Songwriter Advisor Blog

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!

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!