Week 6: XAXA Rhyming with Melody

This week we are putting music and lyric together using the most basic rhyme structure of all time: XAXA.

The X stands for non-rhyming, and the A stands for rhyming. The first and third line don't rhyme (X) and the second and fourth do (A).

Example:

X Writing makes me nervous

A I can never finish a blog

X I jump from topic to topic

A Like a frightened little frog

Instructions

Press record on your audio recorder. Get in the habit of pressing record at the beginning of every writing session. Storage is cheap. A lost song is priceless.

Part I Rhyming

1. Set a timer for 10 minutes

2. Write XAXA down the side of your page

3. Pull out your 9 Minute Exercise from last week and pick one of the rhymes. Put that in your second A position, and work backwards. Write a thought that ends with the rhymed word.

4. Now do the same thing for Line two.

5. Fill in lines 1 and 3 with either the title associated with the rhymes or associations.

I recommend using titles, associations, and rhymes that you are not emotionally attached to.

Part II Melody

Set another timer for 10 minutes

Pick your favorite line and apply Melody Hidden in Words to it.

If you have the skillset to figure out what chords go with your melody, write them down above the words.

Keep in mind there are an infinite number of ways to do this. It's not an exact science.

Questions and Feedback

Is there any part of the lesson that could be more clear? What would make your experience better? Are there any benefits to this exercise that I am missing? Please leave feedback in the comments below. For more immediate assistance shoot me an email at rigel@100daysofsongwriting.com