>> Today we're going to talk about creating contrast between song sections using your melody and the different things that you can do to make your melody different so that each section really shines and feels like a different section, especially your chorus. You really want the chorus to be the queen of your song for sure. There's two things, one is the melody. What is the shape of the melody in your verse? For example, if you were to write more of a static melody or a melody that moves by step in your verse, then your chorus could do something that had big leaps and that would be a way to contrast your sections melodically. If you had a verse that had big leaps in it, then by contrast in your chorus, you would want to figure out, okay, how can I do something that maybe is more rhythmic and static so that it contrasts with my verse? One of the things you can do is when you're writing your melody after you've written one of your song sections, you really want to analyze it and just say, all right, what do I have? Maybe you have a flatline melody. You could just draw it out. You could draw just a flat line. That's typically what's happening or maybe you have a melody that moves by step [MUSIC] Make a note of that somehow, maybe you make like a gradual wavy line, or maybe you've got an arpeggiated melody in your verse [MUSIC] That's really pretty and maybe that's something that you want to use for an idea in your verse. You could also draw that out, would be like a little bit of a wider wave or maybe your verse has leaps in it. [MUSIC] What's different than that? That's the question. What is the melody doing and what will be different than that? Then you want to try to have not only a different type of melody in your verse, then you do your chorus. We also want to think about what notes am I using because sometimes a songwriter is bored with our own song, and sometimes the reason for that is there's too much repetition of the same note. We've already heard it in the verse, we already heard in the pre-course, and then they're using it as part of their motif in the chorus so the listener stops listening because it becomes a sonic cliche. If your melody in your verse is hovering around maybe the third of the melody, [MUSIC] and then your pre-chorus is [MUSIC]. There's that third again and when your chorus goes. [MUSIC] Note that they're not all, maybe good ideas, but the ear is like I have been hearing this all through your verse, and now it's in your chorus. To make that course really stand out, I might just move that up a third, or I might move it anywhere else but the third. You really want to be mindful of what are the melody notes that I'm playing in my verse and what would be different than that. What type of melody am I playing? What melody am I playing? What notes am I playing? Then the rhythm. What is my rhythm doing? If your verse is really rhythmic and maybe it's on the beat, so [MUSIC]. I'm really giving you some rhythm on the beat, [MUSIC] and then my chorus goes, [MUSIC]. It's different melodically, it's a different note, but it's very similar rhythmically and if I'm going to spend my time in the verses giving you a lot of rhythm, I have an opportunity to really stretch out that rhythm in the chorus and maybe do long notes, do something that really is different. My verse, [MUSIC]. Now, [MUSIC] maybe that's something you do in your chorus, or maybe [MUSIC] so I'm right on the beat in that verse. Maybe you go off the beat in the chorus just for contrast [MUSIC]. Here comes my chorus. I'm going to go off the beat with longer notes. [MUSIC]. There's a million ways to create contrast, but just make a list of it. My verse is hovering around these notes. My verse is rhythmically using these rhythms. My verse is on the beat or is off the beat or my verse is whatever your versus doing. What is the shape of that melody? Then what's different? You could really create a different chorus. Again, you want to just keep auditioning ideas. Some of the greatest writers are doing that. They're taking one line in there, rewriting four different ideas for it until they like that's the one. Just make a list of what you've got and then think about what would be really different than that and it's just a great way to think about creating contrast. You really want your chorus to be the star of the show.
