Behind the Notes:
 
The Reason (and Magic) of Rhyme:
 
As a songwriter and a student of songs, I've always found rhyme magical and interesting. Questions come to mind:
 
1. Are there different types of rhymes?
2. Why do some rhymes not really seem to rhyme at all?
3. What is the function of rhyme in song and why is it so important?
 
John Braheny in The Craft of Business of Songwriting talks about perfect or "true" rhymes. These can be one, two or even three syllable words that are identical (vowel sounds and consonants). What changes is the first consonant. You find a lot of this in pop standards.
See the pyramids along the Nile.
Watch the sunset from a tropic isle.
 
Musical theater traditionally uses the true rhyme. From Irving Berlin's classic:
I'm just a fella
A fella with an umbrella.
 
But you also find it a lot in rock. The Police:
Giant steps are what you take.
Walking on the moon.
I hope my legs don't break.
Walking on the Moon.
 
Writing perfect rhymes is a challenging craft. Sometimes perfect rhymes can sound too predictable. But when a writer creates phrases that "truly" express, true rhymes help to communicate on a deeper level and can have more emotional impact.
 
There is also the false rhyme or what I call the basic rhyme. It "basically" matches in vowel sound and may not match in the ending consonant. It can happen in country: Patsy sings:
I fall to pieces each time I see you again
I fall to pieces How can I be just your friend
 
Not an exact rhyme - but it gets the job done - by conveying an idea and telling a story in a memorable manner.
 
What is the job of a rhyme anyway? Interesting question. Possible answers:
 
1. To help the lyrics stick in your head
2. To help sell more records
3. To help connect ideas
4. To convey an emotion and/or tell a story in a memorable manner
 
Yes. I think these are all elements of the usefulness of rhyme in music. But, I also believe there is great and magical power in the repeating of vocal sounds and patterns.
 
Rhyme can connect, teach and spiritualize ideas and people. Humans have continually devoted time to creating and reciting rhyme such as mantras, Wiccan spells and the Hindu ritual of chanting Om. These are all ways to commune with us and with others. Rhyme seems to have a magical quality of enlisting divine powers.
 
According to Wiccan research, "Rhyming is one way magic-workers raise power, focus intent, and add to the impact of spoken spells. Used to reach subconscious energies not readily available to the conscious mind, rhyme and chant can also serve as a concise teaching tool, a more sympathetic vehicle for corresponding with natural cycles, and (as in a group ritual) a seamless way to coordinate the energies of multiple participants. In fact, the very act of creating a rhyme or chant could be seen as a useful aspect of ritual preparation.
 
Poetic rhyming can also help codify a narrative. Oral epics, including Homer's Iliad, often use the mnemonic character of rhyme, song, and chant as both dramatic form and practical device for encouraging narrative integrity by creating (through rhyme) an easier way to remember a narrative as it is passed from one generation to the next." *
 
Listen for rhymes in songs that you like. Every time they come around in the chorus or verse, doesn't it just thrill your heart? I do believe there is magic in it. That's probably why we've rhymed words for hundreds of years. And while it's terrific to listen and sing rhymes, it's even more fun to make them up and set them to a nice melody! Ah, the divinity of Song…
 
*http://www.draknetfree.com/sheathomas/...

Copyright © Deborah Poppink 2003.
All Rights Reserved.
No portion of this material may be copied,
retransmitted, reposted, duplicated or
otherwise used without the express written approval of
Deborah Poppink and Treetop Records.