So far in the Songwriter’s Guide to Rhyme and Other Echoes, we’ve talked mostly about forms of rhyme that we might use at the ends of lyric lines.
That brings us to the “Other Echoes” part of the series. You can use the three techniques I’ve listed here anywhere in any line of lyric to lend an extra layer of ear appeal.
1. Alliteration
Alliteration involves two or more words that start with the same sound. Like this:
down the drain
or like this:
traipsing ’round town
Easy enough, right?
2. Consonance
Consonance repeats a consonant sound any number of times. Unlike alliteration, which happens at the beginnings of words, consonance can happen anywhere within the words.
She slips away through deceptive smoke
Actually this line also repeats the “p” sound, so there’s even more consonance happening here:
She slips away through deceptive smoke
3. Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is a hell of a mouthful, but all it really means is that a word kinda sounds like the thing it describes. Meow! Bark! Slap! Tick. Tick. Tick.
Actually, if you listen really closely to a cat, you’ll notice it doesn’t say meow at all; it usually says reow.
Anyway, here’s a sneakier example of onomatopoeia:
The rush of swirling seafoam
Notice how the words themselves are full of “shhh” and “ssss” and “f” sounds–exactly the sounds you’d expect a wave to make as it washed across the sand and lapped at your toes.
…but do listeners actually notice these sounds?
Yes.
Listeners may not come up to you after the show to say, “Nice use of onomatopoeia there.” But listeners do notice when a certain line of lyric has a nice ring to it.
Even you yourself don’t have to deliberately think about these techniques while you’re drafting a new song lyric. But it does pay to know what these techniques are so you can watch for opportunities to make certain phrases pleasing to the ear.
It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that spoken language truly is–on some level–just sound. Drummers have their cymbals and toms; guitarists have six strings; piano players have 88 keys. Lyricists have the sounds of language itself to work with: rhymes, rhyme schemes, consonance, onomatopoeia. These are our instruments–and just like any instrumentalist, we can become deft with them.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this series–I enjoyed writing it for you.
Thanks for reading.
Click here to return to The Songwriter’s Guide to Rhyme and Other Echoes.