Songwriting 101: Using Rhyme to Your Advantage
By Dave Byers | September 29, 2007
Rhyme is a wonderful tool to aid in your songwriting when it’s used properly.Your songs do not have to rhyme, but the vast majority of successful songs do. Regardless of the style of music you write, rhyme is one of the most important tools in your toolbox.
Be careful though because cliché, boring, predictable rhymes can ruin any song.
Often young writers get so involved in rhyming that their songs sound generic, cheesy, and cliché. They sound like they were picked simply “because they rhymed,” not “because they helped the song.” This happens to every writer — even you — so don’t get discouraged. Like anything, writing good songs takes mountains of practice and lots of effort.
A rhyme works best when it seems like it happens by accident. When the lyrics are so fresh that the rhyming isn’t even noticed, the song just fits together somehow and rhymes happen to be a part of that.
SongwriterToolbox Tip: Rhymes should not get in the way; instead, they should be like the icing on the cake that makes your good story taste better.
Rhymes are generally categorized as perfect rhyme or near rhyme. A perfect rhyme — like “mind” and “find” — means the consonants following the rhymed vowel (in this case the long “I” sound) are the same. The two words “find” and “line” are considered near rhymes because the consonants after the rhymed vowel are different.
Rhyme schemes are simply the pattern of rhymes within a stanza. The rhyme scheme in each verse should match the first verse in the song. When you get to the chorus or bridge, you can usually change your rhyme patterns.
Usually rhymes come at the end of the line, but not always. Let’s look at several popular rhyme schemes below.
This is called “a,” the very first line
I am the second in the stanza this time
The third goes here in this song of mine
This stanza ends with another silly rhyme
This verse’s rhyme scheme (pattern of rhyming) is called “AAAA.” That means each line ended with a word that rhymed. (Line/time/mine/rhyme) The “A” refers to the 1st rhymed line.
The 2nd rhymed word would then be “B.” For instance:
This is called A, which here is the first line
Line two is now B, as it’s not the same
Three matches one, because they both rhyme
Four matches 2, and ends this silly game
This format is called the “ABAB,” since the 1st and 3rd lines rhymed and the 2nd and 4th lines rhymed. If the format were AABB, then the 1st two lines would rhyme and the 3rd and 4th line would rhyme.
But what if some lines don’t rhyme at all?
This time is different; I’m now an X
The second is now A, and this is new
Line 3 matches nothing, just like the first
Line 4 rhymes nicely, but just with line two
In this example, just lines 2 and 4 rhyme. Lines 1 and 3 do not rhyme to any other line. This format would be considered “xAxA.” The “x” represents a line that does not rhyme, and the A represents the 1st line rhymed.
SongwriterToolbox Tip: The important thing is that once you decide on your rhyme scheme, keep it the same in every verse. So, if you use an AABB format in verse 1, use that same format in verse 2 and verse 3 etc. If you use a different format for each verse you throw the listener off completely and make your song hard to follow.
Inner rhyme means having two or more rhymes in the same line. An inner rhyme accelerates the time between rhymes and is a cool trick in songwriting. Writing songs with inner line rhymes is a little tough because since the rhymes are closer together they are noticed more easily. Your rhymes need to be very good and not cliché or predictable because they will be noticed more than normal.
I wrote this for you, this little song
It’s not very strong, and it’s not very long
You can use an inner line rhyme with or without rhyming to other lines.
I wrote this for you, and I placed it here
It’s a couple of lines, to explain these rhymes
I wrote this for you, and I placed it here
Using original rhymes properly in your writing can take years to perfect, so keep churning on them and ask for feedback from a teacher or fellow writer.
Next, let’s discuss song meter, which is the repetition of stressed and unstressed patterns in your words. Good lyrics have a natural flow about them that matches the melody of the song. (Continue to part 3).
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Loading ...About the Author
Dave is the founder of WritingSongs.com and the Christian Songwriters Organization. He has been writing songs since 1979. His book Songwriting Fundamentals is full of helpful hints for both new and seasoned songwriters. Visit Author's Website.
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