In the last segment we talked about the effect of line length in terms of creating balance or stability and creating instability, unbalanced motion forward. Here we're going to talk again about the use of line length to create again, first of all and most important, prosody. Take a look for example at Paul Simon's bridge in his song Still Crazy After All These Years. The rhythm of it, [MUSIC] Now, first of all, we have two even length lines and then a longer line. [MUSIC] Now that creates a need to move forward saying let's match this. And actually what's happening is if we look at it, the first two lines [MUSIC] add up to one longer line and the second line then becomes shorter. [MUSIC] So that stopping the line at, it's all going to fade, says aw! I wanted the line to be just a little longer. There's something missing here. And of course the notion that life is going to fade can be just a matter of fact or it can be something you say, I wish it wasn't like that. So that if you were to go [MUSIC] Getting the all gonna, it's all gonna fade away, at that last line. Then what happens is it just becomes a fact. You know, get over it. Move on with your life. No need to whine. But the minute you shorten that line [MUSIC] Then it leaves you with a sense of longing, a sense of something missing, and that creates prosody, that is, that colors the idea in a particular way. So that line length can actually be used as number of lines [COUGH] to create a film score. To create an emotional commentary on what's going on. On the idea that you're dealing with. So that shortening that last line, it is really important. Note by the way, that it works because you were expecting something. You were expecting a line that matches [MUSIC] And you got [MUSIC] And so it's the expectation that's being set up of how long the line should be that gives you that sense of instability when the line isn't as long as it should be. Take a look also, again with Paul Simon, and this is of course, in writing better lyrics, but take a look at his bridge in Train in the Distance. [MUSIC] So already long line, short line, move forward please. [MUSIC] And of course now we're expecting [MUSIC] What it gives us is [MUSIC] And here, as we saw in the last segment, by adding that extra stuff, we turn the spotlights on. And here, as you'll see in the song, the spotlights are turned on in his last bridge in the song, his spotlights are turned on to a really important idea, the second most important idea in the song. And of course, it's set up in terms of its line length to be that spot lit extra length that shines on. So that line length of course, is a player in creating stability and instability. That is to say, in creating prosody, in creating additional feeling. It's also used as usual in terms of number of lines to spotlight an idea. So that if, for example we have something like [MUSIC] As usual the resolving line gives us it's own natural spotlight. So that whatever you put in that balancing position is automatically going to get additional attention from your listener. And as any good light person knows when you turn on the spotlights, shine them on something that you want everybody to see. Not just a line like, I think and so it seems. Some nothing line in a balancing position is going to disappoint, it's gonna take the air out of the section's tires if you do that. So that's a the spot lighting. Note that we can unbalance something by using extra line length. So that we could do [MUSIC] I love the way you look at me. I love the way you look. Now I've got to move forward. Now I've got to balance it. Now I've got to do something. I love the way you look at me. I love the way you look. [MUSIC] And so now we're working with the building of a section. I love the way you look at me. I love the way you look. [MUSIC] Now that's unstable. [MUSIC] I love the way you look. [MUSIC] I love [MUSIC] Spotlighting. [MUSIC] You can move one section into another, like this. Again back to The Cars' Why Can't I Have You. [MUSIC] That's the pre-chorus. Again. [MUSIC] And then into the chorus. So using your line length, you can move one section into another, as well as using line length to create the need for a new section. [MUSIC] And so that we felt unbalanced in that long, a little shorter, and then longest. That sequence now and because it's unstable asks us to match it if we want stability. So, of course, you've got these games that you can play. You can become the mad professor and do something like [MUSIC] And make the line shorter, so you can play those tricks. Again, the more you raise your listener's expectations about what they think is going to happen. Or what the sequence that you're creating says what's going to happen. They belong to you. You can do whatever you like. You can satisfy or you can fail to satisfy. You can turn on spotlights or you can create forward motion. Finally, we can use line length to create contrast between sections. Take another look, or take a look at Paul Simon's 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, has long verse lines. [MUSIC] And so how do you leave your lover? Well the line length says something. It says as fast as you possibly can. In short lines that rhyme immediately. We'll work with rhyme later, but in short lines, really fast. Because we have these really long lines that feel very relaxed when they're having the conversation. Then we have these really short lines that are the way to leave your lover. So that these four elements, the four effects of manipulating your line length. Number 1, of course, prosody. Creating stability and instability in order to support your ideas and in some case to color them emotionally. Number 2, to spotlight important ideas. Number 3, to move one section into another section. And finally, to contrast one section with another. Now I noted in the segment on the number of lines that the number of lines isn't in itself a decent contrasting element, and the reason for that is quite simple. Because you don't know how many lines a section has until it's over. So you can't create immediate contrast with two sections in terms of number of lines. But in terms of line length, you will be able to hear the difference really soon. In the case of Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover, you hear it really soon in that chorus, that now you have different line lengths, shorter line lengths than you do in your verses. And that creates not only a contrasting element, but it also creates prosody at the same time. Nice writing, Paul. So in this segment, we've looked again at the effects of varying your line lengths in creating a section. In the next sequence we'll take a look at the third element, which is how to use your rhyme schemes.
