Webb-Tunesmith-Inside the Art of Songwriting

"Perhaps the finest book about songwriting

of our time."

—Musician

INSIDE THE ART OF SONGWRITING —

WEBB

Boston Public Library Boston, MA 02116*

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IMMY WklSH

86

The With

a

preceding

of iambic

a line

is

simple melody

can be sung as four bars of song

it

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#1 J is

2/4

in

feet.

time.

'I

> right

There

of four metric

verse consisting

think

to

these

all

things

something distinctly unsettling about the previous musical

depiction to the experienced songwriter or composer, even though in particulars

When

accurate.

is

it

lyrics are

combined with music

time (iambic) we are accustomed to hearing the beat) of the

beat (first

ral

2/4

what the ear wants to hear

i right

It's

is

a

rest

on the

is

opposed (a

on

think

to

rest is

ing note in the bar which

monly

on the

bar. So,

falls

obvious, but

3E

>

w

all

these

me

let

things

explain.

The

accents

as the first beat (quarter note) in the first

a beat

of rhythm that

on the

syllable "It's"

referred to in songwriting as a pickup. first

of the

second beat

>

diametrically

bar of melody

falls

on the down-

is this:

Perhaps the conclusion

become

time

2/4

in

example the natu-

bar. Unfortunately, in the previous

accent of the lyric in

m

stressed syllable

its

beat of the bar where

it is

The

is silent).

The

becomes what

remainis

com-

stressed syllable then

most comfortable

falls

to the ear. It

is

necessary then to have at least five bars of regular musical notation to sup-

port four metric feet of iambic verse. This illustrates a basic principle of the combining of music

and

lyrics. There are almost always

more bars of music

than there are units of metric feet.

Here

is

another kind of 2/4-based metric foot called a

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In this example the pattern

iambic meter as well as

1

of accents

common 2/4

the ear because the stressed syllable

is

trochee.

&.

is

opposite to those of the

time and sounds perfectly natural to

on the downbeat.

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$ It

—

would be possible

streams of

trochaic feet

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Par

this

but ill-advised

Tex

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for the lyricist to write endless

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leave

Par

this

>

Tex

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fly

off

to

Par

trade

this

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France

> will

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> for

(For the record time hold true for Anapestic

and

all

4/4

dactylic

metric feet

fall

PkA^J^t'^t

will notice that metric feet

oops!

trochaic

and 2/4

can be

what amounts to

a

anapestic

wuk-Jl-£y

c^u^C^

made up of one-, two-

of accents seems awkward,

it is

or multi-

only because

English language contains very few individual words that are nat-

urally anapestic

3/4

is

>

The

iambic,

naturally into

>

syllable words. If this pattern it is.

>

time as well.)

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And

cab

try

these observations about

bar or single unit of waltz time. This

You

as

-

superimposed over bars of 2/4 time and melody.

Let

3/4

i

> leave

Let

87

The

accents are contrary to the familiar ones of

time but notice in the following example

to overpower if

how melody

common

has a tendency

not remove accents of any kind, even the natural ones of

Jimmy WEBB

88

We

spoken language.

can give the melody a more

anapestic feel if we

by peaking or cresting the melody on the third beat of the n

A^

A Quick

Dactylic

-

she

ly

meter

^ ^-&

made up

her

falls

naturally

5.

Obviously

this

i

|

*

*

rhythm

We

are

lines

P

Af

the

laugh

the

ter

-

fascinating as

up more

as

(rest)

common 3/4

time.

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