How to Write Songs — Creating a Great Chorus

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A great chorus is more than just the bit where the lyrics repeat. This video dives deep into the craft of finding and writing great chorus lyrics.

We look at what a great choruses really do (beyond merely repeating), and look deeply at one of the most important concepts in great chorus writing: RECOLOURING. We reveal our favourite writing prompts for getting to a great chorus idea, and play a song that shows these ideas beautifully.

NOV 24/25 2022 ///LIVE ONLINE WORKSHOP: HOW TO WRITE A GREAT CHORUS\\\

CONTENTS:

00:00 - Intro
01:06 - What is a chorus?
03:13 - Chorus writing prompts
08:47 - Song example: "Stranger in His Kiss" by Lori McKenna
16:23 - Seeking emotional clarity
18:18 - What is a song good for?

NOTES:

SOME MORE FROM ME:

* I write about songwriting and creative practice here (and you can also sing up to receive my monthly newsletter of guaranteed non-rubbish):
* We can be buddies on socials here:
* My own music and co-writes are here:

ABOUT KEPPIE:

I'm Keppie. I'm a professional songwriter and songwriting teacher. I've been teaching song and lyric writing for over 10 years now for some of the best contemporary music colleges in the world. I teach for the Berklee College of Music (online, from beautiful Sydney, Australia), for the Sydney Conservatorium of Music's Open Academy, as well as for the Australian College of the Arts. At other times, I've taught for the Australian Institute of Music, as well as the LA School of Songwriting.

My goal is to help people write better songs! My experience in the classroom, with thousands of students at this point (many going on to find careers and success in music), is that your songwriting, like all things, can get better with meaningful, deliberate practice. My intention is to share the skills, knowledge, information, and ideas that I've gathered with anyone who wants to improve their songwriting.

ABOUT BENNY:

Aside from being a killer lap-slide player, Benny is a founding member of one of Australia's best and most bearded country-bluegrass-folk bands, THE GREEN MOHAIR SUITS. He is the Founder and Head Producer at SILAMOR STUDIOS, releasing contemporary music and collaborating under the name SILAMOR.

Benny studied Guitar and Composition under Jim Kelly at Southern Cross University before receiving a Postgraduate Diploma in Composition for Film & Television from AFTRS.
He currently lectures at JMC Academy and composes instrumental music for film, advertising, games, and other visual media.

MUSIC IN THIS VIDEO:

"Stranger in His Kiss", by Lori McKenna and Dean Fields
© Hoodie Songs, Songs Of Universal Inc.

#howtowritesongs
#choruswriting
#songwriting
#lorimckenna

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[ibanezguitars]

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Ice Nine Kills-American nightmare (about Freddy Krueger)

Electric Callboy- We got the moves (about having a fun time partying at the beach)

Audience of Rain (my former band and I’m in the video. I contributed to helping write this but mostly for the guitar solo and other small additions)
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[gheniband]

Great info. I’ve been a songwriter for 30 years and you’ve showed me a couple new ideas. Thank you, I’m glad I found this channel.

[trevorgrondin]

i really enjoyed the conversation in this one! a chorus is a really big deal, and i think getting behind what the song is about really helps to build out the verses. i’ve heard many songs that really struggle to take off because the verses are either rehashes of each other, generic feelings that don’t use the chorus, or tell a story without showing the story of the chorus through imagery and metaphor in the verse. thank you for this video!

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[peterdrake]

These lessons are absolutely fantastic. I have been bingeing on your videos over the last week. They ALL deliver. Many thanks...

Great advices and great format! 20 minutes of straight forward talking about subject is just a great type of video! I think this helped me get through some struggles with my newest song. Cheers from Serbia

[danielbuchanan]

I can't finish songs. I can come up with the "sing along" chorus. But you just even came up with context of what the verses should be. You brought up many tips to help figure out what the song is about. Thank you so very much.

[myfavoriteperson]

I cannot even tell you how grateful I am to have recently found your videos. You guys are wonderful and you are answering so many questions that I have had for so long and you make it so much easier to understand! Thank you so much!

[andryymusic]

what a great video! thank you so much. i also really liked your version of „stranger in his kiss“ i didn‘t know the song but the lyrics are amazing and they really prove your point

[kiteboarding]

Love you two! 😌 great dynamic and wonderful format. I promised myself I was going to write and record a song this year. I promised myself I wouldn’t get stuck in “analysis paralysis” your classes are so great I find myself tweaking and rewriting with new energy. 🤞two more days left😁

[BrentStrathdeePehi]

Great tips, thanks! Imo the chorus must FEEL like a release. Musically I find it feels best when it climbs up in pitch/register/energy

[lordleomoon]

"Allows us to feel thought" That is profound

[newandreview]

I landed on your site by chance. Glad I did. I am a writer and creator of songs, scripts and stories but have never seen where I could apply the three acts to song writing and how to import the emotion into that formula. You guys are a new pleasant revelation to songs and song writing. Thank you. You will have my views every time. Sharing you widely as I write.

[mysteriousoul]

Great insights, esp the concept that you could approach the chorus from multiple and varied angles. This reminds me of the Beatles’ process in the recent Get Back mini series - actually the title song Get Back is a good example of this technique (albeit more abstract rather than linear or consecutive in narrative) - state the premise, expand and escalate is a lovely emotional ride, particularly if this culminates in a celebratory chant in the chorus (whether emotionally cathartic or just a great melodious rhyme).

Just stumbled across your channel and have become an instant fan! 👍

[paddymoore]

Great advice, great delivery - thank you

[kneecaprat]

Pat Pattisons book "writing better lyrics" is the single most valuable songwriting resource I have ever encountered. Your videos are great, heaps of refreshing of that knowledge and new insights. I feel like a well nourished nerd after this video.

[DavidMichaels-qd]

Essentially verse one and verse two are creating two entirely different contexts, hence the change in meaning in the chorus.