Lesson 4 · Maren

Melody in the Words

Before a song has a melody, it has the suggestion of one in the words. The rhythm, the vowel sounds, the rise and fall of the syllables — all of these create a melodic contour that the melody will follow. A great lyricist writes melody even before they write melody.

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Maren takes this apart properly inside Songmatter — the rest of the lesson, the exercise that goes with it, and a critic who reads what you write back.

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