songwriting unleashed
TRANSCRIPT
Songwriting Unleashed
A Creative Performance Task
PROJECT OVERVIEWSummary: During the next several weeks we will be completing a multi-part music composition project. During each part, we will learn about the different components of writing a song through mini-lessons.
Objective: Students will be able to compose, arrange and record a complete song that includes a melody, accompaniment, and lyrics.
PROJECT TIMELINEPHASE 2:
SynthesizingPHASE 1: Brainstorm
ing
PHASE 3: Finalizing
PHASE 1: Brainstor
ming
PART 1A: melody
LESSON #1: ImprovisationObjective: Students will be able to improvise melodies on an instrument or with their voice.
Free Improvisation: Improvisation can be both a free and structured process. Free improvisation is the act of playing or creating anything that comes to mind, disregarding any formal rules or musical structures. This can be helpful in “warming up” your creativity in an unrestricted way.
Try it out!: Go on your instrument and play anything as you desire.
LESSON #1: ImprovisationStructured Improvisation: Structured improvisation is the process of playing or creating music freely within the confines of established rules, forms, or theories. When composing songs, this is the most common and most effective method.
Exercise #1: Improvise a melody using only the notes of the C major scale: C,D,E,F,G,A,B. You may use any rhythms you like.
LESSON #1: ImprovisationVideo Example: In the following video, the piano player demonstrates some techniques for improvising using just five fingers on five notes. While this may seem restrictive, it is actually not. Many melodies can be created within these guidelines. As you watch the video, pay careful attention to how the right hand creates a melody.
LESSON #1: ImprovisationExercise #2:
1.Based on what you learned in the video improvise a melody until you are satisfied with its sound.
2.Repeat it over and over again until you can play it from memory.
3.Make adjustments/revisions to the melody as needed.
4.Record your final melody using the sound recorder on your computer, smartphone or tablet.
LESSON #2: Crafting New MELODIESObjective: Students will be able to use the improvisation techniques learned in the previous lesson to craft new melodies.
Melodic Brainstorming: You will now begin the process of creating melodies that you will use for your songwriting project. Composing the right melody for you often involves creating several melodies and choosing the one that you are most satisfied with. During the course of this lesson you will “brainstorm” melodies to form the basis of your project.
LESSON #2: Crafting New MELODIESMelodic Toolbox: Below are some examples of musical tools that you may use to help you create melodies:
Major Scales:C: C D E F G A BD: D E F# G A B C#E: E F# G# A B C# D#F: F G A Bb C D EG: G A B C D E F# A: A B C# D E F# G#B: B C# D# E F# G# A#
Minor Scales:C: C D Eb F G Ab BbD: D E F G A Bb CE: E F# G A B C DF: F G Ab Bb C Db EbG: G A Bb C D Eb F A: A B C D E F GB: B C# D E F# G A
LESSON #2: Crafting New MELODIESExercise #3:
1.Brainstorm new melodies. Create 3-5 new melodies
2.Record each melody as a separate file on your device.
3.Make adjustments/revisions to the melodies as needed.
4.Re-record each melody with the revisions.
5.Select your favorite melody for use in your project. This may be changed or modified during the process.
PART 1B: LYRICS
Lesson #3: OBJECt WRITINGObjective: SWBAT use object writing to "dive deep" into their senses, uncovering ideas that are uniquely their own.Object Writing: Object writing is the act of choosing a single object and writing whatever comes to mind related to that object. For example, if you object write about a tree, you might write about how tall it is, how green it is, how strong it is, how it provides shade, how it is a home to some animals and how it makes you feel.
Lesson #1: OBJECt WRITINGReading Passage: Please read the passage below from the book Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattinson:
Remember this fundamental fact: You are absolutely unique. There never was, is not now, nor ever can be anyone exactly like you. The proof lies in the vaults of your senses, where you have been storing your sense memories all your life. They have come cascading in through your senses, randomly and mostly unnoticed, sinking to the bottom. Learn to dive for them. When you recover one, when you rise with it to the surface and hold it aloft, you will not only surprise onlookers, you will surprise yourself.
Much of lyric writing is technical. The stronger your skills are, the better you can express creative ideas. You must spend time on the technical areas of lyric writing, like rhyme, rhythm, contrast, balance, and repetition. Here, I want to focus on the most important part of all creative writing, and therefore surely of lyric writing: the art of deep diving—finding your own unique voice and vision.
Lesson #3: OBJECt WRITINGExercise #4: Respond to the following questions:
1. What are sense memories? Why do you think they are important in creative writing?2. What is the most important part of creative writing and lyric writing?3. What do you think the purpose of deep diving is? How can it help to show a person's uniqueness.
Lesson #3: OBJECt WRITINGObject Writing Reading Passage:
The best diving technique I know is object writing. It's direct and simple. You arbitrarily pick an object—a real object—and focus your senses on it. Treat the object as a diving board to launch you inwards to the vaults of your senses.
-Robert Pattinson, Writing Better Lyrics
Lesson #3: OBJECt WRITINGExercise #5: Room ExplorationIn this exercise you will practice object writing by describing a room. This could be a room in your house or the room you are in now.Tips:1.Try spending a little time alone with each
sense.
2.Ask questions like: Who is there? How does the kitchen table smell? How big does the room sound? How would the table taste if you licked it?
3.The more senses you include in your writing, the more impactful it becomes.
Lesson #3: OBJECt WRITINGExample of Object Writing:
Word: Back PorchI must have been four. Memories from that time are a rare species—lobbing
in like huge bumblebees on a transparent wings, buzzing old Remington shavers torn free from those thick brittle wires tangled in webs under our back porch where I loved to crawl and hide. Black snaking wires disappearing through floors and humming into wall sockets. I still hear them.
I hid under the back porch, smell of damp earth cool under my hands, ducking, scrunching my shoulders tight to avoid the rusty nails. The tingling along my back and neck kept reminding me, don't stand up.
Under the back porch, a place tinged with danger and smelling of earth, the air tastes faintly of mold. When I squint, I can blur the sunlight onto a bridge of green-gold. Crouching there happily I could feel my Mom above me, could hear her high heels tap-tapping.
Lesson #3: OBJECt WRITINGExercise #6: Object Write!
Now it’s your turn: Choose an object and object write about it. Be free to say anything you desire and be sure to write about how the object interacts with all your senses.
Some example words to write about: Backpack, bus, pencil, iPhone, shoes, hallway, snow, sun, car, mother, father, friend, etc.
Lesson #4: Rhyming WordsObjective: SWBAT rhyme words using perfect rhymes and family rhymes.Rhyme Types: Before finding rhymes, it is important to know about the six different rhyme types:
Perfect rhymes, family rhymes, additive rhymes, subtractive rhymes, assonance rhymes and consonant rhymes.
For now, we will learn about perfect rhymes and family rhymes.
Lesson #4: Rhyming WordsPerfect Rhymes: A perfect rhyme meets the following three conditions:
1. The syllables' vowel sounds are the same2. The consonant sounds after the vowel (if any) are the same3. The sounds before the vowel are different
Lesson #4: Rhyming WordsExamples of Perfect Rhymes:
The word... Rhymes with... Does not rhyme with... Because...
Flow Crow, go, show, grow, throw.
Blow, low Both words have the same sound "l" before the "ow."
Ball Fall, tall, wall, call Basketball, football The "rhyming" words contain the entire first word,"ball."
Keyboard Afford, toured, Ford, chord, roared, lord
Chalkboard, board, bored The "rhyming" words contain the entire sound,"bored."
Crocodile Mile, file, trial, tile, reconcile
Dial The "rhyming" word contains the entire sound,"-dile."
Conquer Fur, blur, later, creator, traitor, elevator, sir
Concur, tanker, ranker, seeker, rocker
The "rhyming" words contain the entire sound,"-ker."
Lesson #4: Rhyming WordsExamples of Family Rhymes:
The word... Family Rhymes with... Because...
Rod Job, odd, sod, fog, log, bop, top, pot, cot, lot, lock, mock, sock, crock
The words are all in the "plosive" family, words that end in: b,d,g, p,t, and k.
Cave maze, amaze, plays, page, rage, sage, safe, mace, lace, trace
The words are all in the "fricative" family, words that end in: v, TH, z, zh, j, f, th, s, sh and ch
Broom Loom, gloom, room, assume, zoom, boom, soon, moon, buffoon.
The words are all in the "nasal" family: words that end in: m, n, ng
Lesson #4: Rhyming WordsExercise #7: Rhyming
1.Create two lists of rhymes. One with perfect rhymes and the other with family rhymes.
2.Select some of the words from your list and create lines of lyrics that end in those rhyming words
3.Work on revising your lyrics as needed.
PART 2A: Chords
Lesson #5: Chordal AccompanimentObjective: SWBAT create chord progressions for use in their song.Chords: Remember that chords are groups of 3 or more notes played together. The notes can either be played at the same time or broken up and played successively.
Examples: Here are some commonly used chords:
C Major: C E G G Major: G B D F Major: F A CA minor: A C E
Lesson #5: Chordal AccompanimentObjective: SWBAT use chords to accompany their melodiesChords: Remember that chords are groups of 3 or more notes played together. The notes can either be played at the same time or broken up and played successively.
Examples: Here are some commonly used chords:
C Major: C E G G Major: G B D F Major: F A CA minor: A C E
Lesson #5: Chordal AccompanimentChord Progressions:
Chord progressions are sequences of chords. Often, these will repeat several times to make up a section of a song (like a verse or chorus).
Take a look at some of these common chord progressions:
C, G, F, G - C, Am, F, G - C, Em, F, G
Lesson #5: Chordal AccompanimentExercise #8: Create Your Own Chord Progression
Using the chords that you know, compose a chord progression you might want to use for your song. You may select a chord progression from the examples, or you may create your own.
Video: Using Chords:
As you watch the next video, pay attention to how chords are formed and used.
Lesson #6: MELODY AND CHORDSObjective: SWBAT use chords to accompany their melodiesAccompaniment: Accompaniment includes every musical event in a song that backs up the melody. One very common type of accompaniment is the use of chords.
Lesson #6: MELODY AND CHORDSFitting Your Melody to a Harmonious Accompaniment: Not all chords will work at all times with your melody. In general, a chord will fit your melody if it: (1) is in the same key as your melody, and (2) it includes the main notes of the melody the chord is positioned under.
For Example: If the melody is Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, which starts: C, C, G, G, A, A, G, the first chord can be a C major chord (C, E, G). This is because the notes C and G and both contained within the C chord. When we reach the note A in the melody we can play F chord (F, A, C) because A is contained within it.
Lesson #5: Chordal AccompanimentExercise #9: Match Chords to Your Melody
Using the melody you created previously, create a sequence of chords that match it. There are often multiple chords that work with each note (or group of notes), so experiment with different chords until you find the ones that sound the best to you.
Video: Melodies and Chords:The next video gives a demonstration of playing melodies and chords at the same time.
NEXT STEPS
NEXT STEPSPutting the Song Together
Now that we have practiced creating melodies, creating lyrics and creating accompaniments with chords, we are ready to start putting it all together to create a complete song.
Next Lessons:During the next part of this project, you will learn about creating beats, the form, or overall structure of songs, creating your first draft, making revisions, polishing your final draft and recording your song.
NEXT STEPSBeats PreviewThere are many methods and programs used to create beats. Before the next phase of this project you may check out the following website to gain some experience:
http://www.beatlab.com/
Keep Practicing:Be sure to keep brainstorming melodies, lyrics and chords to build your songwriting skills. See you at the next lesson!
END of PHASE 1