When writing a song, rhyme can be one of the most important yet difficult things to execute properly. Luckily, rhyming has been around for a very, very long time and there is somewhat of a science to rhyming.
Most people are the master of the end rhyme. Having a creative vocabulary and applying it to this device, however, is another article. In this article, I want to address poetic devices besides the typical end rhyme.
There are three main poetic devices that I want to cover in this article. The first is called Alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of a word. This device can be used to make a line more cohesive and make it flow better when recorded. Often, it’s easier to record faster lines when they contain alliteration.
Example: “Taking a tonic and talking till it gets toxic.”
This line reads and sounds a bit better than something similar that does not contain alliteration.
Example: “Taking a drink and speaking till it gets sickly.”
By reading these lines, you can instantly see how alliteration can add to the vibe of a line and help it stand out from other lines. As a side note, these two examples also exhibit how word choice can affect how easily a line rolls off of the tongue.
Alliteration is a simple enough concept. Many of us have already used it, read it, and know it well. Often it can arise without even trying. But when combined with the next poetic device, alliteration can begin to evolve beyond a simple device.
Consonance is the repetition of a consonant sound within a word. When combined with alliteration, it can begin to make a line even smoother.
Example: “Ramping a ramble of random sand dwelling mammals.”
Here, we begin to get a little more abstract with the application of these devices. This line contains a few different examples of consonance and alliteration both, as well as the next poetic device that we will discuss. “Ramping a ramble” employs both alliteration, in the repetition of the “r” sound. It also contains consonance, in the repetition of the “m” in the middle of each word. Going further, “random” is also tied in to “ramble” and “ramping” via alliteration. “Mammals” is tied in to “ramping” and “ramble” in the repetition of the “m” sound.
One thing I want to note is how important the “filler” words are. In this line, the filler words are “a” and “of”. These words help the line flow and do not intrude on the imagery or message of the line. These words are also often the cause of having too many syllables in a line. They can be used either to shorten the syllabic count of a line by removing them or lengthen it by adding them, since they are non intrusive and rarely interrupt the feel of a line.
Next, we move on to assonance. Assonance is the repetition of a vowel sound within words. The previous example line will suffice for this device as well.
Example: “Ramping a ramble of random sand dwelling mammals.”
Here, in addition to consonance and alliteration, assonance plays a large part in making the line smooth. “Ramping”, “ramble”, “random”, “sand”, and “mammals” are all tied together via assonance from the “a” sound.
These devices are important in song writing. As I have illustrated, when used together, they can make a line more cohesive and smoother to read and record, as well as help them sound a bit more complex.
I encourage you to go beyond this simple introductory explanation of these devices and learn more about them and how to use them.
-E.
