How Symmetry Works in a Typical Song

Gary Ewer’s “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” eBook Bundle packages” cover every aspect of how to write great music. They include“From Amateur to Ace: Writing Songs Like a Pro” Read more..

__________

As humans, we’re pattern-seekers. We like seeing things repeat, and we love when we see symmetry: mirror images. Bookends on a shelf are a good example of symmetry. But you don’t have to look any further than your own face to see symmetry. And in fact, because symmetry is part of how our own bodies are organized, we find ourselves looking for it everywhere, including in our music.

So symmetry is not just repetition; it’s the kind of repetition that involves framing something. So for instance, you might start a song with a finger-picked acoustic guitar, and then end it that way. That’s a kind of symmetry. People like it, because it gives the impression to the audience that they’ve just heard a complete musical journey.

You get that impression, for example, when you listen to Yes’s “Roundabout.” The song begins and ends with acoustic guitar, and that gives a feeling of musical satisfaction. There are many ways to end a song, but ending it with a similar instrumentation to the way you began it strengthens song structure.

There are lots of ways to incorporate symmetry in your songs. Here are some ideas that you can use or modify:

1. Melody. Give Paul Simon’s song, “Kathy’s Song” a listen, and you’ll hear a kind of symmetry going on. Each line of music (i.e., each line of lyric) alternates between going up and going down. The first phrase, “I hear the drizzle of the rain” moves in a mainly upward direction. The next line, “Like a memory it falls” moves down, and so on.
2. Lyrics. Symmetry in lyrics can happen in several ways. You might choose to end a song with the first verse again, like Chicago’s “Look Away” (written by Diane Warren). You can get the same effect by starting and ending verses or choruses the same way as well. Any time you frame a middle section with the same lyric, you’re using symmetry.
3. Instrumentation. This is what Yes was doing when they chose to end their song “Roundabout” with the same instrumentation as the beginning. Many songs use a kind of symmetry when they go back and forth between a chosen instrumentation for the verse, and then a different one for the chorus. In your own songs, look for ways to begin and end a song section with the same set of instruments. One idea is to start a verse with something small and transparent, like keyboards and light percussion, then gradually build. As your verse reaches a kind of pinnacle, drop down to something small and transparent again just before the chorus. When the chorus comes in, bring in the full instrumentation.
4. Formal design. You hear a kind of symmetry with the design of a song like The Beatles’ “Eight Days a Week“, when it ends similarly to the way it begins. It’s a variation on what “Roundabout” achieves.

You’ll find that if your songs tend to be complex in any way, symmetry helps the audience feel that they understand the music. When nothing repeats, and no symmetry is present, it’s a bit like taking a long walk where you’re not sure where you’re going, or when you’re going to get home.

Symmetry helps to dispel that feeling of discomfort. It makes your listeners feel as though they’ve been through something complicated, but they’ve returned home “safe and sound.”

The ideas in this post can be found in Gary Ewer’s book, “Beating Songwriter’s Block: Jump-Start Your Words and Music“, available from Amazon, or any other distributor.

__________

Written by Gary Ewer. Follow Gary on Twitter.

The Essential Secrets of Songwriting, 3rd ed., covers every aspect of songwriting – from writing melodies and lyrics, to creating chord progressions. Buy it separately, or as part of one of the eBook packages. READ MORE..