The Ultimate Song Evaluation Check List

You may have wondered how we critique songs in our 2nd Tuesday meetings. We hand out critique sheets to be scored by the judges and members present. Each of the six columns (hook, melody, lyric, structure, originality, and truth) are scored 1-10. with a total of 60 points per song.

Below is a guideline on what to look for in each of those song elements. This was a handout at the Nov. 2009 meeting. I hope this is helpful in evaluating you own songs.

Factors to Consider in Scoring a Song Evaluation

Hook / Title / Idea

1. Does your title instantly grab a listener's attention because it is fresh and interesting?
2. Is the hook free of cliche?
3. Is the hook placed in a power position?
4. Is your hook repeated?
5. Does your hook sum up the story or feeling of your song?

Melody

1. Does the melody employ repetition?
2. Is the melody simple? 
3. Is the melody interesting?
4. Is the melody catchy and easy to remember and sing even without lyrics?
5. Is the melody range within an octive and a third?
6. Does the melody refrain from skipping around?
7. Does the melody reach a climax with the story.
8. Is there prosody between the melody and lyric? Does the feel of the melody and the tempo of the music match the meaning of the words?
9. Does the melodic rhythm change in each part of the song structure? (Verse/chorus/bridge)
10. Are the important words in the lyric placed in the power positions of the measure (beat 1 or 3) or on longer note durations?

Lyric

1. Does the verse lyric lead the listener directly to the chorus or the hook?
2. Is the lyric detailed and full of fresh imagery?
3. Does the lyric employ metaphors or similes and carry the imagery through the song?
4. Does the lyric sound natural and conversational?
5. Does the lyric effectively employ rhymes? 
6. Does the lyric draw the listener into the story, by showing instead of telling how the singer feels?
7. Does the lyric have one focused idea?
8. Is the lyric concise and not too wordy or have too many syllables to be melodic?
9. Is the point of view consistent?
10. Does the lyric make the singer look good and not cause him or her to look bad?
11. Are the lyrics easily relatable and not too personal?
12. Is the story completely told and does it make sense?

Structure

1. Is the melody the same but the lyrics different on each verse?
2. Is the rhyme structure consistent from verse to verse?
3. Is the meter of the lyric consistent from verse to verse?
4. Does meter of the lyric change from verse to chorus or bridge?
5. Are the chord changes the same in each verse?
6. Is the song form a standard popular song? 
7. Does the verse lyric tell the story and advance the idea?
8. 
   
9. Additional points to check depending on the song form:

1. Verse, Verse, Verse

1. Is the title/hook in the first or last line (power positions) in each verse?

2. Verse, Verse, Bridge, Verse

1. Is the title/hook in the first or last line (power positions) in each verse?
2. Is the bridge a departure from the verse musically?
3. Is the bridge a departure from the verse lyrically?
4. Is the bridge a departure from the verse rhythmically?
5. Are the chord changes different in the bridge?

3. Verse, Chorus, Verse Chorus

1. Is the chorus the catchiest part of the song?
2. Does the chorus contain the title/hook?
3. Is the chorus the same musically and lyrically each time?
4. Is the chorus a summation of the idea?
5. Is the chorus a departure from the verse musically?
6. Is the chorus a departure from the verse lyrically?
7. Is the chorus a departure from the verse rhythmically?
8. Are the chord changes different in the chorus?
9. Does the rhyme structure change in the chorus?

4. Verse, Chorus, Verse Chorus, Bridge, Chorus

1. Is the chorus the catchiest part of the song?
2. Does the chorus contain the title/hook?
3. Is the chorus the same musically and lyrically each time?
4. Is the chorus a summation of the idea?
5. Is the chorus and bridge a departure from the verse musically?
6. Is the chorus and bridge a departure from the verse lyrically?
7. Is the chorus and bridge a departure from the verse rhythmically?
8. Are the chord changes different in the chorus and bridge?
9. Does the rhyme structure change in the chorus and bridge?
10. Is the bridge the climax of the song?

Originality

1. Is the story original?
2. Is the melody fresh and doesn't sound like another song?
3. Is the hook or title fresh and does not sound cliche?

Truth

1. Did the song make you laugh or cry?
2. Is the story and are characters believable?
3. Is there enough contrast between the sections to build to an emotional climax?
4. Does the lyric allow the listener to empathize with the singer?
5. Does the story move forward and come to a conclusion?
6. Does the melody work to create the emotional impact that the lyric intends?

Factors that we comment on in critique, but do not score.

Demo production

Commerciality 

The Importance of Contrast

Have you ever been listening to a song, or not really, because it is so monotonous that you don't even know where the chorus starts?

Even though repetition is an important device for driving home the central idea or hook in a song, making the song memorable, repetition has it's limits. It can be carried too far and the song loses it's power to grab the attention of the listener. At this point, the song doctor orders a dose of contrast.

Contrast can be applied to a number of song elements to accomplish a "heads up" from the listener as an enticement to keep listening.

An important rule in song structure is to keep the meter (rhythm of the lyric), rhyme scheme, melody and chord progression the same from verse to verse, however, all of these elements should change when moving to another section of the song, a chorus or bridge.

Here are some ways you can apply contrast.

Vary your melodic and lyrical meter by:

• Having short note durations in the verse and long note durations in the chorus or vise versa.
• Changing the length of your lines from one section to another,. For example, long in the verse, short in the chorus and then maybe two medium lines and a long line in the bridge.
• Changing the length of your sections. For example, say you have an eight line verse, then have a four line chorus and a three line bridge.
• Changing the rhythmic accents or stresses on the syllables in your lyric.
• Changing the feel of your sections. For example, if you have a more rhythmic and less melodic verse, then create a strong soaring melody that is less rhythmic for your chorus.

Vary your rhyme scheme by:

• Changing your rhyme pattern for each section. For example if you have common meter (Mary Had A Little Lamb nursery rhyme) in your verse (xa xa xb xb), use couplets (Eenie Meenie Minie Moe nursery rhyme) in your chorus ( aa bb) or vice versa.

Vary your melody by:

• Keeping your melody in low to medium range in the verse and moving to the highest melodic range of the vocalist on the chorus, or vice versa

Vary your chord progression and keep them interesting by:

• Changing your progression for each section.
• Modulating in the bridge and returning to the same key.
• Modulating to a new key.

Another important contrast to consider is emotional intensity. Just as `in a novel, movie or any other story telling media, your three minute song story should have a scene setter (who, where & when), a conflict with rising action, a climax, and falling action with an outcome. Try drawing a graph of the emotional intensity of your song. Is it a dead flat line or does it have some wavy lift to it, culminating in a peak point for your climax?

©2009 Barbara McMillen _ All rights reserved.

The Bridge - Song Forms - THE CRAFT OF SONGWRITING

Through the years when discussing songwriting with other songwriters, the bridge is the most controversial section in the form of a song. Some songwriters say you don't need a bridge, others say add one only if you want to take your song to a new place lyrically, and some write a bridge with every song, using the AABA song form.
Listen to Billy Joel's I Love You Just The Way You Are for an example of this song form. In this case the B section (which starts with the lyric,

I need to know that you will always be

) is a bridge between the 2nd and 3rd verse.

I've previously stated that song forms fall in and out of fashion like bell bottom pants. The bridge section of a song form is also subject to falling in and out of fashion.

If you should choose to add a bridge in your song, here are some important things to remember. The bridge functions just as it sounds like it does. A bridge over a river connects one bank to the other. A musical bridge also carries the listener to new ground. It is a transitional section of the song form and should take the listener to a new place lyrically and musically. Something extra both musically and lyrically, the bridge should be different than the other sections of the song by changing the melody, chord progression, the rhyme pattern, lyrical meter or sometimes the key. Lyrically, it can offer a surprise in the story, a change in point of view or take the listener to a different time. Musically, it can break up the repeated sections of the song and keep the listener interested. The bridge can provide some contrast and an opportunity to try something different within the context of the song's vibe. You can go outside of what the rest of the song is doing and push the envelope with the bridge. Lyrically and musically, it can come from a different point of view and tell another aspect of the story in a way the verse and chorus maybe can't without losing continuity and focus. It often occurs near the end of a song and is lyrically and musically the climax of the song. Often the bridge is followed by the final chorus and the lyric and music, especially the last line leads smoothly right into the chorus.

For and example of a bridge towards the end of the song leading back to the chorus, listen to Because You Love Me by David Foster as sung by Celine Dion.

Many times a bridge is not necessary. A simple verse/chorus will do, or a short instrumental leading to a lift/chorus will do. If your not saying anything new with your bridge, then leave it out of your song.