Using Song Maps has been one of the most transformative tools I’ve ever learned to take any idea I have, and know how to find a pathway to finishing that song.
What’s a Song Map?
A Song Map is really very simple: it’s a plan for how your song will start, develop, and escalate.
It helps you pin down what the central idea is, and use that target idea to make sure that your song is always heading in that direction.
The beauty of Song Maps is that there’s not just one. There are many different Song Maps, and in this article, I want to point you to some context and resources on how to approach using this tool to its fullest.
Basic Lyric Development Questions
There are a series of questions we can always ask of any idea we have, that will meaningfully move an initial thought, feeling, memory or concept deeper, and further.
If you haven’t already, you can download (for free) this Song Map Template:
Developmental Sections
These questions are super helpful as a guide to building upon an initial idea, and the ‘section’ boxes are a way to map out the arc of your ideas.
The ‘sections’ aren’t prescriptive however – they don’t necessarily represent ‘Verses’. The first two boxes could be contained inside your first Verse section, and the third developmental box could be the second verse.
Or – that third box might be a bridge.
The ideas that develop throughout a song, where the lyrics change (as opposed to your title, hook, refrain or chorus, which generally repeat), can be a mix of verses, pre-choruses, bridges…it simply represents how the idea deepens over the course of your song, but returns to your central idea—contained in your title/hook/refrain/chorus.
You can see the powerful combination of having a concept + title + song map in this tutorial:
More Specific Song Maps
There are different Song Maps out there, that can show you different pathways your song idea might take. There is no ‘right’ one. Think of them like outfits you might try on to go to a cocktail party: you know the dress code, but there are options. And it will depend on what feeling you want to create, and what makes sense for the occasion.
Three specific Song Maps you can try out with almost any song idea are:
- The Escalation Song Map
- The Consequence Song Map
- The Obstacle Song Map
This video tutorial shows you all 3 Song Maps in action, with examples and explanation:
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