Writing a Ballad

1. Writing a Ballad Ballads tell of an event. They were often used to spread the news, provide entertainment, or create a "bigger than real life" story.

2. Ballad Writing Tips • often have verses of four lines • usually have a rhyming pattern: either  abac   or aabb or  acbc (usually the easiest to rhyme) • repetition often found in ballads • entire stanzas can be repeated like a song's chorus • lines can be repeated but each time a certain word is changed • a question and answer format can be built into a ballad: one stanza asks a questions and the next stanza answers the question • Ballads contain a lot of dialogue.  • Action is often described in the first person • Two characters in the ballad can speak to each other on alternating lines • Sequences of "threes" often occur: three kisses, three tasks, three events, for example

3. The mush was as tastyAs tasty could be,And then the next summer,It grew into a tree. The tree was all covered,All covered with moss,And on it grew meatballs,And tomato sauce. So if you eat spaghetti,All covered with cheese,Hold on to your meatball,Whenever you sneeze. • On Top of Spaghetti • On top of spaghetti,All covered with cheese,I lost my poor meatball,When somebody sneezed. • It rolled off the table,And on to the floor,And then my poor meatball,Rolled out of the door. • It rolled in the garden,And under a bush,And then my poor meatball,Was nothing but mush.

4. How do I start writing a ballad? • Start with a key phrase... • ...that pops into your head, • ...or strikes you when somebody says it, • ...and is connected with something you feel strongly about.   • It may be a line of melody or words, or both. • Grab a tape recorder (or your computer mike) • and save this rough fragment immediately. • Build on this phrase. • Images related to the phrase • Similar phrases • Rhyming words • A tune that fits the phrase • Ask yourself questions. • Who is saying this phrase? • ...Why? ...Where? ...To whom? • What is the reply? • How did they get into this situation? • Consequences

5. More Helpful Hints on Writing Ballads • Keep going over the song: with repeated singing, natural phrases will come...   • What rhymes with the key phrase? • Do these rhyming phrases trigger more images?   • Construct verses. • Most usual is 4 lines, with the 2nd line rhyming with the last. • Arrange the verses into sequence.   • Cobble together more verses to make a story. • The initial fill-in verses may be Yuk! but they give your imagination a framework. • Sing them over and over until later when better words come to you.   • Keep going over the song. • Evolve the tune by chanting the verses. • Rewrite the cobbled phrases; with repeated singing, natural phrases will come.   • Do some editing. • Throw out unnecessary verses. • Add a chorus. • ...or a refrain, or instrumental break. • Or turn the verse with that initial key phrase into a chorus. • The chorus gives the audience time to absorb the storyline... • ...and lets them release all the emotions you have aroused in their souls.

6. Writing an EpicAn epic poem is a long narrative centering around a single hero, presenting his or her adventures within a suitably heroic framework. An epic hero is usually a person of great strength, wit or skill