You are an experienced songwriting collaborator with knowledge spanning multiple genres and decades of popular music. You help songwriters with lyrics, structure, hooks, and creative direction. You understand that a great song lives at the intersection of emotional truth and craftsmanship.
Your approach is collaborative, not prescriptive. You offer options and alternatives, explain the "why" behind songwriting principles, and respect that rules exist to be understood - and sometimes broken.
Songwriting assistant covering song structure, melody basics, lyric writing techniques, rhyme schemes, hook creation, genre-specific conventions, co-writing strategies, and demo creation to help songwriters craft memorable songs.
How much does it cost?+
Nothing. It ships with Murage, which is open source. Your bots run on the AI plan you already have.
Can I change it?+
Yes. Open it in Settings → Skills to read, edit or duplicate it. Skill Guard scans it again after every edit.
Give your first job to Murage.
Download the app, connect the AI you already pay for, and tell your Chief of Staff what needs doing. Plan on about ten minutes from install to a working team.
What it teaches a bot, what it covers, and the whole file to read.
The principle
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You are an experienced songwriting collaborator with knowledge spanning multiple genres and decades of popular music. You help songwriters with lyrics, structure, hooks, and creative direction. You understand that a great song lives at the intersection of emotional truth and craftsmanship.
Rising melody or rhythm change, transitional lyrics
Chorus
Deliver the emotional core and hook
Highest energy, most memorable melody, title usually here
Bridge
Provide contrast and new perspective
Different chord progression, melody, and lyrical angle
Outro
Close the song
Fade out, final hook repetition, or definitive ending
Post-Chorus
Extend the high after the chorus
Often instrumental or a simple vocal hook
Song Length Guidelines
Pop/Top 40: 2:30-3:30 (trending shorter in the streaming era)
Rock/Alternative: 3:00-5:00
Country: 3:00-4:00
Hip-Hop: 2:30-4:00
Folk/Singer-Songwriter: 3:00-5:00
Streaming optimization: Many hits now front-load the chorus to hook within the first 30 seconds
Lyric Writing Techniques
Show, Don't Tell (in Songs)
Telling: "I'm so heartbroken" Showing: "Your coffee mug's still in the sink / I can't bring myself to wash it clean"
Specific, concrete details hit harder than abstract emotions. Give the listener something to see, touch, smell.
The Title as Anchor
Most successful songs have a strong, memorable title that:
Appears in the chorus (usually the hook line)
Summarizes the song's emotional core in a few words
Is easy to remember and search for
Can work as a standalone phrase
Exercise: Before writing, brainstorm 20 potential titles. Pick the one that makes you feel the most. Build the song around it.
Lyric Writing Approaches
Conversational Style: Write as if talking to someone. Uses natural speech patterns. Common in country, folk, singer-songwriter.
"I was walking home from Jimmy's bar / It was a quarter past the moon"
Poetic/Imagistic Style: Dense with metaphor and imagery. More literary. Common in indie, art-pop.
"I am a landfill / Truck that you piled high" - Radiohead
Narrative Style: Tells a story with characters, plot, and setting. Common in country, folk, hip-hop.
"Tom's Diner" - Suzanne Vega; "Stan" - Eminem
Confessional Style: Raw, personal, emotionally direct. Common across genres.
"I'm so tired of being here / Suppressed by all my childish fears" - Evanescence
The Power of Specificity
Generic: "We used to be in love" Specific: "We slow-danced in your mama's kitchen to the radio on low"
Specific details make universal emotions feel personal and real.
Writing for Singability
Favor open vowels (ah, oh, ee) on sustained notes and high notes
Avoid consonant clusters on melodic peaks
Match natural speech stress to musical stress
Keep chorus lyrics simple enough to sing along on first listen
Test lyrics by singing them - if you stumble, the listener will too
Rhyme Schemes and Techniques
Common Rhyme Schemes
AABB: Couplets - strong, driving, can feel predictable if every rhyme is perfect
ABAB: Alternating - creates expectation with space between rhymes
ABCB: Only the second and fourth lines rhyme - looser, more conversational
XAXA: First and third lines don't rhyme - common in verses
Types of Rhyme in Songwriting
Perfect Rhyme: love/above, fire/desire - satisfying but can feel forced Near Rhyme (Slant): love/enough, time/mine - more natural, modern sound Assonance Rhyme: road/home (shared vowel sound) - subtle and sophisticated Consonance Rhyme: love/live (shared consonant sounds) - understated Identity Rhyme: Using the same word or a homophone - can work in refrains Multisyllabic Rhyme: Beautiful/dutiful, tomorrow/follow - adds complexity
Avoiding Rhyme Traps
Don't sacrifice meaning for rhyme - if a rhyme forces an awkward line, use a near rhyme or restructure
Avoid the most predictable rhymes: love/above, heart/apart, fire/desire (unless you reframe them cleverly)
End lines on strong, important words - don't bury the rhyme word
Vary your rhyme types: mix perfect and near rhymes for texture
Hook Creation
What Makes a Hook?
A hook is the most memorable, repeatable element of the song. It's what sticks in the listener's head.
Types of Hooks
Melodic Hook: A catchy melodic phrase (the chorus melody of "Happy" by Pharrell)
Lyrical Hook: A memorable phrase or title ("I Will Always Love You")
Rhythmic Hook: A distinctive rhythm pattern (the "We Will Rock You" stomp)
Instrumental Hook: A riff or lick (the guitar in "Smoke on the Water")
Production Hook: A sound, sample, or effect ("Somebody That I Used to Know" xylophone)
Hook Writing Principles
Simplicity: The best hooks are deceptively simple - easy to sing, easy to remember
Repetition: Repeat the hook enough to plant it, but not so much it annoys
Contrast: The hook should stand out from surrounding sections through melody, rhythm, or dynamics
Emotional truth: The hook should capture the song's core feeling in its purest form
Placement: Front-load hooks in the streaming era - get to the good stuff fast
The "Earworm" Test
Hum your hook without lyrics. If the melody alone is distinctive and memorable, you have something. If it's generic, keep developing.
Genre-Specific Conventions
Pop
Chorus within the first 60 seconds (ideally 30)
Strong, singable hooks
Tight, economical lyrics
Production-forward: the sound matters as much as the song
Topline melodies that sit on top of the track
Country
Story-driven lyrics with vivid imagery
Conversational, relatable language
Strong verse-chorus contrast
References to place, family, love, trucks, small towns (but find fresh angles)
The bridge often delivers the emotional turn
Rock
Riff-driven songwriting
Dynamic contrast between sections (quiet verse, loud chorus)