Songs Always "Sound Like a Soundtrack"

[ph4ge]

Just want a little help with figuring out why when I play songs I've composed to people they always remark that it sounds like it could be a soundtrack. Is it the keys I'm writing in or chords I'm using? What makes a song sound like an EDM or pop song? Is there a music theory course that explains this?

Obviously in songs like this I was aiming for a soundtrack feel.

https://soundcloud.com/fvmp/randy-fvmp-challenge-4

But not in this one

https://soundcloud.com/ph4g3th3r4py/runway-lights

[Winstontaneous]

"What makes something an EDM or pop song?" A hook and an understanding of the convention(s) of the genre, whether you choose to work with or against them.

I enjoy both pieces, if I hadn't seen a title for the first one I would have guessed "Coronation of the Elven Queen".

With the second one I'm not getting a strong sense of melody or thematic development. Interesting you classify it as "chill", to me it's a bit more on the edgy/ominous side and evokes both Gary Numan and some of NIN's more reflective moments. Having some sort of strong focus (vocals, saucy lead line) starting around 0:20 would move it away from cinematic/program music into "song of its own" territory. Then 1:50 to 3:10 ish could be an instrumental section, with vox/lead coming back in 3:15-ish with a higher level of intensity. The phrase "Runway Lights" brought up "fashion show" rather than "airport" for me.

[thecontrolcentre]

Second song sounds like a 1980s John Carpenter soundtrack ... so no wonder you're getting those sort of comments

[machinesworking]

Just want a little help with figuring out why when I play songs I've composed to people they always remark that it sounds like it could be a soundtrack. Is it the keys I'm writing in or chords I'm using? What makes a song sound like an EDM or pop song? Is there a music theory course that explains this?

Litening to your "EDM" song the first thing that pops up is a more old school Skinny Puppy or Depeche Mode style drum thing. This isn't really big in modern EDM etc.

None of that is important unless you're attempting to be commercial, then concentrating on kiping modern drum line feel into your stuff would help.

[imrae]

Compare and contrast to something like https://confrontational.bandcamp.com/tr ... onus-track

It's also instrumental and also has a dark, atmospheric feel to it. But this track is much more willing to demand attention, focus it on melodies, and make obvious use of structure.

You might find it a helpful exercise to try writing something in sonata form, or even just a rigid pop song structure, so that have to focus on what the main motifs are and how you move between sections.

[vurt]

Second song sounds like a 1980s John Carpenter soundtrack ... so no wonder you're getting those sort of comments

indeed.
the issue is, most music can be described as such, depending on what films youve seen.
if you where in to some of the late 80s/early 90s horror, you might hear nin and say "sounds a bit soundtracky"

who cares anyway. if you like the result, its a good piece

[Forgotten]

I don’t think it has much to do with music theory; I think it has a lot more to do with selection of instruments and sounds.

[vurt]

I don’t think it has much to do with music theory; I think it has a lot more to do with selection of instruments and sounds.

surely instrumentation comes under theory?

[Forgotten]

I don’t think it has much to do with music theory; I think it has a lot more to do with selection of instruments and sounds.

surely instrumentation comes under theory?

You can study and apply theory with little focus on specific instruments though. Transposition is the biggest factor I can think of, but not sure if any transposing instruments are being discussed here.

[vurt]

fair enough.


@op...
not that im anyone, but i enjoyed the track

[empphryio]

Maybe try an ABABCB form. It does sound like John Carpenter though not with the pad so much. I enjoyed it.

[AngelCityOutlaw]

The reason people are telling you this is because your pieces have no distinct tune/melody to them nor a clear, coherent structure. As such, it sounds more like underscore than a "song".

[Musicologo]

Hi there!
If you're trying to make songs, then you need to understand the theory behind how songs have been made. Your instrumental pieces don't sound like songs, well, because they're not! Study songwriters. You should read the book "tunesmith" by Jimmy Webb or "the addiction formula" by Findeisen and check out his youtube channel tutorials (https://youtu.be/UcmrgTNE9Cs) if you're trying to make songs so you can understand what a "song" is.

A song is a poetic form. It is a story - a poem, a lyric, that then is sung to someone.
As such, the music heavily relies on having melodies with length, melodic contours and rhythms that derive from phrases that can be said (Namely 5-7 note patterns that keep repeating with some variation, within patterns of question-answer format) on top of ostinati-driven-accompaniments (nowadays called "beats").

Therefore you have to shape your music around that framework.
Most "pop songs" today follow generic formulae. Just check out those books/tutorials and take care!

[empphryio]

I do think it's harder to manage that standard pop form without vocals.

[thecontrolcentre]

I do think it's harder to manage that standard pop form without vocals.

If you have a melodic part or hook it's a lot easier ...