12 song shapes with bars and sections
Print PDFTabletGoogle Docs
120 pages · syllable and rhyme columns on every page
Notebook · Vol. 1
Lyric Notebook
4.8 · 6 reviews
Lyrics on the left, syllables and rhyme on the right. A song plan for every song, and an index so you find it again.
pFirst songmfSome songsfMany songs
All three formats included
- Print PDFA4, US Letter and an A5 booklet
- Tablet PDFGoodNotes, Notability · tabs for every section
- Google DocsOpens a copy in your own Drive
Price: $7
one-time · instant downloadAlso in the Songwriting Starter Kit: 5 tools for $29.See kit
A file doesn’t work on your device? Refund within 14 days.
A song in progress
Not a sample page. This is “Paper Boats”, our own song, on the night verse two got stuck.
| Syll. | Lyric | Rhyme |
|---|---|---|
| Verse 1 | ||
| 8 syllables | We folded every promise small | rhyme a |
| 8 syllables | and set them on the evening tide | rhyme b |
| 8 syllables | you said the river knows us all | rhyme a |
| 8 syllables | and lets the small things float, not hide | rhyme b |
| Chorushook! | ||
| 7 syllables | So let them go, let them go, | rhyme c |
| 8 syllables | paper boats on a | rhyme c |
| ↑ “slow, slow” — say it twice | ||
| Verse 2 | ||
| 8 syllables | The bridge lights blink like they forgot | rhyme d |
| Empty line | ||
| Empty line | rhyme d | |
| need a “d”: lot? knot? not? — try a picture, not a word | ||
- Title
- Paper Boats
- Feeling
- letting go — but gently
- Tempo
- 84 BPM
- Key
- D
- Time
- 4/4
- Structure
- Verse
- Chorus
- Verse
- Chorus
- Bridge
- Chorus
- Hook ideas
river songlet it float- paper boats (chosen)
the evening tide
- Sounds like
- late-night radio, one guitar, brushes on the snare
Next: finish verse 2 before Sunday
- Syllable columnCount each line once. A line that drags is usually two syllables too long.
- Rhyme columnLetters, not words. a / b / a / b shows the shape before the sound.
- Section marksThe same A, B, C as the structure map, so the page and the plan agree.
- Room to be stuckAn empty line and a margin note. That’s how songs really get written.
- Song plan pageTempo, key, structure and hooks. Fill in what you know; leave the rest.
What’s inside
120 pages, in the order you need them. Print the lyric pages as often as you like.
Side A
- A1Lyric pages — syllable and rhyme columns92 pages
- A2Song plan pages20 pages
- A3Song index4 pages
Side B
- B1Rhyme cheat sheet2 pages
- B2Syllable counting guide1 page
- B3How to use this notebook1 page
Total120 pages
Three ways to write
Print
A4 · US Letter · A5 booklet
Print a few lyric pages, keep them by the guitar. Fold the A5 into a pocket book.
Tablet
GoodNotes · Notability
Tabs for every section. Write with a pen, copy the page for the next song.
Google Docs
Make a copy · any device
Type on the bus, on your phone. The columns stay in place.
For every dynamic
pFirst song
Use the song plan first. Fill the feeling and one hook, then write only the chorus.
mfSome songs
Use the syllable column to fix lines that drag. Keep every draft.
fMany songs
Use the index. Number your songs, keep the abandoned ones — they come back.
From the writers
4.86 reviews
“The rhyme column changed how I see my verses. I spot the weak line in seconds.”
“I finished my first song in this notebook. The song plan page did it.”
“I keep one per album now. The index is the part I didn’t know I needed.”
Questions
Ask us anything. A musician answers within a day.
Yes. Your songs are yours: record them, release them, sell them. The notebook itself is for personal use.
No. The pages use syllables and rhyme letters, not notes. If you can count to eight and hum a line, you can use every page.
GoodNotes and Notability, and any app that opens a PDF with links. The tabs jump to each section.
Yes, as often as you like, for your own songs.
Download it again from your library first. If it still doesn’t open on your device, ask within 14 days and we fix it or refund you.
Songwriting Starter Kit
This notebook + structure maps, idea log, rhyme guide and 30 days of exercises.
Price: $29instead of $39 apart
Rhyme types, schemes, syllable counting
Print PDFTabletGoogle Docs
Lyric Notebook$7
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