Lyrically, songs are made up of verses, choruses, and lyrics. Familiarize yourself with these different parts of a song. This will help you establish the basics and begin the songwriting process.  The verses of a song usually have the same melody but different lyrics. For example, in "Eleanor Rigby" the verses all follow the same melody, detailing the lives of various lonely people. If you listen closely, you'll notice all these stories follow the same melody and have roughly the same number of syllables. The chorus is a part of a song that is repeated three or four times, each time using the same melody and lyrics. In Eleanor Rigby, the chorus is, "Ah, look at all the lonely people." A chorus is often used to sum up the theme or main point of a song.  The bridge of a song has a different melody and lyrics than the verse or chorus. It provides a break from the usual progression of the song and the lyrics may reveal a hidden insight in the song. Not all songs have bridges, so including one is optional.  Most songs follow this basic structure: verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus. However, there are many variations. Using a basic structure at first, however, can help give you direction creatively. You can always make alterations to the basic structure as you write your song. If you're a beginning songwriter, a simple melody is important. You do not need an elaborate melody to convey a sad feeling. A simple melody, using a few notes or chords, is the best option for a beginning songwriter.  To start, practice some popular that are also fairly simple. Use a guitar or piano to play songs like Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" or Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here." You'll notice that the melodies are not very complex and yet the songs still convey deep feeling.  Experiment. Sit at the piano for a few hours or strum on your guitar. Play a variety of note and chord progressions, feeling around for the right sound. If you're a beginner, it might be best to stick to the 12 basic notes without incorporating flat or sharp notes into your song.  Study chord progressions of a variety of sad songs. This may help you get a sense of how musicians compose. Look up the sheet music for your favorite sad songs online and try to play them at home.  You do not have to have your melody completely established before you write your lyrics. Both your melody and lyrics will have to be tweaked accordingly as you move through the songwriting process. Just try to get a sense of the general length of your verses, choruses, and lyrics to help guide you as you compose your lyrics. When setting your song to music, you'll need to focus on music that conveys a sad feeling. A recent study shows songs written in a minor, the minor third especially, tend to better convey feelings of sadness. If you are writing a sad song, consider switching to minor third at certain points during the song to help your listeners experience sad emotions.  However, listen to a variety of songs that incorporate minor third first. Switching dramatically to minor third may be jarring to listeners. Look up the sheet music for a few songs that use minor third and see how the songwriter's build up to introducing the minor third. If you're a beginner at the piano or guitar, you may not know the minor third. That's okay. While it can help convey a sad feeling, you do not need to use it to write a sad song. The most important thing is to find a melody you're comfortable playing. If you want to write sad music, take some time to listen to your favorite sad songs. One of the best ways to find inspiration is to expose yourself to the work of other artists. This can also help you pay attention to things like melody and structure, providing you insight on how to write your own lyrics.  Make a list of your favorite sad songs. They could be break up songs, songs about death and dying, songs about sad events, and so on. Spend an hour or so listening to your sad songs. As you listen, pay attention to the music and lyrics. Ask yourself why the song makes you feel sad. What does the music do to convey a feeling of sadness? How does the speaker's voice sound? What is the pacing of the song like? Try to break the song up into verses, choruses, and bridges. Identifying the different parts of a song's structure can help give you guidance as you write your own lyrics. It can also help to read the lyrics. You can look up lyrics to most songs online. Read the lyrics as if they were poetry and try to analyze them. What is the song about? How does the speaker engage with the subject? Pay close attention to all the words the speaker uses and how they work to convey a feeling of sadness.

Summary: Learn how songs are composed. Be open to a simple melody. Use the minor third, if possible. Listen to your favorite sad songs.


To write the problem correctly, place the divisor, the number that you're dividing into another number, outside the long division bar. Place the dividend, the number that you'll be dividing by the divisor, inside the long division bar. The quotient, or your result, will go on top of the division bar. Remember that for short division to work, your divisor has to be less than 10.  For example: In 847/5, 5 is the divisor, so write it outside the division bar. 847 is the dividend, so place it inside the division bar. The quotient is blank because you haven't started dividing yet. When you divide, you are stating how many times one number can fit into another number. For example, 2 can fit into 6 three times (2 + 2 + 2 =6). Continuing with our example, 5 goes into 8 just one time, but it doesn’t evenly divide into 8. We have 3 left over. Write the number 1, the first number of the quotient, on top of the division bar. This leftover number is called the remainder. If you were using long division, you would write out 8 minus 5 equals 3 and then bring down the 4 from the dividend. Short division simplifies this written process. Write a small 3 to the top right of the number 8. This will remind you that there was a remainder of 3 when you divided 8 by 5. The next number you will divide into is the combination of the remainder and the second number. In our example, the next number is 34. The remainder is 3 and the second number of the dividend is 4, so the new number you'll be working with is 34.  Now, divide 34 by 5. 5 goes into 34 six times (5 x 6 =30) with a remainder of 4. Write your quotient, 6, on the division bar to the right of the 1. Again, keep in mind you are doing most of the math mentally. Just as you did the first time, simply write a small 4 above and to the right of the number 4. The next number you will be dividing by is 47.  Now, divide 47 by 5. 5 goes into 47 nine times (5 x 9 = 45) with a remainder of 2. Write your quotient, 9, on the division bar to the right of the 6. Write "r 2" to the right of the quotient on the division bar. The final answer of 847/5 is 169 with a remainder 2.
Summary: Write the problem. Divide the first number of the dividend by the divisor. Write the remainder next to the first number of the dividend. Divide the number formed by the first remainder and the second number in the dividend by the divisor. Write the second remainder above the second number in the dividend and divide. Write the final remainder on the division bar.