How to Use the Song & Lyric Analysis Worksheet
This guide explains each field on the worksheet so you can build a repeatable preparation flow for auditions and performances.
Song Metadata
Song Title / Show / Album / Standalone
Identify the exact source so you can research context, collaborators, and known cuts. If standalone, define your own story frame.
Composer / Lyricist / Year
Credit correctly. Year matters for stylistic expectations (Golden Age vs. Contemporary) and informs vowel strategy and vibrato choices.
Voice Type, Range, Key
Confirm printed key and your chosen key. Note written range and tessitura. If the tessitura sits high, adjust breath strategy early.
Tempo / Style
Write metronome marking and groove family (swing, 12/8, pop ballad, funk). Style determines consonant energy and phrasing length.
Keywords (10 mood + style tags)
Pick tags a stranger would use after hearing your cut (e.g., yearning, defiant, comic, folk-rock). Reuse them in your audition blurb and social clips for brand consistency.
Lyric Breakdown
Write the lyrics with beat marks
Print the lyric and insert vertical bars where tactics shift. Aim for one playable verb per beat.
Unfamiliar words or phrases
Look up meaning and pronunciation. Note dialect variants if needed.
Severity / Scale words
Circle words that raise stakes (never, always, forever, ruin). Use them to escalate action.
Repetition & Contrast
Repetition needs new intention or new vocal color. Contrast marks turns; align these with harmonic or rhythmic changes when possible.
Story Essentials
Song in four words
Compress the entire spine of the song. If you can’t, you haven’t found the turn.
Climax point
Mark the exact syllable where stakes peak. Manage breath so you arrive free and supported.
Section purpose (what changes?)
Verse 1: Establish need and problem.
Pre-Chorus: Pressure builds; decision forms.
Chorus: Declare action or belief.
Verse 2: Raise stakes or add new tactic.
Bridge: Break pattern; reveal or risk.
Final Chorus / Tag: Consequence and emotional button.
Situation (where / when / why now)
One-sentence playable circumstance. Keep it concrete and present.
Who are you singing to?
Name the partner and the power dynamic. If singing to the audience, define what you need them to do.
Character & Relationship
Fill concrete facts: age, gender, locale/dialect, time period, economic background, education/experience.
Then identify the relationship focus for this moment. Avoid inventing backstory you cannot play.
Acting Choices
Objective
What must change in the partner now? Phrase as: get them to…
Obstacle
What stops you? Name the partner’s resistance or your inner block.
Tactics (playable verbs)
Choose verbs the audience can see: disarm, provoke, bargain, reassure, seduce. One verb per beat.
Trigger / Moment Before
The event that makes singing unavoidable. Keep it simple so you can physicalize it clearly at the top.
Musical Storytelling
Before hearing the music
State what the audience should understand if the sound were muted. Then confirm the music supports it.
Musical devices to track
Harmony: tonic vs. predominant vs. dominant pressure.
Rhythm: groove shift, hemiola, rubato.
Texture: density, pedal tones, countermelody.
Form: pickups, buttons, tags, vamp length.
Align music and action
Place verb changes on musical turns. If the tactic shifts but the music does not, verify you are earning the turn.
Performance Layer
Physical choices per beat
One functional gesture per beat, rooted in need—not decoration.
Vocal colors
Map mix choices, vowel mods, and consonant energy to stakes. (See Belting, Placement, Vibrato, Breathing / Support.)
Breath plan
Mark inhales, releases, and breath budgeting. Protect the climax by planning ahead.
Imaginative world
Define the physical environment, eyelines, and imaginary objects so the story is readable even on mute.
Audition Cut
16/32-bar cut
Target 25–45s (16 bars) or 55–75s (32 bars). Include a clear launch, turn, and button.
Alternate tactics (for redirects)
List 2–3 verbs you can swap instantly without changing notes. Reassure → challenge → seduce.
Summary (1–2 sentences)
State what changes across the cut. This guides your slate and the pianist.
One takeaway word
Aim toward a single final word (e.g., resolve). It keeps focus under pressure.
Beat Map (How to Fill It)
Each row = one playable action aligned to a musical cue.
| Beat # | Lyric / Text | Action (verb) | Obstacle / Partner | Gesture / Object | Musical cue | Breath / Voice plan | Evidence of change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | “First line…” | Disarm | Partner avoids eye contact | Lower shoulders | Vamp ends → downbeat | Quick sip before bar 3 | Partner turns toward you |
| 2 | “Second line…” | Press | They deflect with humor | Step closer | Pre-chorus hemiola | Open ribs early | They stop joking |
Quick Workflow
- Clarify circumstances and objective.
- Beat the lyric; title each beat with a verb.
- Map actions to harmonic and rhythmic turns.
- Add one functional gesture per beat.
- Run a listening pass; adjust tactics to true stimuli.
- Film; the story should read on mute and with sound.
Next Steps
Choose repertoire: Repertoire Tools
Warm up intentionally: Vocal Warmups
Deepen technique: Breathing, Placement, Belting, Vibrato