How to Write Lyrics That Convey Desired Emotional Resonance With the Use of Rhymes and Accents

The fast talking doodling music theorist and musician 12tone stepped away from the scale in order to explain how best to use various forms of rhymes (end rhymes, interior rhymes, assonance and consonance) when writing the lyrics of a song. He also stresses the importance of knowing how to properly accent words so that it works with the melody to convey the desired emotional resonance within a rhyme.

Whatever melody you’re singing, there’s going to be emphasized notes and less emphasized notes and in my opinion one of the biggest differences between amateur and professional lyricists is how well they line up those accented notes with the accented syllables of their lyrics.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.