Guides for people who write lyrics

Updated

Each guide answers one question writers ask before they hear their words sung. The figures in them come from songs we measured ourselves, and every guide says where its numbers come from.

  • How to turn your lyrics into a song

    Four ways compared, from writing the tune yourself to an AI singer, with what each costs in time and control, and a seven-point checklist for the words.

    About 285 words make a three-minute song.

    Updated

  • Song structure: verse, chorus and bridge

    What each part is for, how long it usually runs, and four templates to start from.

    About eight in ten marked-up lyrics run verse, chorus, verse, chorus.

    Updated

  • How to write a melody for your lyrics

    Five steps from spoken words to a tune, and why lines of similar length sing better.

    One 24-syllable line took about 13 seconds to sing in our test.

    Updated

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