Part 2: The 10 Commandments of Musical Theater Lyric Writing

This is Part 2 of a 2 part episode where Brett and Josh discuss the "10 Commandments of Musical Theater Lyric Writing" as written by Pat Cook, former moderator of the BMI Workshop:

1. Thou shalt be singable.
2. Thou shalt be understandable.
3. Thou shalt be about one thing and one thing only.
4. Thou shalt be specific.
5. Thou shalt write dramatically.
6. Thou shalt not self pity (except in comedy).
7. Thou shalt not misaccent (thou shalt correctly scan).
8. Thou shalt find fresh images.
9. Thou shalt not false rhyme or transpose words.
10. Thou shalt not be rigid or wordy.

Chapters

0:00 Intro

0:21 Commandment 6 — “Thou shalt not self-pity except in comedy”

4:06 Commandment 7 — “Thou shalt not mis-accent / correctly scan”

9:29 Commandment 8 — “Thou shalt find fresh images”

14:26 Commandment 9 — “Thou shalt not false rhyme or transpose words”

26:20 Commandment 10 — “Thou shalt not be rigid or wordy”

Hosted by Brett Boles and Josh Shelton. Each week we explore the layers of ways songs tell stories - from melodies to harmonies, lyrics to dialogue, characters to scenes - and how it all comes together in this unique medium where songs are the engine of the story! This podcast is an exploration for anyone who loves musicals - if you’re a songwriter, playwright, performer, storyteller, theater kid, accompanist, or just a super fan — our goal is you’ll find something interesting here.

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Produced by https://www.counterpointmusicals.com/