Playing With Syllables

[lovenara]

Sheila Davis is the queen of thses tricks,alliteration,assonance,consonant,.....you name anything,she has them cover
,try her book
Amazon.com: The Craft of Lyric Writing (9780898791495): Sheila Davis: Books

[Bob Ross]

I'm not a fan of adding additional syllables to a word; gets dangerously close to that "Projectile Melisma" that seems to have pervaded all the faux-gospel pop diva's performances.

What I prefer for those cases when I need an extra syllable is simply to repeat a word. Sometimes it's an unjustified (sic) repetition, other times it's designed to imply a comma, as if the narrator has paused, then resumed their train of thought albeit with a sort of Two Steps Forward One Step Back progression.

As far as accenting syllables in ways they wouldn't be used in normal speech, I tend to avoid that like the plague. I personally find non-awkward prosody to be mandatory for not breaking the illusion that you're actually communicating with a listener, and as soon as a lyric seems somehow forced or coerced to fit a musical phrase, that "4th wall" gets broken instantly.

[decay-o-caster]

not always possible, but you can often add a one-syllable word to the line to get the strong words to land where you need them. instead of something like "i-i love you" sing "yeah i love you" or "mm i love you" if you need the "love" to land on a strong beat, fer instance.

but artificially sung words don't have to be offensive.
"la la how de life go-oes on"...
"and we can walk together down in dixieland - dow-own in dix-ie-land"

[chrisgresh]

I think it depends a lot on the context of the song. Sometimes it works great to add in syllables, or emphasize odd parts of a word, or repeat a word that you wouldn't normally. But sometimes it sounds really bad - it just depends on the context of the song.

When I find myself trying to muck around with syllables too much, I'll sometimes reword the phrase and come up with something better

[Miharbi]

Spreading a syllable across multiple notes, using unusual accentuation - these are tools in every bona-fide vocalist and songwriter's toolkit. They can be used well, they can be abused. It really depends on the decision maker behind the music. And when it works and when it doesn't, this can't really be taught. Rely on your instincts.

[Rockinrob]

Don't know if you've ever listened to Michael Franks, but he is a master at doing exactly what you've described.

[Scouser]

Rules are there to be broken, pretty much anything can work, if it sounds right, it is right.

[littleeden]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

....As far as accenting syllables in ways they wouldn't be used in normal speech, I tend to avoid that like the plague. I personally find non-awkward prosody to be mandatory for not breaking the illusion that you're actually communicating with a listener, and as soon as a lyric seems somehow forced or coerced to fit a musical phrase, that "4th wall" gets broken instantly.

Couldn't agree more - it absolutely sets my teeth on edge when I hear it. To me it just smacks of laziness - if you can't make it fit, find a different way to say it (or change the melody).

On the other point, though, stretching syllables out over multiple notes...."mo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oves like Jagger"

[Frank_Case]

It's helpful to chart the lines and syllables on graph paper to help you account for having the same number of syllables in each related rhyming line. What's important is to get the words to line up correctly so that the song sings easily.

Four ways of doing this....

1. Use the exact number of syllables per related line.
2. If you have fewer syllables in a line, use Melisma to fill syllable space.
3. If you have fewer syllables in a line, extend some syllables longer.
4. If you have fewer syllables in a line, leave a rest or two as fill.

#1 and #2 tend to work best.
#3 works good when you don't overdo it.
#4 can make the line choppy, but still is viable if used carefully.

Melisma is widely used in rock and pop music to solve this alignment problem and has the advantage that it adds mojo to the vocal arrangement. Melisma as a vocal technique is analogous to bending a guitar string up or down into a second or even third note. It's like doing string bends with your voice. It is less used in traditional folk music and some folk purists frown on it's use. But for rock/pop it can't be beat. Listen to old Beatles performances and you will find it being used in almost every one of their songs. It is one of the keys that made their music great. The Rolling Stones used it a lot as well.

To give you an idea, here's what wiki says about melisma.

Melisma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by Frank_Case

Melisma is widely used in rock and pop music to solve this alignment problem and has the advantage that it adds mojo to the vocal arrangement.

Um... no.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by Frank_Case

Ummmm....YES. The Beatles used Melisma in most songs they wrote. Are you saying they had it completely wrong and that their songs would have been substantially better had they discarded the technique?

I'm saying that there's no direct correlation between use of melisma and presence of "mojo" (sic) in a tune. Or, for that matter, no direct correlation between use of melisma and how good those Beatles tunes were.

[LoFi_By_Choice]

At least the OP is conscious of this. I worked with a singer/lyricist once who this whole concept just eluded completely. Trying to cram too many syllables into eight beats, no rhythm whatever from one stanza to the next... such a headache. Finally, we got him to understand, but like Frank Case said, we had to 'draw it out' for him, and give him set parameters to work within. Lots of work but worth it in the end. Good guy, though.