let your pen stop moving until your page is full.

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Choosing Chords

Chords are the background to a song

...the notes that happen behind the melody

...notes that get 'felt' more than 'heard'

...the background for a song like a backdrop in a painting or the set of a movie

Chords don't have to be complicated, there are great songs with 2 chords and there are

compositions with a ridiculous number of chords. Simple songs can be made of simple

patterns of 2, 3, or 4 chords (perhaps with a new pattern for each section of a song).

Finding chords option 1: Just pick some chords and see how they sound together. This

method can result in unexpected sounds that can make interesting music.

Finding chords option 2: Some knowledge of key signatures can give you more structure in

choosing chords. This can help get you started but can become predictable if you never

take chances. You can click on the button for some more information on key signatures

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Cool! A Melody

The melody is usually the most prominent part of a song, take a bit

of time to sing it again. Make any improvements you can think of

and remember that you can always edit it later. Also, your song

could have different sections so it would be nice to have multiple

melodies ready to use. Before going on, repeat your melodies for

memory or record them for reference.

What's next?

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Adding Melody to Lyrics

This step has some built-in assistance. Text naturally has rhythms made of syllables and

pauses. The rhythm of your melody is already done!

Here's how: Speak your lyrics and feel their natural rhythm. Clap the rhythm as you say

it. Put that same rhythm onto notes (on a xylophone, piano, guitar, etc.) and you've got

a melody. If you don't like the natural rhythm of the text, change the pauses, accents,

and word groupings and try again. The other secret is that our spoken phrases already

have some elements of pitch. Listen for whether your sentences end with higher notes,

lower notes, longer notes, or shorter notes. Plug these into your melody and you're on

your way! Also, when looking for notes, consider the mood of the lyrics - are they sad?

happy? repetitive? spastic? Making the mood of the melody fit that of the text usually

gets the job done. If it doesn't work right away give it another shot.

done!

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Adding Melody to Chords

This step can be simple.

Step 1: Play your chords and sustain each one until it's time to play the next (these are

long notes).

Step 2: Each time you play a chord, play a single note along with it. Do this over and

over until you find a melody (you like) that has the same rhythm as your chords.

Step 3: Keep the long chords but add more to the melody - put new notes between the

ones you have, put silences in there, add notes that connect the existing ones, add notes

that are higher or lower than the others, consider making your original notes happen at

different times than the chords, basically just make it sound interesting. If it doesn't

work right away give it another shot.

done!

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Yeah Lyrics!

Lyrics can be the foundation of a song. They can tell stories, pass on the

history of a people, or make a declaration of love. OR lyrics can just be the

vowels and consonants that come out of the singer's mouth - a connection of

words that only serves its melody. There are great examples of each in the

world. Now that you have a start, consider the role of your lyrics and add or

subtract as much text as you need.

What's next?

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Adding Lyrics to Melody

This step has some built-in assistance. Your melody already has rhythm and

pitch which happen to be 2 key elements of spoken text. It's possible to take

the sounds of your melody and find lyrics that fit. Here's how: Play 1 segment

of your melody over and over. Listen to the rhythm and see if any words

(with naturally similar rhythms) seem to fit. Try singing the melody on

nonsense syllables and slowly turn them into text. Also, see how high and low

pitches can suggest particular lyrics. The mood of the melody can also be

reflected in your lyrics. If you have a sad melody you can look for sad lyrics,

happy lyrics for happy melodies, etc. As usual, if it doesn't work right away

give it another shot.

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Adding Lyrics to Chords

This step can be pretty abstract and definitely requires some

creativity. Listen to your chords and think of what they might

suggest. A mood? A scene? A person? A story? A place? Whatever

you hear is the right answer and a starting point for your lyrics.

Take them in one direction and see where they go. Keep writing (you

can always get rid of parts you don't love) until it feels like

something. Give it a listen and see if the lyrics and chords work

together. If so, awesome! If not, try again.

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Cool, You Have Chords

Chords can serve as the backdrop for your song, setting the stage for your

melody and lyrics. Usually chords aren't noticed as strongly as the other 2

elements but they still serve an important role. Your song could be

remembered as being 'happy' 'sad' 'interesting' or 'boring' based on your chord

choices. Re-examine your chords and make sure they provide interest (without

getting too redundant) and present the mood you want to achieve.

What's next?

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Adding Chords to Melody

This step can be simple. Sing your melody a few times to get it rolling in your

head. Keep singing it and also stomp a foot (or clap some hands) whenever you

feel an important pulse in the music. Depending on your tune & preference this

might be once per measure, every 4 measures, twice per measure, etc.. These

foot stomps are when you're going to insert chords. Sing your melody and

sustain the note that happens on the first stomp. Keep singing that note while

looking for a chord that you like with it. There are multiple chords that can

work with your notes so look around and choose the best one. Repeat this

process for each foot stomp until you've got a chord for each one (you might

play the same chord multiple times). If it doesn't work the first time, try it

again.

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Adding Chords to Lyrics

This step can seem pretty abstract but the text will have clues

to help you choose chords. Step 1: Read the lyrics and get a sense

for their overall tone. Are they calm? suspenseful? familiar?

unusual? Step 2: Look for chords that have similar feelings. Step

3: Keep looking. Step 4: Decide when the chords should happen.

Should they rotate in a constant pattern? Should they emphasize

particular lyrics? As usual, if this doesn't work the first time give

it another shot.

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Adding Melody to Chords and Lyrics

The abstract thought: Your chords are providing a background for your song. Your lyrics

are providing a story, characters, or some other element of action. The melody can help

illustrate the feelings of the chords and lyrics. They can support the statements you've

already started.

A concrete approach: While playing the chords, speak the lyrics. Do it again but this time

tap the rhythms that you're speaking. Do it again but this time tap piano keys, xylophone

bars, or guitar notes and keep going until you find a melody that suits your chords and

lyrics.

Another concrete approach: Play the chords and look for a long-noted melody to fit it.

Once you find a simple melody for your chords, insert the text of the lyrics (which add

rhythm) to the notes of the melody. Change as many or as few notes/words of your

melody to make it interesting.

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Adding Lyrics to Chords and Melody

The abstract thought: Your chords are providing a background for your song. Your

melody is illustrating feelings & emotions that could use some text to help make them

more clear for the listener. Listen to your chords and melody see what kind of story,

which type of character, or what scene they want to tell.

A concrete approach: While playing the chords, sing the melody. Do it again but this time

sing different notes of the melody on different vowel sounds. Do it again and be even

more daring... try tossing in consonants or even full words. Keep doing this until some

interesting text falls out of your mouth. Whatever idea you just stumbled upon, keep

going with it! Perhaps it's a phrase, a name, a place, or something else entirely but it's

something! Expand your lyrics using; linear thoughts, stream-of-consciousness writing, or

more 'experimental' singing. As usual, if it doesn't work the first time just try it again.

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Adding Chords to Lyrics and Melody

The abstract thought: Your melody is providing emotion for your song; guiding a listener

to perceive it as 'calm' 'bouncy' 'crazy' 'simple' etc.. Your lyrics are providing a story,

characters, or some other element of action. The chords can help illustrate the feelings

of the chords and lyrics. They provide a background for this material just like a stage

provides the background for a play. Decide what feelings are being portrayed and what

chords can help support that.

A concrete approach: While singing your melody on your lyrics, clap your hands whenever

you feel an important pulse in the music. Depending on your tune & preference this might

be once per measure, every 4 measures, twice per measure, etc.. These claps are when

you're going to insert chords. Sing your melody and sustain the note that happens on the

first stomp. Keep singing that note while looking for a chord that you like with it.

There are multiple chords that can work with your notes so look around and choose the

best one. Repeat this process for each foot stomp until you've got a chord for each one

(you might play the same chord multiple times). If it doesn't work at first, try it again.

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Melody and Lyrics? Whoo!

You have 2 key elements of your song. In order to not forget

what you have right now it would be smart to go to GarageBand and

record yourself. OR play it over and over until it's stuck in your

head. OR write it down on staff paper.

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Melody and Chords? Whoo!

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Chords and Lyrics? Whoo!

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Lyrics & Melody & Chords? Hazaa!

You have all the key elements of your song! Again, it's time to go

to GarageBand and record yourself. OR play it over and over until

it's stuck in your head. OR write it down on staff paper.

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I'm Glad You Asked

Listen to your recording

Walk away from it for a little while so you can 'listen with fresh

ears' and have a better perspective on how it really sounds.

Show it to your friends and get their reaction.

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Now it's Time to Edit

Mmm... Editing.

This is not always the most fun part of the process but it can be exciting to hear your

song go from a rough sketch to a real composition

Reconsider the tempo and time signature

Reconsider the key signature if the melody seems too high or low

Change any notes of the melody that seem too boring, too strange, too easy, or too hard

Change any text that doesn't interest you any more

Change any chords that don't make the song as exciting, peaceful, calm, or crazy as you

want

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Fantastic

Editing can be hard and you might need to go back to it a couple

times, stay strong.

Now it's time to consider the form of your song

Are there sections in your song? Would it be better if there were

more sections to add contrast? Would it better if there were

less sections to keep it more concise? Decide the order and

repetition of your sections and you've got yourself a form.

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and then We Add Things

Your song has everything it needs to be a freestanding piece of art, if you

decide that it's best in a simple form without any additional instruments then

that's fine. Or... you could still add more. Consider what instrument(s) will play

your chords. Will they play the notes of the chords all at once or separately?

Consider adding instruments that don't play chords at all but play new

melodies. You could add other voices that sing harmony (with or without text).

You can add percussion instruments that only need rhythms.

Got it!

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Details, Details, Details

If you've done this all in 1 sitting you're probably real tired by now, you can definitely

take a break and come back it when you have more energy to give (unless of course it's

midnight on the day before the song needs to be done in which case you definitely can't

take a break). Details are the difference between a decent song and a fantastic song;

enjoy the process of improving your creation.

-Consider changing any articulation to make it more expressive

-Consider adding effects (echo, etc.) to the voice or instruments to provide a particular

feeling

-Consider how your song changes from beginning to end... it should get progressively more

interesting and have a conclusion (like a good movie). Add dynamics and changes in texture

to make this happen.

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Almost There...

Just like earlier in the process, it's time to record your changes and

walk away for a little while. Use an audio recorder to get all your

ideas down and then go do other things.

i've recorded, left, and come back

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Congratulations!

You've written a song! Your piece might be perfect right now or you

might still find a couple things to tweak. Give your recording a

listen and see if there's any way to improve your melody, lyrics,

chords, form, texture, etc.

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Ahhhhh...

You did it! You've got a composition that is fully your own,

something that you can show your friends & family and proclaim that

it is yours! Or... you can quietly take pride and move on to the next

project. You've got a song ready to perform, so perform it if you

like or cherish it if you don't. Your composition is its own reward.

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Scale/Melody Help

The nice part about finding a melody by just 'exploring' notes is that you need to rely on

your ears. When you rely on your ears you make sure it sounds good...which is really the

goal. The rough part about this method is that you can feel lost sometimes.

If you need a place to get started try one of these scales, remembering:

-You can add or subtract notes from them and

-YOU SHOULDN'T EVER STOP RELYING ON YOUR EARS!

C Major Pentatonic: C D E G A

C Minor Pentatonic: C Eb F G Bb

D Major Pentatonic: D E F# A B

D Minor Pentatonic: D F G A C

G Major Pentatonic: G A B D E

G Minor Pentatonic: G Bb C D F

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Scale/Melody Help

your ears. When you rely on your ears you make sure it sounds good...which is really the

goal. The rough part about this method is that you can feel lost sometimes.

If you need a place to get started try one of these scales, remembering:

C Major Pentatonic: C D E G A

D Minor Pentatonic: D F G A C

got it

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Scale/Melody Help

goal. The rough part about this method is that you can feel lost sometimes.

D Minor Pentatonic: D F G A C

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Scale/Melody Help

goal. The rough part about this method is that you can feel lost sometimes.

D Minor Pentatonic: D F G A C

got it

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Chord/Key Signature Help

The nice part about finding chords by just 'exploring' is that you need to rely on your

ears. When you rely on your ears you make sure it sounds good...which is really the goal.

The rough part about this method is that you can feel lost sometimes.

If you need a place to get started try some of these ideas, remembering: 1. You can

always add, subtract, or change notes to find new sounds and 2. YOU SHOULDN'T EVER

STOP RELYING ON YOUR EARS!

-Typical chords are made of 3 notes build in 3rds (G B D)

-You can slightly change any of these notes to find new sounds

(G Bb D) (G B D#) (G A D) (G C D)

-Remaining in a single key is a pretty safe bet for a song - you can use any

combination of notes from within a key (G A B C D E F# G) resulting in particular

chords (Gmajor Am Bm Cmajor Dmajor Em) and their variations

-Within any composition certain chords seem more conclusive and others seem

more prone to movement. Listen for these (and other) qualities of your chord

choices.

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The rough part about this method is that you can feel lost sometimes.

-You can slightly change any of these notes to find new sounds

(G Bb D) (G B D#) (G A D) (G C D)

more prone to movement. Listen for these (and other) qualities of your chord

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The rough part about this method is that you can feel lost sometimes.

If you need a place to get started try some of these ideas, remembering: 1. You can

-You can slightly change any of these notes to find new sounds

(G Bb D) (G B D#) (G A D) (G C D)

-Remaining in a single key is a pretty safe bet for a song - you can use any

more prone to movement. Listen for these (and other) qualities of your chord

choices.

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Chord/Key Signature Help

The rough part about this method is that you can feel lost sometimes.

always add, subtract, or change notes to find new sounds and 2. YOU SHOULDN'T EVER

-You can slightly change any of these notes to find new sounds

(G Bb D) (G B D#) (G A D) (G C D)

combination of notes from within a key (G A B C D E F# G) resulting in particular

more prone to movement. Listen for these (and other) qualities of your chord

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Lyrical Prompts

You can write about pretty anything. If you don't know where to start, here are a few

ideas:

Character Piece - Write through someone else's perspective. In their words, tell about

their hardships, their joys, their experience in a particular event

Exaggerate/Embellish/Make it up - We often hear songs written in the first person (using

"I" & "we") but that doesn't mean your song has to be about you...or even in the first

person...or even factual. Songs don't need to be autobiography or non-fiction. Try writing

a fictitious story that you may or may not be in. Or...take actual events but write a new

fictitious story around it.

Write it backwards - First figure out how you want your lyrics to end. Next, think of

what happened before that? How did the character get there? Keep working backwards

until you land at the beginning.

Look for a metaphor - 1. Pick any old object or historic event 2. Look for a connection

to it from your own life 3. Start your lyrics writing about the thing, present the

metaphor that connects it to your life, turn the story to actually be about yourself.

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Lyrical Prompts

You can write about pretty anything. If you don't know where to start, here are a few

ideas:

person...or even factual. Songs don't need to be autobiography or non-fiction. Try writing

until you land at the beginning.

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Lyrical Prompts

You can write about pretty anything. If you don't know where to start, here are a few

ideas:

person...or even factual. Songs don't need to be autobiography or non-fiction. Try writing

until you land at the beginning.

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Lyrical Prompts

You can write about pretty anything. If you don't know where to start, here are a few

ideas:

person...or even factual. Songs don't need to be autobiography or non-fiction. Try writing

until you land at the beginning.

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Lyrical Prompts

You can write about pretty anything. If you don't know where to start, here are a few

ideas:

person...or even factual. Songs don't need to be autobiography or non-fiction. Try writing

until you land at the beginning.

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Even More About Melody

If your melody seems stuck, here are some ways to make it more interesting, they're called "non-harmonic

tones." Start with a melody of long notes that work with your chords. As an example we'll say the melody

is ascending on the notes (C E G B). Look how each non-harmonic tone can add interest to the

melody:

passing tone(s) - short notes (by step) in-between the long ones (C dE fG aB)

neighbor tone - a short note that steps away from (then right back to) the original (CdC EfE GaG BcB)

escape tone - a short note approached by step and then resolved by leap (Cb Ed Gf B)

appoggiatura - a short note approached by leap and resolved by step (C f E a G c B)

anticipation - the next long note played before it is expected (C eE gG bB)

retardation - the next long note played after it is expected then resolved by step upward (C cD dE)

suspension - the next long note played after it is expected then resolved by step downward (C cB bA)

changing tones - 2 or more non-harmonic tones used in succession

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If your melody seems stuck, here are some ways to make it more interesting, they're called "non-harmonic

melody:

escape tone - a short note approached by step and then resolved by leap (Cb Ed Gf B)

retardation - the next long note played after it is expected then resolved by step upward (C cD dE)

changing tones - 2 or more non-harmonic tones used in succession

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tones." Start with a melody of long notes that work with your chords. As an example we'll say the melody

melody:

appoggiatura - a short note approached by leap and resolved by step (C f E a G c B)

retardation - the next long note played after it is expected then resolved by step upward (C cD dE)

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Even More About Melody

melody:

passing tone(s) - short notes (by step) in-between the long ones (C dE fG aB)

retardation - the next long note played after it is expected then resolved by step upward (C cD dE)

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Harmonizing Help

When deciding what other notes should be happening with the melody, the only real rule is

"do what sounds good to you." If you'd like help in discovering what might sound good,

here are some simple compositional techniques...

-Droned Harmony: New instruments (or voice(s)) sustain single notes for long durations

while the melody happens. The drone usually uses notes from the chords happening at the

same time and is largely independent from the melody.

-Parallel Motion: the new instrument (or voice(s)) sing the same melodic contour at a set

distance away from the original notes. Example: A melody of: G D C B A could be set in

parallel motion to become: G

B

D

F

C

E

B

D

A

C

-Contrary Motion: Similar to parallel motion in that the new notes are created in

reference to the original melody. This time, the harmony does not move in the same

melodic contour but move in the opposite direction (an ascending melody would have a

descending harmony)

-Call/Response: One example of a form in which the 'harmony' part sounds at the opposite

time as the melody. When the melody is silent, the harmony sounds.

-Canon/Round: The same melody is repeated at different times in order for harmony to be