How to score verse variations?

2004-04-05 01:04 pm

I'm looking for some ideas on how to score a song.

I've got a song with 3 verses. The trouble is there are slight differences of rhythm and even a note or two between each verse.

They all use the same chorus.

What's the best way to score this?

Thanks,
John

Re: How to score verse variations?

Reply #1 – 2004-04-05 04:20 pm

First, you need to distinguish between how a song is played (directly from NWC, or via MIDI), and how it appears when printed.

If your only concern is how it sounds (not how it looks), then the easiest solution is to write the song as one continuous effort, without repeats. You can copy-paste notes, and edit locally where needed. This method has the advantage of being (relatively) foolproof.

But if your concern is how it LOOKS, for sheet music, that's a different story. I sing in a choir, and so I have to deal with this all the time.

The easiest method, which I have sometimes seen used in professional vocal music, is to break long notes into component notes of smaller duration, connected by ties. Singers know that when a syllable appears, it should be sung through as may tied notes as necessary, until the next syllable appears. So, you could have music like this:

Notation is E - E - E - E where "E" represents a 1/8 note, and the dash represents a tie.

Lyrics line (1) is "My dog has fleas," with each word sing on an E.

Lyrics line (2) is "My dog stinks ," with the first two words on an E, and the final word occupying 2xE.

Lyrics line (3) is "Ugh ," occupying all 4xE.

In NWC lyrics editor, you can use the underscore to represent a blank syllable, so that a note is skipped on that lyrics line.

There's another way to do it, also very common, which is generally used only when it is a matter of squeezing in an extra syllable on the beat. Such as:

(1) My dog has fleas.
(2) I bathed my dog.
(3) But it did not help.

In the above, "But it" squeezes onto the same duration occupied by "My" and "I" in the first two lines. If you wish, you can simply write "But it" as a single equivalent syllable in the lyrics editor. The non-breaking space (character code decimal 160) can be placed from your character map. It will act as a space, and will link "But" and "it" as if they were a single word. If you do it this way, the singers have to know the way that the note duration is to be partitioned between "But" and "it." Usually, it is obvious from context. Also, this method assumes that "But" and "it" are at the same pitch.

Perhaps the best method, often used in professional music, is to use notes of different sizes. The standard size note (consistent with the majority of notes in the document) would represent the "normal" rhythm there. Smaller notes (typically 75% of the normal size) would indicate the alternative rhythm, for verses that have a different number of syllables. Although some user might recommend grace notes for the smaller size, I do not find them to be the most useful.

Sometimes the normal size note represents the longer time duration, with smaller notes used for the shorter duration (extra syllables). Sometimes it is the other way around. The method you choose may depend on factors such as visual fit.

To do this in NWC1.75, place the normal notes in the usual fashion. Place lyrics that correspond to those notes in the usual fashion. Then, place extra notes as TEXT objects.

To place extra (smaller) notes, you need a user font with musical notation. The built-in NWCV15 font can be defined as a user font, too; but it is not most useful for this purpose. Find the free "MusiSync" and "NWslurs" fonts at the Scriptorium (if MusiSync isn't there, find it by Internet search).

MusiSync has a good selection of pre-made notes of various durations, and also some note combinations. NWslurs is a collection of slurs (some dotted) that can be used as slurs or ties. You will have to experiment with choosing the correct font size. Also, you MUST look at the results in Print Preview, since the music editor is not set up for exact visual coordination of notation objects and text objects. If you have any lyrics that can't be fit in the lyrics editor, you can also place those as text objects.

It's easier to do than it sounds. The procedure of placing text notes has the advantage that these can be placed at different pitches, or various durations.

Re: How to score verse variations?

Reply #2 – 2004-04-05 08:56 pm

Robert has answered how to create the lyrics and accompanying notes. I don't work with lyrics, but think these ideas might also be worth trying out:

I assume structurally the song is

Verse 1
Refrain
Verse 2
Refrain
Verse 3
Refrain

If so, treat the second and third verses as 1st and second endings:

Verse 1
Master repeat open bar
Refrain
Special ending (First ending) Verse 2
Master repeat close bar
Special ending (Second ending) Verse 3

You can hide the special ending symbols if you think that will look better (set them to visibility never)

An alternative to Robert's idea for lyrics, if you want them all at the same place in the score, is to use layered staffs. Put each lyric on a separate staff, and stagger the "offsets" so they don't overwrite each other.

You can control where each word begins by playing with the notes in that particular staff. Make the notes that are constant invisible, and mute the notes in the lyric lines.
Where the rhythm differs from verse to verse in the same measure, show the notes in one staff as stem up, the other as stem down.

Don't know that this will meet your needs, but give it a try.

Re: How to score verse variations?

Reply #3 – 2004-04-06 12:12 am

Good points, David. Shows how narrow my focus is: If it isn't singing, I know little about it!

Re: How to score verse variations?

Reply #4 – 2004-04-06 06:24 am

...and if it is singing, I know even less. I couldn't carry a tune in a wet paper bag in a wheelbarrow. Wish it weren't so (;<

My only knowledge of the multiple staff trick for lyrics was from (successfully) seeking a way to enter chord names, not from writing out verses.

"It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing..."

Between the two of us I hope we've answered Mr. London's question.

By the way, I'm sorry your dog has fleas and stinks. You must be ticked off...