CHAPTER 5

rMelody
In chapter 4, we talked about ways you can use knowledge of
scales and basic theory to write interesting melodies. In this
chapter, we’re going to talk about how you can strengthen your
melodies without knowing much theory. We’ll also talk about
tools for creating melodic contrast between your song sections.
Simply put, melody is what the singer sings. It has two
elements: pitch and rhvthpn. Pitch tells us the tone we are to sing,
and rhythm tells us how long to hold that tone. In music notation,
melody is written using sixteenth notes, eighth notes, quarter
notes, half notes, and whole notes, and other subdivisions
including triplet eighths, sixteenths, thirty-seconds, and even
sixty-fourths. Though it is helpful to read music and understand
how the notes we sing are related to the chords we play on our
instrument, we can still write songs without this knowledge.
The key idea is that we need to trust our ears to tell us when the
melody sounds good over the chords we play. For basic theory
tips, refer to chapter 4, but for now, let’s learn all we can learn
by simply using our ears and feeling music instead of writing it
down for others to be able to play.
Important Point: Many songwriters can’t read music, and still
others don’t know the chords they are playing or the names of
the notes they are singing. What these songwriters do have is an
instinct for when the melody feels right. It’s true that part of that
instinct can come from talent, but another part of that instinct
comes from listening intently to other music and practicing the
art form of writing.
 CHAPTER 5

NOTE NAME BAD, MELODY GOOD

We can describe melody in many ways apart from naming each

pitch and duration. For instance, we can describe a melody in
terms of its shape, whether the notes are particularly long, or short,
and whether there is a lot of rest space between the notes. We can
also notice whether the pitches are close together, or if there are
large jumps between the pitches. We can describe if the melody
starts before or after the downbeat of a measure. We can notice
whether the phrases are short or long. We can even notice how
often a group of notes repeats. All of these ideas can describe any
melody we hear or write. And they are all great ways to define why
the typical melodies we write ourselves sound the way they do.
The most important characteristic of a melody is its motive
(or “motif"). The motif_defines the melody as belonging to only
that song. It is like a fingerprint of the song. It can be one or two
notes, or several notes long, but when we hear it, we instantly
know what song it belongs to. The motif is repeated throughout
the melody of the song. Different sections of the song can carry
different motifs.
The most common places in the song to hear the motifs
are the first line of the verse, and the first line of the chorus, or
wherever the title appears in the chorus. In these areas, the song
introduces the melodic idea that makes the song unique, and
makes the new section stand out from the previous section.
Most popular songs have strong, distinct melodic motifs.
In other words, the songwriter put special effort into writing
a melody for the first line of the verse and the first line of the
chorus and over the title that was unique and interesting. Many
times, the melody that the writer settles on isn’t the first melody
he or she thought of, but one that took several tries to get right.
Note: The rhythm of a melody can be more important in
identifying the motif than the pitches of the melody. We can
actually change the pitches but keep the same rhythm, and the
motif will still be identifiable. If we change the rhythm but keep
the pitches the same, we no longer have the same motif.
Melody

ACTIVITY 5.1. THE MELODIC MOTIF

Many songs have easy-to-recognize melodic motifs. Artists and bands with hit
singles make their careers on them. Even artists who write less structured songs
base their melodies on memorable motifs. Try identifying the melodic motifs that
define the verses and choruses of some of your favorite songs. Can you sing them?
What do you think makes them particularly memorable? Can you think of any
songs you love that don’t carry a melodic motif? Listen to them again, and pay
special attention to any repeating melodic ideas.

REPETITION, REPEAT

Imagine the melody of a song that had no repetition, but was

just an unpredictable string of pitches and rhythms. The melody
would be very hard to sing and remember. The reason we become
aware of a melodic motif in a song is because that small part of
the melody is repeated. The repetition helps us to remember the
song melody. Repetition also shows the listener what is the focus,
or the main musical message we should hear and understand.
Song melodies tend to use repetition in some common
positions in the song. For instance, choruses may consist only
of one line, repeated several times. “Your Body Is a Wonderland”
and “Say (What You Need to Say)” by John Mayer are examples of
this type of repetition. Some songs even use repetition of a single
section or melodic motif throughout, creating a very simple song
form. Songs like these include “Summer” and “Feel So Close” by
Calvin Harris, and Beyonce’s “If I Were a Boy.”
Other songs use repetition of the first half of the chorus in the
second half of the chorus. Examples include “Life Is a Highway”
sung by Rascal Flatts, and “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper.
52 CHAPTER 5

Verses also use'repetition of a melodic jmotif. There are a

few common structures for verse melodies involving repetition
of just one or two melodic motifs. Take a look at the structures
below and the songs that use them:

Structure 1: Exact Repetition of a Single Motif

Line 1: Motif 1
Line 2: Motif 1
Line 3: Motif 1
Line 4: Motif 1
Song examples include “Say (What You Need to Say)” by John
Mayer and “Bad” by Michael Jackson,

a
Structure 2: Alternating Between Two Motifs

Line 1: Motif 1
Line 2: Motif 2
Line 3: Motif 1
Line 4: Motif 2

Song examples of this structure include “Daughters" by John

Mayer, “American Woman” by the Guess Who, and “Airplanes” by
B.o.B.

Six-line sections use repetition in some typical patterns too.

We might hear two motifs, repeating like this:

Line 1: Motif 1
Line 2: Motif 1
Line 3: Motif 2
Line 4: Motif 1
Line 5: Motif 1
Line 6: Motif 2

A song example of this structure includes “I’m with You” by

Avril Lavigne.
Melody 53

Remember how I said you can change the pitch but keep the
rhythm of the motive and it will still be recognizable? Listen to
the verse and chorus of “Sing” by Ed Sheeran. Do you notice
how much repetition there is? The pitches change, but the short
lengths of the notes are generally the same.
When we repeat a melody, we make the melody memorable.
How much repetition can we use before it’s too much? There
isn’t a steadfast rule, but I encourage you to play around with
repetition to find what you like. Below is a scale that might help
visualize the effects of too little or too much repetition in a song.

No Repetition Too Much Repetition

<-
• Song sounds haphazard, accidental. • Song sounds trite, simple, forced
• The listener doesn’t believe the artist • The listener doesn’t believe the
knows what he/she is doing message of the song.
FIG. 5.1. Repetition Scale
t
All song sections use repetition, whether it’s in the verse,
prechorus, chorus, or bridge. Repetition is one of our most
powerful tools to focus the listener on what sound and message
is most important to the song.

REPEATING MOTIFS WITH VARIATION

Sometimes, melodic motifs aren’t repeated exactly, but use a
slight variation. The singer may change a note or add or take away
a note from the motif to create a fresh sound for that line, or to
accommodate the lyric of that line, but the overall effect is still
repetition. Try to hear the melody in context of the bigger idea. Is
the line meant to reinforce the motif, or to introduce a new and
contrasting motif?

ACTIVITY 5.2. REPETITION OF THE MOTIF

Choose one of your favorite songs by another artist, and listen specifically for
repetition of the melodic motif. Next, plot out the structure of the verse, counting
how many times the motif repeats. Do the same for the chorus motive. How much
repetition was used? Choose another favorite song and plot the structure. Do you
notice any similarities between the structures of the songs? What insight does this
give you about what you enjoy listening to? How could you apply this insight to
your own writing?
54 CHAPTER 5

ACTIVITY 5.3. REPETITION IN THE CHORUS

Try writing a chorus melody using four exact repetitions of a motif. Then, try
writing a chorus melody of four lines using two motifs, alternating between them.
Notice how comfortable or uncomfortable this kind of simple writing feels to you.
How similar or dissimilar to your everyday writing is it? Do you like the results?

THE SECRET INGREDIENTS OF MELODY

Remember the idea of contrast back in chapter 3? Well, without

repetition, we wouldn’t be able to have contrast at all. Contrast
only happens when we’ve established one sound and want to give
the listener something distinctly different. There are a few more
tools I'd like to show you that will help you to write interesting
melodies and create great contrast between your sections.

Pitch

Remember the drawing from chapter 3 that showed how the melody
changes from verse to chorus? Pitch is a very common tool used to
create contrast between sections. Many popular songs raise the
pitch in the chorus to give the chorus more energy. Songs that are
good examples of this are “Sing” by Ed Sheeran and “If I Were a Boy”
by Beyonce. The chorus often uses some of the highest pitches in
the melody, because it is the section that shouts out the main point
of the song. The verse and prechorus, if there is one, use pitches that
are lower, so that the melody has somewhere to rise up from. Simply
starting our new section on a different pitch than the most familiar
pitch of the section before it can be a great contrasting tool too.

VERSE RANGE
If you often find the choruses of your own songs difficult and too
high to sing, look to the verse to find out why. It could be that
the verse begins in the middle to higher area of your vocal range.
Instead, take the verse down a few whole steps, to sit in the lower
area of your vocal range. This will give you more room later on to
raise the melody for the chorus.
Melody 55

Note Length

Whenever we write a melody, we are deciding on the lengths of

the pitches we sing. As writers, we often gravitate towards the
same basic note lengths. We need to become aware of what those
note lengths are if we are to change them and do something
different. If you’ve been writing songs awhile, you might wonder
why many of your songs sound the same. Or, you might feel that
your verses and choruses sound too much alike, and you want
to make your choruses more distinct. Changing the note lengths
can help solve that problem.
Take a listen to these popular songs that use a change in
note length to create distinction for the different song sections.
In Taylor Swift’s song “22,” the prechorus uses suddenly longer
notes than the previous verse, and in “Good Girl” by Carrie
Underwood, the chorus uses long notes to contrast with the
shorter notes of the vejse. In “Firework” by Katy Perry, the
prechorus and chorus both benefit from longer notes than the
verse, while only the chorus utilizes immediate long notes of “All
of Me” by John Legend.
The tool is quite simple. Try to describe the note lengths of a
section of your song in terms of short, medium, or long. Long notes
may last an entire measure, or half a measure, while short notes are
just a quick sound. If we use repetition of a motif, our song section
becomes characterized by one or maybe two lengths of notes. The
key to doing something different is choosing to use a dramatically
different length of note in our next section. So for example, our song
verse and chorus that uses good contrast might look like this:

• Verse 1: Short notes/medium notes

• Chorus: Long notes ending with just a few medium notes
• Verse 2: Short notes/medium notes
• Chorus: Long notes ending with just a few medium notes

Now, let's say we want to write a bridge melody that contrasts

again. We would only need to contrast with the chorus, since that
is the section we just came from:

• Bridge: Short notes

• Chorus: Long notes ending with just a few medium notes
 CHAPTER 5

«•
\

CONTRAST
The important idea with contrast is this: When we begin our new
section with note lengths that are different than the note lengths that
made up the majority of the previous section, we get great contrast.

ACTIVITY 5.4. CONTRAST USING NOTE LENGTH

Listen to how different note lengths work to create contrast between the sections
of some of your favorite songs. Contrast can occur within a section as well as
between sections, but try to see the big picture as much as possible. Do you notice
any patterns that might be useful to your own writing?

Activity 5.5. Melody Writing Using Contrasting

note Lengths
Try writing a simple melody using repetition to make a verse. Perhaps it is just
a melodic motif repeated four times. Then, describe the lengths of the notes of
that motif in terms of short, medium, or long. Try writing a contrasting section to
follow your verse using a different length of note. Make sure to use that different
length of note right away in the first line of the new section. Do you hear the
contrast?

PLACEMENT: BEFORE, ON, OR AFTER

A third very useful tool for creating great melodies is placement.

When we sing a melody, where we start singing in relation to
the beats of the measure is called the placement of the melodic
phrase. We can start singing before the chord is played on the
downbeat of the measure, at the same time the chord is played,
or just after the chord is played.
Melody

When we start to sing the melody before the chord is played,

the melody is a pickup to the downbeat.

Pickup

FIG. 5.2. Pickup Notes

When we start to sing the melody at the same time the chords
begin, we are singing on the downbeat of the measure.

On the Downbeat

FIG. 5.3. On the Downbeat

When we start to sing the melody after the chord progression

begins, the melody starts after the downbeat.

After the Downbeat Rest

n
IT
FIG. 5.4. After the Downbeat

Try listening for the different placements in the song “Just the
Way You Are,” sung by Bruno Mars. The verse melodic phrases
begin after the downbeat of the measure, while the chorus
melodic phrases begin as a pickup to the downbeat. Most popular
songs will use this technique to help the sections to contrast,
along with a change in the lengths of the melodic phrases and a
rise in pitch for the chorus section.
 CHAPTER 5
58

Repetition first shows the listener what' to expect, so that

when we suddenly give the listener something they didnt expect,
such as the melody starting on the downbeat instead of before,
the sound becomes fresh and new. That’s why we place most of
the phrases the same way within one section, only changing the
placement when we get to the new section.

VARYING PLACEMENT
Remember that we can hear a slight variation of a melodic motif
and still hear it as the motif. The same is true for placement. As long
as most of the lines in a section start with the same placement, the
section can be described as having that overall characterization.

G ACTIVITY 5.6. PLACEMENT OF THE PHRASES

if you find your different song sections often sound the same, look at your
melodic placement. Could you change the placement in the first line of your new
.. section for more contrast? Try it, and listen to the effect.

PHRASE LENGTH: SHORT OR LONG

A musical phrase is like a sentence. It has a beginning and an

end, and we can hear the pauses between musical phrases like
we hear the commas and periods as pauses in speech. Besides
pitch, note length, and placement, another way we can describe
a melody is in terms of its phrase lengths. A verse may have four
melodic phrases that are each two measures long. When we get
to the chorus, we can change the length of the phrases to become
longer or shorter, and get great contrast.

2-Bar Phrase

FIG. 5.5. 2-Bar Phrase

 Melody

This melody has a melodic phrase that lasts two measures.

Notice how there are no rest spaces breaking the phrase into
smaller parts.

But we don’t need knowledge of music theory to identify

musical phrases. Oftentimes, a melodic phrase lasts as long as a
line of lyric. When the singer takes a breath, the phrase may end
and another begin. Where the melody uses rest space, one phrase
may also end and another begin. Try to rely on your ears to tell
you when a melodic phrase is ending and a new one beginning.
Trust your judgment, and describe the phrase as short, medium,
or long. “Firework” by Katy Perry uses quite short phrases in the
verse, where the chorus uses much longer phrases.
We can also glimpse how long a melodic phrase is by how
many words fit the phrase. A long line of lyric either needs lots of
short notes, or a very long melodic phrase to sing it with longer
notes. Just a few words need only a few notes, and possibly a very
short melody to sing it. >

LU ACTIVITY 5.7. PHRASE LENGTH

® Try to identify the lengths of the melodic phrases in a few verses and choruses of
your favorite songs. Try to feel the natural pauses in the melody that break it down
«2 into smaller pieces called phrases.

ACTIVITY 5.8. CHANGING THE PHRASE LENGTH

Try writing a verse section with long phrases spanning two or more measures
each. Then, try shortening the phrase lengths to just one measure long in the
chorus section. Do you feel the increase in energy? Now flip that structure, and
instead write a verse section with short phrases followed by a chorus with longer
phrases. What do you feel now?
60 CHAPTER 5

CLUSTERED OR INTERVALLIC

We can sometimes describe a melody in terms of whether the

notes are close together in pitch, or clustered, or involving jumps
from one pitch to another, called intervallic. An interval is the
distance between two notes, and if you’re into music theory,
you know that intervals can be 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, etc. But even if
you don’t speak music theory just yet, you can notice the overall
shape of a melody. If we use notes clustered around the same
pitch in a verse, we can switch over to using notes with a larger
interval between them in the chorus. “All of Me” by John Legend
and “Summer” by Calvin Harris use clustered notes in the verse,
contrasting nicely with the choruses that are not clustered. Katy
Perry’s “Unconditionally” uses an intervallic melodic shape in
the chorus, contrasting well with the verse that does not use large
intervals between the notes. The greater the change, the greater
the contrast.

©43

ASCENDING OR DESCENDING

The shape of a melody can also simply be described as ascending

or descending. Sometimes, melodies move up or down the scale,
such as in the verse of the song “Yesterday” by the Beatles, the
prechorus of John Legend’s “All of Me,” and Rihanna’s “Take a
Bow.” The overall shape of the melody can be a point of contrast
when we go against that shape in the next section.
 Melody 61

FULL OR EMPTY

There is one final characteristic of melodies that has nothing to

do with pitch at all and everything to do with rhythm. Rest space
is the time between the sung notes, and gives the melody as
much shape as any of the other tools. When we use quite a lot of
rest space between notes or between phrases, we create what we
call an empty sound. Take a listen to the empty sound of the verse
of Katy Perry’s “Unconditionally.” When we load up the melody
with lots of lyric and very little rest space between phrases, we
create what we call a full sound. Now listen to the chorus of
“Unconditionally” for the full sound. Bruno Mars’ song “Just the
Way You Are” uses the opposite pattern. The verse is full and the
chorus is more empty with long notes and more rest space in the
melody. If every section of the song is full, the song can sound
like a never-ending boring lecture of information. If each section
of the song is empty, the,song can seem too sparse and lose our
attention.

Activity 5.9. Full and Empty

Try writing a section of a song using a lot of rest space, creating an empty sound.
You might try one-word lines, or short punchy notes followed by rest space. When
you’ve written a simple section using rest space, try following it with a line or two
44 of a new section with long notes or lots of shorter notes and very little rest space.
Do you hear the contrast? What did that contrast do for the energy of the new
section?
 CHAPTER 5

COMBINING THE TOO'LS

Many songs we know and love use several tools at one time. But
the important idea here is that the more tools we use at the same
time, the greater the contrast we feel. The fewer the tools used,
the lesser the contrast. To recap, here are the tools available to
use when it comes to writing melodies:

• Pitch: Raise, lower, or add a new one

• Note Length: Shorten or lengthen
• Placement: Before, on, or after the downbeat
• Phrase Length: Shorten or lengthen
• Clustered or Intervallic
• Ascending or Descending
• Rest Space and Empty or Full

By now you might be thinking “Okay, all these tools are nice
to know, but how do I actually write a melody?” The answer is,
you jump in and try. There really isn’t any magic to writing great
melodies, except that to write great melodies we often need to
write a lot of mediocre melodies first. You might start by singing
a pitch, and then moving up or down with the next pitches.
You might try changing the lengths of the pitches you sing,
experimenting with rhythm. Great melodic motifs are born of a
combination of skill and inspiration. It takes a lot of practice and
a willingness to write very ordinary melodies before happening
upon some great ones. Our creativity thrives when it has room to
explore. Let yourself write material that is not your best so that
eventually you can write material that is.
 63

CHAPTER 6

Harmony and Groove

Put simply, harmony is chords. Chords are what we play on piano

or guitar, or hear established in the bass line. A chord is a group
of three or more notes. A chord progression is a series of chords
played one after another.
Many songs have been written using the same basic chord
progressions. It often isn’t the chord progression that makes the
song unique all by itself, but the groove with which the progression
is played, and the way the chords interact with the melody. I’ll
talk about harmony and groove separately, and then talk about
how we can use both together to write interesting songs.

THE COLOR OF CHORDS

Some writers enjoy writing the chord progression first. If you play
a harmonic instrument such as piano or guitar, you might find
that this approach feels natural. Before we even have any lyrical or
melodic ideas, we can map out a chord progression that inspires
a melody and lyric we want to say. This is especially true if we’ve
got a good groove to go along with our harmonic progression.
When we write a harmonic progression, we first choose the key
we’re writing in. The key tells us what chords are going to sound
natural together, but also what chords are going to sound like
they don’t quite belong. The idea is not only to choose chords that
belong to the key, but to choose chords based on their ability to
show the emotion we feel. Sometimes, we choose a chord outside
the key to show uncertainty, pain, excitement, or anger. Sometimes,
we choose all chords that belong to the key to show certainty,
peacefulness, or even boredom. The big idea here is when we put
chords together to make a chord progression, they cast a specific
emotion. It’s our job as the writer to be aware of the emotion our
chords are creating, and to send the same message with our lyric.
64 CHAPTER 6

You can describe the emotion of your' chord progression

without even knowing what chords you’re playing. Is the emotion
sad or just reflective? Hopeful or unsettled? Happy or victorious?
Angry or confident? It may help to record yourself playing the
progression and to listen back another time when your ears
are completely fresh. Trust your first impression. If you’re still
unsure, try playing the recording to two other people. Ask them
to describe the emotion they hear.

Activity 6.1. Key and Chord Awareness

Do you find that you write using minor chords a lot? Or, do you tend towards
major chords? Are there any keys that you typically write in, possibly because
they are easier to play and consist of the chords you know how to play? Try
recognizing your typical writing patterns in terms of the keys and specific chords
you choose most often. Later, you can use this information to do something
different the next time you write a song.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Many of the songs we love the most are quite simple harmonically.
The verse might only have two different chords and the chorus
just one new chord. As new writers, there is the tendency to load
up a song with every chord we know how to play. But sometimes,
more chords just results in a complicated and even messy sound
the listener can’t follow or remember.

HARMONIC CONTRAST

Remember the word contrast? Well, here it comes again, as we

talk about harmony. When we write a song, we decide on the
chords we’ll use for a section—maybe the verse or the chorus.
If we use those same chords played at the same rate throughout
each section of the song, we wouldn’t be able to tell based on the
harmony that there are different sections. Each section would
sound the same. In terms of harmony, there are two basic ways
we can show the start of a new section. The first way is by using
a new chord.
Harmony and Groove 65

That New Chord Feeling

When we use a new chord to start a new section in our song, we

are breaking a harmonic pattern that was familiar to the listener.
If we wrote the verse using three chords and we start the chorus
with a chord the listener hasn’t heard yet, the chorus will really
sound like a new section. Even if we use one of the three chords
that were in the verse, the important idea is that we change
the pattern.
Follow the simple chord chart below to see how we might
create contrast by changing the beginning chord and thus
changing the pattern of chords to show the beginning of a new
section. Each chord lasts for four beats in a measure of 4/4 time.

® Verse

G C G , C
45
G C G C
Chorus

D C G G
D C G G

One of the troubles that results from using too many different
chords in the verse is that later sections can’t generate contrast
on new chords alone. Too many chords already create a lot of
contrast between themselves, and so the ending sound can be a
jumbled mess. Instead, simplify so that each section can focus on
66 CHAPTER 6

* *

creating a specific mood around a defined chord pattern. Below

is an example of a chord chart that uses just one chord in the
verse. Creating a new sound in the chorus is easy with so much
room for contrast.

Verse

G G G G
46
G G G G
Chorus

D C G G
D C G G

ACTIVITY 6.2. SIMPLICITY WITH HARMONY

Try writing a simple song section using just one or two chords. Then, try starting
the next section of the song with a chord you haven’t used yet. Keeping it simple
is a great way to make sure the emotion is clear, and to open up new places to go
with the chords of our next section.

Slow Change, Fast Change

Another way we can create contrast between sections is by

changing how often we move from one chord to another. If
the verse has three chords, and we change chords every two
measures, then changing chords every measure in the chorus will
definitely make the chorus sound like a new section. Similarly,
changing chords every four measures in the new section will
make it sound fresh and different.
Changing chords more frequently has a neat effect of giving
the song energy at that point. Though the tempo doesn’t change,
the song seems to bubble over or drive forward with renewed
excitement. Changing chords less frequently has the opposite
effect, creating a sense of slowing, expansiveness, calmness,
or even sluggishness. Just as we choose the type of chords to
send a particular emotion, we also choose the rate at which we
play them. The rate can have a big effect on the emotion we’re
creating. In the chord chart on the next page, notice how each
chord lasts for one measure, or four beats in 4/4 time.
Harmony and Groove

Verse

G C G C
G C G C

If I change chords more frequently, the chart may look like this:

Verse

G_C G_C G_C G_C

G_C G_C G_C G_C

There, instead of holding each chord for four beats, I hold

each chord for two. (The underlines show multiple chords per
measure.) This means I’m changing chords more frequently.
I can do the opposite too, changing chords less frequently.
That looks like this:

Verse

G G C c
G G C c

Now, each chord lasts for two measures, or eight beats, instead
of just four beats.
How much different one section sounds from another
depends somewhat on how many tools we use at the same time.
For instance, we get a very different sound if we use a new chord
at the same time as we change how often we move from one chord
to another. But we might get only a slightly different sound if we
use all the same chords and just change chords more frequently.
When we add to these harmonic tools all the melodic tools for
contrast along with lyric tools, we’ve got endless possibilities for
new and interesting songs.
68 CHAPTER 6

GROOVE, BABY, GROOVE

Many artists approach writing a song from a good groove. The

groove is the rhythmic feel of the song. What is really relevant to
the songwriter is an understanding of how rhythm and groove
relates to the overall build or dynamic of the song. I’d like to say
a bit about how we can use knowledge of rhythm and groove
to achieve good contrast between song sections, energy and
richness for our choruses, and overall dynamic that keeps the
listener interested all the way to the end of the song. Our groove
discussion will also give you an idea of how production and
arrangement is used to convey groove.

Straight vs. Swing

Many grooves we hear can be described as either straight or

swing. To understand the difference and begin applying these
feels to your own writing, take a look at the graphs below.

Beat 1 Beat 2 Beat 3 Beat 4

FIG. 6.1. Straight Groove

© This is an example of a straight groove. Think of this entire

picture as one measure. Each of the thick lines are one of the four
beats inside that measure. Each one of the thinner lines between
the beats are eighth notes. In this straight pattern, the eighth
notes are placed perfectly in the middle between two beats.
There is no quirkiness here; it’s just “straightforward.” Audio
example 50 shows how this straight feel would sound on a
tambourine, while example 51 shows how this straight feel would
sound as a loop for our song.
Harmony and Groove

Now, take a look at the graph below of a swing groove.

i—i—i—i—i—i—i—i—i—i—t-

Beat 1 Beat 2 Beat 3 Beat 4

FIG. 6.2. Swing Groove

©52,53
In an absolute swing feel, the space between the beats of a
measure is divided in three, and the note that was placed perfectly
in the middle of two beats in the straight pattern is now delayed
to the last third of a measure. Audio Example 52 shows what this
swing groove sounds like on tambourine, and audio example 53
shows this groove using a(loop.
You may hear how the level of swing sounds mechanical, as if it
is too severe. The example you are listening to is in fact generated
by a computer and could not (and truthfully should not) be able
to be replicated by a human musician at this mechanical level.

©54,55
It is the human touch that makes swing really come alive.
Although the “severity” of a swing pattern is still quite variable
from song to song, a swing feel generated by human hand would
fall somewhere in between these two placements. Listen to audio
example 54 to hear the softer sounding swing pattern on
tambourine, and then audio example 55 as a loop.
Again, even this example is computer generated. The precise
choice of a swing feel, similar to many Latin-American grooves,
is an art all in itself comprised of highly disciplined musicianship
and continuous listening that slowly instills an organic feel for
this inside the musician’s mind. But it’s never too late or early to
be playful with these choices.

©
For an additional listening experience, refer to audio examples
56 and 57, that utilize drum loops and switches from straight to a
56,57 more human swing feel, and then to a mechanical swing with
perfect division of a beat into thirds.
 CHAPTER 6

This discussion around the idea of swing grooves is only the

entry to a rabbit hole that goes very deep. Regardless of music
genre, musicians make music come alive by purposefully placing
notes (or rests) before or after a “mathematically/symmetrically”
perfect place. Of course, there is an art and skill to making a
conscious decision of placement (rather than the inability to
place the note due to lack of practice and/or experience), but you
can hear this human, organic type of musicianship on recordings
across the board, from John Mayer to Bruno Mars, from Sting to
Coldplay, from Sara Bareilles to Aerosmith, and from Michael
Jackson to Fall Out Boy.
It is worth mentioning that the masters of hip-hop have
capitalized on these concepts cleverly and very musically for
decades. As producers utilize samples of real-life musicians
playing their various interpretations of a swing feel (many
samples dating back to the 1940s to 1970s), then layer different
swing patterns with yet another layer of computer-generated
grooves, some really astounding rhythmic results emerge. Listen
to some more organic hip-hop tracks and for what may even feel
like rhythmic oddities when things don’t seem to quite line up in
a symmetrically divided measure, and then step back, listening
to the wholeness of the groove, getting lost in what may seem
mathematically off, but feels musically and organically magnetic.
Some examples include Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation of
Lauryn Hill” or Jay-Z’s “The Blueprint.”

RESTS AND RHYTHMIC CHANGES

z/'jN Other ways songwriters can conceptualize groove is to consider

rhythm, even while playing a song on a single instrument such as
58 piano or guitar. When we play, we are conveying more than
chords alone, but also, the groove with which those chords are
heard. Let’s unpack that statement further by listening to audio
example 58. Listen to the moment we transition from section A to
section B. Although the same chords are being played, an increase
in dynamic occurs. There are a few tricks that allow section B to
gain power, and most of them are based on rhythmic changes.
Harmony and Groove

© Listening carefully to the bass, you’ll recognize that the

rhythmic placing in section A is on beats 1 and 3 of the measure.
59 To make this easier to hear, audio example 59 pushes the bass up
in the mix.

Though there are some pickup notes too, fundamentally the

punch is on beats 1 and 3. Also, notice that there are rests or
“holes” in this section. The bass does not play on beats 2 and 4,
with some minor pickup notes, but rather takes a breath. Now
listen to section B. The bass movement changes dramatically,
doubling in rhythm. It is now playing eighth notes throughout
the entire section without any rest or “breathing” space at all.

Now, take a listen to the tambourine in audio example 60. It

too changes its rhythmic value.
In section A, it plays eighth notes creating a very stable beat,
almost like the second hand of a wristwatch marching steadily
and patiently. In section B, however, it doubles up, now playing
sixteenth notes that add a sense of excitement to the section.
Listening again, focus on the piano. In section A, we are playing
long, full notes that stay out of the way of a potential melody above
it. In section B, the piano plays eighth notes, in a sense quadrupling
the rhythmic frequency and therefore the energy.
Now let’s listen to the guitars. Although the rhythmic value
does not seem to change much between sections A and B, the
dynamic is created by something similar we discussed in the
bass. In section A, the guitars are playing a part that can be best
described as “staccato”—very short. Fundamentally, the guitars
here are playing eighth notes, but the character of a staccato note
is so short that you can think of it as a sixteenth note followed by
a sixteenth rest or breather. Let’s try to visualize this:

Section A:

-JL % —

Section B:

p' i—I
FIG. 6.3. Short Sixteenths vs. Mellow Eighths
 CHAPTER 6
72

When notes flow smoothly into one another without any

rests, they can offer us a warm, cohesive, and thick texture that
we perceive as dynamically elevated.
Finally, section B uses a classic studio trick, adding another
electric guitar part, to really bring the point home. Note, however,
that it too locks in with the bass and the piano in their powerful
eighth-note groove.

activity 6.3. One- and Two-Chord Grooves

A great way to start writing using groove is to keep the harmonic progression
simple. Try writing a groove over just one chord. You might choose a key that you
feel very comfortable playing in, and start on the root of the key, the tonic. Play
the chord using your groove. Now, try adding a second chord to your groove. You
might change chords each measure, or change every two or four measures. Notice
how even as the chords change, the feel and groove stay the same.

ACTIVITY 6.4. GROOVE AWARENESS

Hearing grooves and being able to play them takes a lot of listening and
practicing. But you might be surprised what you can accomplish in just a week
or two of immersing yourself in a new groove. Try listening to a style you’re not
as familiar with for a week. Listen to ten songs a day in this style. After a week,
listen to those same songs while sitting with your instrument. Without concern
for what chords you’re playing, try to express the rhythmic feel of the songs as
you play along on your instrument. You could mute the strings if you’re a guitar
player, or just play one note in the key of the song if you’re a piano player. The
important idea is to feel the groove, not play the right notes. This exercise can be a
lot of fun, and very rewarding for our writing.

ACTIVITY 6.5. RECREATING A GROOVE

Using another artist’s song you like, identify the groove, and try to recreate it
by clapping or beatboxing. Once you feel comfortable with the groove, imagine
writing a new melody and chord progression over it. Let the groove inspire ideas
you may never have had without the groove.
Harmony and Groove 73

Activity 6.6. Old Groove, New Tempo

Identify another groove you like, and try to recreate it by clapping, beatboxing,
or playing it on your instrument. Now, try speeding it up a little, or slowing it
down. Play the new groove until you really feel comfortable with it. Now imagine
writing a song over this new groove. At the new tempo, what does it sound like
it’s about? Do you hear any melodic ideas over the groove? How about any
chords?

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

Sometimes, when we write, we have another artist’s voice in

mind, and sometimes, that voice is our own. Even if we have
no voice in mind, the way we write can be limited by what our
ears allow us to imagine. Sometimes, we write so much like the
genre we listen to most that we limit the creative ideas unique to
ourselves.
When you feel uninspired or are stuck with a song you can’t
finish, try to define why. In other words, what genre do you feel
the song fits in? Is the singer male or female? Is it a slow song,
or an up-tempo song? Then, try imagining the song in another
light. If you thought you were writing for a guy, imagine what
would happen when a girl sings it. If you imagined the song at
a quick tempo with lots of energy, what happens to the message
when you slow it down a bit? If you imagined it with a full band,
what happens when you look at it as an intimate acoustic
performance? Taking a step back to look at our songs from a more
objective point of view can help us feel creative again.