5 Ways To Create Contrast In Your Songs

5 Ways to Create Contrast in Your Song*

Today we’re going to talk about five ways to create contrast in your song.  

Hi.  My name is Steve Collom for The Secrets To Music Success dot-com, and today we’re going to talk about five different ways that you can create contrast in your different parts of your song.  

You know, I’ve heard so many songs before that the chorus sounds like the verse.  Maybe you’ve got some of these problems in your own songs and you’re, like, How do I make it clear, each section, and how can that section do the job that it’s supposed to have?  And, you know, there’s nothing worse than writing a verse/chorus and it sounds like Where did the chorus even start?  And your listeners shouldn’t be asking that question.  They should know, without a shadow of a doubt, that’s where the chorus is because you can just hear the contrast.  It just leads up to it and then you’re singing and it sounds like a chorus.

So let’s go ahead and let’s dive into these five tips or these five keys or five points, whatever you want to call them.  

1. The Melody

Now, you’ve got to make sure – there’s a saying that says The melody will hook us or grab us, but it’s the lyrics that keep us.  So that means that melody is always king.  Melody is always number 1.  How many times have you been whistling a tune or humming a melody or trying to sing the song, but the lyrics elude you, you can’t remember the lyrics?  Well, guess what?  You’re pretty sure about that melody because the melody is so important.  That’s why I want to start with number 1 with the melody.

And so how do you create contrast with your melody?  So the biggest thing is if you’re going – let’s just say your melody is going (sings) – you’re going up (sings) in the verses, then in the next part, the next section, it could be a pre-chorus or it could be the chorus.  Whatever it is, that next section maybe a simple one is to go down.  So the verse is (sings rising phrase) and then your pre-chorus or chorus, whatever you want to do is (sings falling phrase) or (sings falling phrase) – I just went up on that last couple of notes.  See, that’s a great way.  

So verse would be (sings rising phrase x 3) then you go to the chorus (sings falling phrase) and, all of a sudden, it’s creating a different part to the song or a different sound.  It’s creating contrast, and all of a sudden we know that we’re in a new section.  

And so number 1 is The Melody.  It’s so key.  

Now, another thing you can do with your melody is let’s say you’ve got a very simple melody in the verses, meaning that it’s, like, maybe even as simple as you can get, like maybe one note or two notes.  Maybe it’s (sings phrase mainly on single note), so maybe you’ve got, like, just lots of the single or the one note, then you go up – that’s your melody, those are your notes – in the chorus, go to town, (sings ornate phrase) and go for it and start – you can be really creative and you can jump around a lot, and that’s a really cool thing.

And vice versa.  And I said chorus.  What about if it’s your pre-chorus?  It’s the same thing.  So if you went for your verse (sings phrase mainly on single note) and then your pre-chorus was (sings simple scale) and then your chorus just goes to town (sings ornate phrase) or whatever you want to do, you’re creating these different parts in the song, different contrast with just your melody.  So that is a big thing.

Now, the last thing on melody I’ll tell you guys about is make a big jump.  So that’s a very classic, very simple, super-easy contrast to make.  So you’re singing (sings phrase on low notes) – let’s go to the next part (sings phrase beginning higher) – all of a sudden you’ve jumped.  You’ve got this big jump and you’re, like, you know, it feels like a different part of the song.  That’s a great way to do it.  

So, first of all, melody is the first one to try and change.  Try and add or really look at your melody in creating your parts to create the contrast.  

2. The Rhythm

All right.  Now, this is one of my favourites.  I really love this one.  I’m a musician, so I love all the rhythm stuff.  It’s really, really cool.  But it’s very important with the rhythm – now, you’ll be, like, Well, kind of the song has the same rhythm throughout the song.  Yes and no.  So when I’m talking about the lyrics or the melody, which is what I’m talking about now, I’m talking about the rhythm of how you say those words.

Let’s say you start the verse on the 1.  So it’s like (snaps fingers) 1, 2, 3, 4 – I’m starting the verse right here.  Then, when you get to the pre-chorus, start on the 2:  1, 2, 3, 4, 1 – I’m starting the pre-chorus right here.  Then I go maybe back to the 1 for the chorus – 2, 3, 4 – I’m starting the chorus right here.  So, basically, that’s part of the rhythm, what note you start on, what beat – not what note; what beat you actually start on, because the note would be more tied to the melody.  So that’s a great way.

Now, what about if you created – a little bit like the melody, you’ve got lots of – you’ve got the same note.  What if you created lots of words, like – thinking of an example – if you just were – in the verse, you’re like 2, 3, 4 – Words words words w-words-words-w-words words, Words words words – was lots of words, and then in the next section you’re like – Wooooooooooord, wooooooooooord, wo-ooord – so those notes are actually a lot longer in the timing, in the rhythm of them.  Then you go to the chorus and you might be back to lots of words.  

And so, sandwiched in between them, you put a pre-chorus which had, like, elongated notes or long notes, and so that’s a great little trick.  Rhythm is probably my favourite part of creating contrast, you know.  

One of the little tricks that I like to hear and what I do is you create a triplet in there, which is (sings phrase) – so it’s like 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, (sings phrase) – triplets are really cool.  I like triplets.  So that’s just another little thing to kind of dive in.  But number 2 is The Rhythm.

3. Repetition

Now, it’s so important to have repetition in your song.  How many times have we – we’ve all been at school and we’ve all learned that, you know, you’ve got to hear the same thing.  The teacher teaches it and then you go home and you read it and you write it out in your homework, and then you study it later and then you sit in a test of it.  And so you’ve gone through that same step to what?  To learn it.  

Repetition is the key to learning, and repetition is the key to hooks, you know, to creating those parts in the songs that people are just, like,  I can’t get it out of my head!  And you’re like Yes!  That’s what you want.  So repetition.  

Now, you can use this with all of them.  Let’s say the melody, you’re like (sings three notes) – like this was the verse, the next part (sings notes with small variation) – very close, I just changed one note (sings notes with another variation) – so, basically, I did pretty much three of the same one – (sings three notes several times followed by variant) – so I did a four-line verse thing, melody, but I did three of them exactly the same.  Exactly the same.  

Now, these are great for repetition because – guess what? – if I said to you Let’s go another verse you’re already probably singing it in your head (sings three notes x3 adding variant), so you’ve got those kind of in your head.  So repetition is so important. 

Now, when you’re talking about the lyrical content, repetition you don’t want anywhere in the song other than the chorus.  Only the chorus.  So you don’t want to be saying, you know – as a rule.  Now, of course you can break these rules.  We’re talking about art here, so we can break these rules as long as you are breaking them on purpose.  But if you’re not sure, stick to the rules. 

I stick to these rules probably 90 per cent of the time.  I hardly ever break them because they work!  It’s rules that work!  So Repetition is just so key.  That’s a great one.  So that’s number 3.  

4. The Music 

The music can create a different contrast.

Let’s just say it’s drums and bass and maybe a finger snap for the verse and pre-chorus.  (sings) I’m singing a verse.  I’m singing a verse, duh, duh – then, when we get to the chorus, maybe the hats come in (emulates hi-hat rhythm) – and all of a sudden it’s created a different part.  It’s added to that part but if you combine all those other ones – the melody, the rhythm and the repetition, if you combine that and then you add some music, you can tell.  There’s no doubt in people’s mind:  Oh!  You’ve hit the chorus or You’re into that next section.  It’s so important.

Now, another way, of course, to do it is, you know, have some other instruments come in.  Maybe the guitars come in, maybe some synth or maybe a piano or whatever instrument – the brass arrangement comes in – whatever it is – strings – it comes in and that can create a contrast for the parts, because you got no music or less music, and then you have some music in there.  So it does create a kind of contrast.  

So one of the things I use a lot is a tambourine or a shaker or something up high that’s really – our ears can really hear it, you know, so when you throw a tambourine or a shaker or something percussive up there in the high register during the chorus or during that part that you want that contrast, it really does add that little bit.  

All right, moving right along, number 5 is ... 

5. Harmony

So harmony is so cool.  There are so many different ways to get the harmony.  Now, I’m talking about – I’m just going to talk mostly about doing vocal harmonies.  You can add some different notes, maybe – maybe you’ve got a piano line that echoes the harmonies in the chorus – whatever you’ve got.  So you’re going to create a harmony.

Now, I would probably say 99 per cent of all songs out there, especially the popular ones you hear, there is harmonies on the chorus.  Now, their harmony might be unison.  Maybe it’s just a doubled voice that’s unison or maybe an octave higher or octave lower, or maybe it’s just stacked on that one note, but there is harmony there.  You’re creating a bigness of the sound, and the best way to do that is with harmony.  It’s reinforcing those strong notes.  And so that’s another way to kind of create a contrast.  

Now, let’s talk about a verse, pre-chorus, chorus.  So what if the verse is just no harmony, it’s just a single voice – and we’re only talking about the voice here – so you’ve got a single voice, and then in the pre-chorus maybe you go to a harmony, so all of a sudden it’s different.  

Or in the production world you can pan – maybe it’s a single voice and then maybe you do two takes in the pre-chorus and you pan each one hard left and right, or even just out a little bit left and right – and then you go to the chorus and you add harmonies.  All of a sudden, you’re creating – it’s more of a production thing.  It’s like harmony/production.  You’re creating these elements, these musical elements.

And so once you put all of these things together – again, Melody, Rhythm, Repetition, Music and the Harmony – when you put those all together, all of a sudden you’ve got undeniable different sections in your song.   So you’ve got to make sure that you put these in.

Now, if you don’t – if you’re not sure or you maybe only want to put one element in, great, that’s fine.  You’ll find if you need it a little bit stronger or you’ve got that question mark in your head saying This doesn’t really sound like it’s changing that much, then add one of these elements.  Have a look at these elements.  

So great, guys!  I’m glad you stuck with me and followed all the five tips through, all the five points.  

More free stuff

I want to also give you a free PDF of a bunch of pop songwriting tips and mixing tips.  You just have to head over to my website and download that free PDF.  I’m here to help you guys.  I want to teach you guys.  I love this.  I do this every single day.  

More learning options

So I also, on that website, The Secrets to Music Success dot-com, I offer a mentorship thing where, every month, we go through – I help you go to that next level in your music career, whether it be songwriting, whether it be in ads, whether it be – whatever it is in the sync world, whatever it is – I’m pushing you and I’m helping you to get to that next level.  And we do one-on-ones and we also do group listening sessions where I’ll give you awesome feedback on your songs, and so you can go to that next level in your success.  

Wrap-up

So awesome!  Well, thanks again for hanging out with us.  Make sure you give us the thumbs-up and also subscribe, little notifications up the top there, and yeah, I will see you in the next video.  And please, if you think this is going to be helpful to anyone, share it with people.  That’s amazing, if you can share this video with people.  That would be awesome.

So thanks again, guys, and I will see you in the next one. 

_____________________________

*Source:  5 Ways to Create Contrast in Your Song YouTube by Steve Collom, uploaded 20 Apr 2021.

Transcribed by Kate Battersby with care, and the usual apologies for weird Australian spelling!!