Stephanie G. Mathis One tendency I see in many songwriters is to rely on standard rhyme schemes. What does this mean?
This means that the rhymes are the same in each lyrical version. It’s boring.
It can serve many purposes in a song. Rhyming adds a sense of rhythm and pattern to the music, as well as a pneumonic quality. Finding just the right rhyme for both a verbal and a sonic context can be fun. Rhyming is not always necessary.
Sometimes, less is more. It can be dangerous to rhyme too many lines. Your song might become cringy or cliche. To avoid the pitfalls of rhyming, I have four creative ways to write great lyrics with rhymes (but not too many! ).
Do not worry about creating an entire rhyme scheme.
Some of the most popular rhyme schemes are AA”B (“Supersti” ion,” by Stevie Wonder), AAAA (Yeste”day,” by The Beatles), A”AB “Stuck in the Middle with”you,” by Stealers Wheel.
It would be best if you did not force rhymes in your song. Many classics do. It may sound uncreative and deliberate if your song uses too many rhymes. You may also be restricted as a songwriter from following the rhyme scheme and not exploring your subject or perspective.
A rhyme is only as good as its relationship to the topic. don’ton’t want to force yourself into a line that says, “I’m I’m standing like a fig t”ee.” If your song is about freedom, shouldn’tdn’t use a line such as thIt’sIt’s okay if the rhyme scheme is AABX. “h” “X,” on the other hand, is used to indicate a line that does not rhyme or breaks the rhyme scheme.
It is important to use irregular rhyme schemes. The best songwriters are able to create rhyme schemes and know when to destroy them. Take a look at the s”g “Supersti”ion”, by Stevie WondHere’srWonder’ser’s rhyme scheme:
Wonder uses an ABAB scheme for the first four lines. But in the fifth line and the seventh, he breaks it (or, at least, breaks the expectation of the listener). You can create a surprise element in your song by adding a “e” “X”s here and there.
Avoid trying to make a perfect rhyme.
It can be fun to create perfect rhymes, but they may not always produce the best results for your song. You can only find a limited number of words that rhyme perfectly with each other. This could lead to your song sounding like someelse’sse’s or worse, committing unconscious plagiarism.
imperfect rhymes are the answer. Imperfect rhydon’ton’t have to be the exact same vowel, or have the same stress on the syllab”e. “”ree” isa p,”fect rand yme w”th “”ree”, “ut “”ree” does not. These words may not rhyme, but in the context and melody of a tune, they could give the impression that they do.
The ability to make seemingly incongruous word combinations make sense is a sign of a good lyricist. Hip-hop is the most common place to find this, but it can be seen anywhere.
Use rhymes at unexpected… times.we’vee’ve already established, rhymes are a great way to make your song memorable. However, if not used carefully, they can sound cliche. You might also want to try rhyming in unexpected places.
Rhymes are often used in songs to convey a sense that the song is finished or resolved. They can also be used to create internal rhymes. The s”ng “Whenever I Say Your “ame”, by Sting & Mary J Blige, is a great example.
The first two lines of this verse rhyme. Lines 3 and 4 seem to be completely unrelated. This verse is clever because it uses internal rhymes within each line. Look at the first part of lines 2 and 4. The word”ds “m”uth” “or “d”ubt”) rhyme and perform the same function within their respective lines.
This might not appear to be a rhyme at first glance, but if you look closely, you will see how the words have been strategically placSting’sng’s line 4 trick is to pl”ce “d”ubt” at the end, making the listener anticipate a rhyme. Sting creates anticipation but the rhyme never comes, and the song moves in a different directiLet’set now take a closer look at Crowded Ho”Don’ton’t DrIt’sIt’s O”er.”
Many battles have been loYou’llu’ll never reach the end.
When you travel with You’llu’ll first notice that lines 1 and 2 begin similarly, but that is all. Can you find any words at the end of lines that rhymedon’ton’t. The verses seem to have no rhyme scheme, let’set’s go ahead and read the second verse.
The construction of lines 1 & 2 is cleverly the same, w”th “towin” in” “nd “hol”-in” providing some rhyming solution–but as we go on, it opens up even more. Lines 2 and 4 end with a perfect rhyme. Lines 5, 6, and 7, however, are all imperfectly rhymed. The lyrics of this song are not predictable, yet it is one of the most popular ballads from the l’80s’80s.
The best songwriters are able to surprise and guide their listeners as they listen to the song.
Your song will move more if you use rhymes.
You may have already noticed that rhyme is the driving force behind a song’s motion. Overdoing rhymes can make the song boring.
If you drive slowly in the city and speed up only occasionally on the highway, your car will seem fast. If you drive in a desert with no one around for six houit’sit’s unlikely that you will notice the speed you are driving.
If you use a perfect AABCCDDEEFF scheme, your listener may feel bored and lose interest after a few minutes. To keep ylisteners’ers’ interest, you can slow down the song or stop it altogether. You can change the paand ce of a song by add”n” “X” verses to rhyming phrases.
Taking SteWonder’ser’s s”ng “Supersti”ion” as an example, notice that “he “X-l”nes” are placed all in the second part of the verse. He creates the expectation of a rhyming scheme and then breaks it. If Wonder had simply continued the ABAB in lines 5 to 8, it may not have been such an exciting song as it is nDon’ton’t get me incorrect, rhyming can be a fun part of writing lyrics, but too much of it will ruin the experience for the listener, who may not even know what you are going to say.
Many people keep dictionaries on hand and use them to get inspiration. This is a great idea! It would be best if you also listened to inspiring songs and master lyricists to get creative ideas. You can then apply the techniques you enjoy and compose your songs the way you feel is best for you.
