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Write the Next Big Holiday Hit!

December 12th, 2008 orlando5 No comments

I know I don’t only speak for myself when I say I can’t live without holiday music this time of the year. There are so many timeless, classic songs written by some of the greatest songwriters ever, and nothing spreads happiness like a holiday tune!

Why not try your hand at creating your very own holiday song whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, etc.?

Uptempo holiday songs are generally happy (think: Holly Jolly Christmas, Jingle Bells, All I Want For Christmas is You) bouncy and sing-songy; almost corny and cheesy! But hey! This is holiday music; we’re here to spread cheer, and it gives us songwriters a chance to be silly and catchy with our creations.

In holiday songs anything goes as far as chord structure. One common, effective technique is to use the I7 chord right before going into the chorus or another song section (e.g., in the key of G, that chord would be G7).

Here’s a great little word list you can add your own words to, by using the principles outlined in the Rhymezone song word-building guide to create a holiday song.

Happy holidays!

Verbs

have
laugh
kiss
ringing
driving
riding
sing
saw
glow
say
go
listen
hear
tell
look
take
(to) wish
send
make
dream
exist
stand
know
want
need
crave
sing
pass
wait

Nouns

christmas day
christmastime
dec 25
noel
stockings
xmas
yule
yuletide
holiday
year
santa
snow
holidays
tree
mass
gift
winter
miss
eve
bells
merry
present
santa claus
cheer
hanukkah
holly
list
birth
celebration
christmas tree
clause
carol
yuletide
christ
christmassy
christmasy
dinner
greetings
ornament
snowflake
candle
christ
claus
festive
flake
giving
greeting
kisses
kwanzaa
seasons
shopping
toys
treat
turkey
who
wreath
mistletoe
christmas box
christmas card
christmas eve
dec 24
chestnuts

Other Words, i.e., adjectives,etc.

through
special
apart
jolly
soon
if
joyful
near
desire
wonderful
happy
below
all
best
this
away
like
where
when
lovely
precious
(be) good
low
high
goodnight
tight
warm
open
closed
bright
twinkling
you
me
I
they
we

Advanced Songwriting Lyric Tips: A Fresh Inner Rhyming Technique

October 30th, 2008 orlando5 No comments

One of my favorite songwriting lyric tips and tricks is to use inner rhyming to my advantage by continually finding fresh ways to use this type of effective rhyming.  Inner rhyming has a tendency to build momentum in any part of your song, so if you’re looking to add life to your creations, this method of rhyming is an outstanding, contemporary choice.

Next time you’re using inner rhyming in a song, try not ending any verse line with a usual rhyme.  Instead, use inner rhyming on every line until you get to the chorus.  

For example, this technique really works well in r&b or pop songs which are beat-driven, but you can definitely use it in any song genre. Keep in mind I’m just making up lines that come to my head in real-time just to show you this example:

I’ve never mentioned this to you before  
But the more I talk to you
The more I’m sure you know
I’m trying to go slow but I’m having trouble

I get puzzled by the way you say
You’d like to stay but you gotta’ go
Hey, I know you should command respect
But i feel like a wreck on a deserted island

Cause with you I’m finding
I may be heading where nobody will ever find me…..

{Chorus}

This is a fairly decent first draft that would take some rewriting but you get the picture.  I like the way the first verse ended but the first few lines need a little work!

Notice in the 2nd and third lines:

But the more I talk to you
The more I’m sure you know

The last word you is not really inner-rhymed because I intentionally placed it close to the end of the following line before the word “know.”  This is actually a common advanced songwriting lyric writing technique where the songwriter can actually control the rhythmic momentum of a song by not rhyming two or three lines, then rhyming the following lines thereafter, creating more excitement after the non-rhymed lines.

Take this example and use variations such as rhyming the first two or three lines of a verse, then going into total inner rhyming to speed up and bring excitement to your song.  The possibilities are endless!