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Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you want to add more zing to your lyrics? Do you want to choose words that pop off the page? It’s not just what you say, but also how you say it. Read more to understand how to capture the music of words in your songwriting.
This article uses literary terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
Connotation vs. Denotation and The Music of Words in Songwriting
Words combine in complex ways to make up a symbol system, i.e., language. In this symbol system people agree on which sounds will represent concepts or objects. In English, we all agree on the meaning of the words joy or chair.
Webster’s Dictionary defines denotation as, “The explicit or direct meaning… of a word…” While it defines connotation as, “Something suggested or implied by a word or thing, rather than being explicitly named or described…” There exists a level to language beyond how the dictionary defines it.
Shades of meaning reach out beyond the printed page and grab your attention. From your own life, you bring an added dimension to words: caffe latte vs. coffee and loveseat vs. couch.
This is just one example of the music of words in your songwriting. Read on to find out how the sound (i.e., the music of the words) impacts your songwriting.
Onomatopoeia and Portmanteau: The Music of Words in Songwriting
The sound of a lyric can also become part of the meaning. A word can have a texture to its sound that adds to its impact.
Compare hand, rot, bag, and book with lunatic, masterful, and mellifluous. The sound of the first group has a rough, choppy, percussive feel. The second group has a softer, flowing, more melodious feel. Talk about the music of words in songwriting!
Nowhere can you see this better than in onomatopoeia. This happens when the sound of a word imitates its meaning: rip, bubble, crunch, pop, slurp, and fizz. These words have a life and vibrancy that can bring verve to a dull lyric.
In fact, inventing an onomatopoeia can be a good way, if used sparingly, to bypass cliché language. “He scritched his fingernails across the chalkboard.”
A similar technique, called portmanteau, combines two words to create a new one. “He quickly scriveled a whiny, complainy note to his wife.” This sentence blends snivel and scribble. The next section gives three more ways to slip in the music of words into your songwriting.
Consonance, Assonance, and Alliteration: The Music of Words in Songwriting
Assonance repeats similar vowel sounds. It links words to each other and can be like rhyme in this sense.
Oh yes wait a minute Mister Postman. — Holland and Gorman
This line hangs together because it uses a lot of similar sounds to glue the sentence together. You find it in the “o” sound in oh and postman, and the “i” sound in mister and two places in minute.
Similarly, alliteration repeats the first consonant of the words. You’ll notice it in the “m” sound of minute and mister.
Likewise, consonance repeats the consonants of the words. You can find it in the “s” of yes and postman and in the “n” of minute and postman. Plus, it appears in the “t” of wait, minute, mister, and postman. Can you see how the “m” in postman works well with the “m” in minute and mister?
Mister Postman Video
Conclusion
Using words for their sound as well as their meaning can add another level of control to your songwriting craft. I’d like to end with a couple of quotes:
I put a piece of paper under my pillow, and when I could not sleep I wrote in the dark. — Thoreau
It’s not good to write in the dark. You need to write more intentionally. — Pat & Pete Luboff
By now you understand how to capture the music of words in your songwriting. Work with these concepts. Grab all the skills you can so that you can write more intentionally, and may the only thing that outweighs your craftsmanship be your inspiration.
© 2021 Geoffrey Keith
Join me for in-person or online lessons today!
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