SONG QUICK ANALYSIS WORKSHEET

Song Title _________________________________________ Artist: ____________________________________

Songwriter(s) _____________________________________________________ Genre: ___________________

#1 Date: _____/_______/________ or Highest Spot On Chart: __________ Weeks On Chart: __________

STRUCTURE:
V | V | PRE | CH | V | V | PRE | CH | BR | V | INST | CH | OUTRO

BPM / TEMPO: ___________ BPM Ballad Mid-Tempo Mid- Tempo (Up) Uptempo Mega
(Ballad 45-76) (Mid-Tempo 77- 169) (Mid-Temp Up 170-194) (Uptempo 195-313) (Mega Up 314+)

SPEAKER: 1st Person ( I ) 2nd Person (you) 3rd Person / Omniscient (he / she )

THEME: Love/Romance Party Get Even Empowerment Life Lesson Heartbreak Death/Loss

EVENT PERSPECTIVE: Internal/Thinking To Self External/Talking To Others

DATA METRIC LYRIC METRIC

Time To Title Verse 1 Measures

Intro Length (sec/msrs) Chorus Measures

Song Length Bridge Measures

Out Length (sec/msrs) Verse Rhyme Scheme

Total Word Count Chorus Rhyme Scheme

Syllables In Title Bridge Rhyme Scheme

# Of 2 Syllable Words Bridge Melody/Chords Change? Y/N

# Of 3 Syllable Words Details? Y/N

Title How Many Times Anything Unique/Clever?

NOTES:

Linda A. Schaible | shibes@SongChops.com | SongChops.com 2014 Desert Muse Media

 SONG%ANALYSIS%WORKSHEET
Song%Title%%______________________________________________%%Ar.st:%%____________________________

Songwriter(s)%%___________________________________________%Genre:%%____________________________

STRUCTURE%(circle):%%V%%|%%V%%|%%L%%|%%CH%%|%%V%%|%%L%%|%%CH%%|%%BR%%|%%INST%%|%%L%%|%%CH%%|%%OUT%%|%%FADE%%|%2x
BPM%/%TEMPO:%%

POINT%OF%VIEW:%%%%%%%First%person 2nd%Person/Direct%Address 3rd%Person/Omniscient

CHORDS%/ MELODY%/%TIME
STRUCTURE RHYME%SCHEME ACCOMPANIMENT LYRIC SIG%/%RHYTHM

NOTES:%%

Linda%A.%Schaible%%|%%shibes@SongChops.com%%|%%SongChops.com%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% 2014%Desert%Muse%Media
 SONG CREATION WORKSHEET INSTRUCTIONS
1. Create a brief summary of your lyric idea on the worksheet and add some detail around the that
might suggest a scene or point-of-view
2. Grab your thesaurus and look up a word in the back alphabetical portion that describes your idea.
This example uses Rogets International, a non-dictionary style.
a. For example, if your lyric idea is about the pain of a decision and subsequent regret, you
would look up regret.
b. You would find the nouns: REMORSE (113.1), REGRETS (113.1), APOLOGY (658.2), and the
verb DEPLORE (113.6).
c. Choose one that fits with your lyric idea and go to the corresponding number indicated in the
thesaurus
d. I chose REGRET there youll find not ony the word REMORSE, but another whole column of
words. Start going through them and writing down any you think may work for your song.
If you find one that might fit your song better, look it up in the back and go down a rabbit
trail (not a hole a trail).
e. There are also interesting words near REGRET: like LAMENTATION, SADNESS, SOLEMNITY
and opposites like REJOICING. Depending on your lyric idea, these may have place in your
song even if they werent part of your original idea. Would they make the song more
interesting? This is a great path to explore new approaches and grow the idea of your song.

3. Write down all of the words you think might have merit, then start cutting it down. Refine the
connections by choosing words that will work well together but have different vowel sounds in their
stressed syllables. This will help create rhyming variety in your song, so you dont end up with:
when it snows / I want to blow my nose. Not a crowd pleaser.

4. Write down 8 to 12 words you want to keep into the top grey portion of the worksheet (blank lines
numbered 1 12). Are these the best choices? If not, erase and put others in. When youre
satisfied, transfer the words in the grey box to the corresponding number below the box. For
example, if APOLOGIZE is in position #1 in the grey box, move it next to the number one in the
main body of the worksheet with blank lines under it.

5. Now, look up each word in your rhyming dictionary and select words that connect with your lyric
idea. Do this for all 8 12 words on the worksheet.

Now start writing your song!!

While this process may seem tedious at first, it comes faster as you use it. And, youll find idea
connections and rhymes you probably never would have thought of on your own. Its a nice was to
follow a process and up your variety quotient as well.

Next is an example using a real song Ive been working on called Shining Knight followed by some
blank templates for you to print and use as part of your songwriting process.

For reference, following is an excerpt from object writing notebook I keep got this song idea started: A
couple going through life, an elderly man and his wife are walking down the sidewalk. It is cold and
theyre wrapped in heavy coats. Hes holding her hand, as if theyre still in their twenties. Theyre back
in high school him in varsity jacket, her in her blue dress. They could have dated other people, but
thats not what happened in those days. There were hard times, arguments, cheating, then the baby
came and a young girl became a mother. He came back from the war a different man, not the man she
had dreamed about as a little girl her knight in shining armor a fairytale life: the perfect man to a
live a perfect life with . . . chorus tie to fairytale (book)

Adapted from Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison 1

 SONG WORKSHEET
Working Title: Your Knight
SONG SUMMARY

Man realizes hes disappointed his wife, and not been the man she imagined him to be I probably spent
too much time hanging out with the guys, drinking, forgetting you were sitting right next to me, or
worse, at home alone, invisible. Its not that I stopped loving you. I just dont know how to show it.
You give so much, and I give almost nothing back. I dont know why you see in me, or why you even
love me. I know Im not the man you dreamed of as a girl but I live my life knowing youre part of
my world. Maybe one day I can be the knight in shining armor for you the one you see in me.

THESAURUS WORD SELECTION

1. knight 6. worthy 11. I am

2. amazed 7. hero 12. perfect
3. mend 8. turn around
4. lost time 9. forgive
5. regret 10. ideal

WORD RHYME SELECTIONS

1. knight 4. lost time 7. hero 10. ideal

white climb Romeo wheel

night shine grow conceal
light sign depot heal
fight lifeline steel/steal
midnight dime 8. turn around feel
strike (sun) down
type 5. regret wedding gown 11. am
met night gown began
forget ground outran
2. amazed silhouette found man
raised wreck (spell) bound span
change footstep town
threat drown 12. perfect
3. mend breakdown breath
bend death
defend 6. worthy 9. forgive connect
pretend knee outlive reflect
depend apology sensitive collect
transcend bravery live affect
end plea alternative respect
intend chivalry hid
consent agony

Adapted from Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison 2

 SONG WORKSHEET

Working Title: ______________________________________

SONG SUMMARY

THESAURUS WORD SELECTION

1. _________________________ 7. _________________________

2. _________________________ 8. _________________________

3. _________________________ 9. _________________________

4. _________________________ 10. _________________________

5. _________________________ 11. _________________________

6. _________________________ 12. _________________________

WORD RHYME SELECTIONS

1. ___________ 2. ___________ 3. ___________ 4. ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

Adapted from Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison 4

 SONG WORKSHEET

Working Title: ______________________________________

(contd.)

5. ___________ 6. ___________ 7. ___________ 8. ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

9. ___________ 10. ___________ 11. ___________ 12. ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

Adapted from Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison 5

 SONG%EVALUATION
Song%Title%%________________________________________________________________________________

Writer(s)%%_________________________________________________________________________________

CRITERIA SCORE%(1110)

1.%%Title:%%is%the%5tle%obvious?%%Is%the%song%wri<en%to%the%5tle%consistently? __________

2.%%Does%this%song%have%a%strong%opening%line%that%pulls%in%the%listener? __________

3.%%Song%structure:%%does%the%song%ow%and%hold%the%listeners%interest? __________

4.%%Is%the%hook/idea%memorable%and%well%placed%(visible%&%repeated)%in%the%song? __________

5.%%Verse%lyric:%%do%all%verses%support%the%chorus%and%clearly%tell%the%meaning? __________

6.%%Chorus%lyric:%%does%it%5e%the%verses%together?%%Is%it%memorable?%%Highlight%the%hook? __________

7.%%Prosody:%%does%the%music%emo5onally%match%and%support%the%lyric? __________

8.%%Does%the%melody%and%tempo%(metering%and%phrasing)%ow? __________

9.%%Is%the%melody%memorable%&%create%separa5on%between%verses%&%chorus? __________

10.%%Rhyme%pa<ern:%%does%the%rhyme%pa<ern%work%in%favor%of%the%song? __________

11.%%Rhyme%pa<ern:%%is%the%rhyme%pa<ern%in%the%chorus%dierent%from%the%verse? __________

12.%%Overall:%%does%this%song%provide%a%sa5sfying%listening%experience? __________

Addi5onal%Comments:

Linda%A.%Schaible%%|%%shibes@SongChops.com%%|%%SongChops.com%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% 2014%Desert%Muse%Media