Great songs: "I'm not in Love," "The Warrior is a Child" "Yesterday" What do they have in common? How can a composer write a great song?
If you listen to these songs, one is struck with a great melody, and lyrics that ring true with the great melody.
A composer can begin with lyrics or the germ of a melody.
BUT, how can one create the "great melody?"
From imaginative, captivating, beautiful chord progressions, come great melodies. Does such a chord progression suddenly pop into one's head? Probably not. If that were true, Paul McCartney would have written many "Yesterdays" which he did not. One way to find the great chord progression is hunt it down like a tenacious, persistent wolf after his prey. Sit at your keyboard for days if you have to. Don't give up. Be dogged, until a breakthru comes. When you achieve your magical chord progression, then you can begin the work of editing it, and working on the melody.
Don't have time to finish this. Something just came up
Writing that great song
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- KVRist
- 155 posts since 16 Feb, 2008
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- KVRAF
- 2208 posts since 13 May, 2005
The secret is to achieve complexity - well-organized randomness. And something new yet familiar.
Do you really hope to get answers to this question? If it were easy, everyone would do it all the time.
Do you really hope to get answers to this question? If it were easy, everyone would do it all the time.
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- Banned
- 4072 posts since 7 Nov, 2007
living sounds wrote:well-organized randomness
+ 1
Follow the super-strings, for they indeed, hold the key to great music.
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 155 posts since 16 Feb, 2008
Continuing:
OK. You have found your magical chord progression, and the basic melody. Next: Think about a 4 measure or 2 measure intro, which can serve as a break. Also, maybe a 4 measure prechorus, before working your way into your hook chorus. Next, set the song aside for two weeks. Come back and check your tempo; then the time signature. Maybe the song could still be better with a slight tempo increase, a key change, or other changes.
Many times I have listened to outstanding keyboard players who have lightning fingers, but come up flat or zero for creating beautiful, haunting melodies that can be sung. Maybe they are among the millions of musicians who never dig down deep and doggedly search for that stunning chord progression creating a memorable song. Maybe that's the difference between a real composer and a technician piano player.
OK. You have found your magical chord progression, and the basic melody. Next: Think about a 4 measure or 2 measure intro, which can serve as a break. Also, maybe a 4 measure prechorus, before working your way into your hook chorus. Next, set the song aside for two weeks. Come back and check your tempo; then the time signature. Maybe the song could still be better with a slight tempo increase, a key change, or other changes.
Many times I have listened to outstanding keyboard players who have lightning fingers, but come up flat or zero for creating beautiful, haunting melodies that can be sung. Maybe they are among the millions of musicians who never dig down deep and doggedly search for that stunning chord progression creating a memorable song. Maybe that's the difference between a real composer and a technician piano player.
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- KVRist
- 45 posts since 13 Mar, 2004
to write a good song, don't be lazy when it comes to verses and the break. The chorus is usually (for me at least) the most obvious: it's the fondation of my track. But often i'm too lazy to write verses that can make the nice chorus really stand out. So, this is my advice: don't be lazy! Tweak! Try differents options! Explore new territories! And also use old tricks sometimes, they do work!
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- KVRist
- 34 posts since 2 Mar, 2009
wow this is some good advice.
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- KVRAF
- 1667 posts since 2 Apr, 2006 from Studio City, California
Start with a melody you really like - one that makes you want to listen to it over and over again. Make sure the chorus really supports the melody - does it take you to another world built by and within the melody. Make a build, Build - when it resolves you feel like the Aliens have been electronically bombarding you for days and the build just resolved your anxiety into Nirvana. And if you use a bridge - make sure it takes the listener SOMEWHERE! Make all the elements of your song standout - that heightened piano riff - that emphasized guitar - that superb synth lead. Finally if after all that is done make sure YOU love listening to the song over and over again, if you don't like it chances are no one else will either. Oh, also the lyrics must mean something to you - if so they will resonate with others on this planet as most here share the common bond of humanity.
Cheers,
C
Cheers,
C
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www.soundclick.com/theresistanceband
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- KVRAF
- 5524 posts since 5 May, 2007 from Mars Colony
Try to surprise the listener. Spring an amazing modulation on them at just the right moment, but at a moment where it seems to come out of nowhere and complete the song in an unexpectedly beautiful way. Never give the audience what they think they're going to get when the song starts.
"You don’t expect much beyond a gaping, misspelled void when you stare into the cold dark place that is Internet comments."
---Salon on internet trolls attacking Cleveland kidnapping victim Amanda Berry
---Salon on internet trolls attacking Cleveland kidnapping victim Amanda Berry
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- KVRer
- 18 posts since 30 May, 2009
I write guitar music but I imagine this technique will work for other instruments as well. I frequently find inspiration by playing my favorite songs at the wrong speed, or backwards or on a different part of the fretboard. Very often within 15 minutes or so of more or less mindless noodling I'll pick out a few notes that just sound great. This is a great way to create foundations for your songs.
Another trick: My computer is in my basement and I have a decent stereo system on the main floor as well. If I'm home alone I like to turn my computer speakers up really loud and then go upstairs and turn on the stereo up there to a low volume with a different album (preferably a very different sounding album). Then I go in the kitchen and make myself some food or just lay on the couch and listen.
To similar effect I sometimes put my ipod on its speaker dock leave it in the bathroom, turn on the shower and leave the bathroom shutting the door behind me. You'd be surprised at how different a song will sound through a door while competing with a shower.
Basically the human brain is addicted to stimulus and constructed to form patterns out of stimulus. So give it some oddball stimulation and see what it does with it!
One day I'm going to turn on my speakers in the basement my mainfloor stereo and my ipod dock upstairs all at once and just wander around my house in search of the perfect nexus of sound. And then I'm going to stand there and play guitar until my fingers bleed or I get hungry.
Another trick: My computer is in my basement and I have a decent stereo system on the main floor as well. If I'm home alone I like to turn my computer speakers up really loud and then go upstairs and turn on the stereo up there to a low volume with a different album (preferably a very different sounding album). Then I go in the kitchen and make myself some food or just lay on the couch and listen.
To similar effect I sometimes put my ipod on its speaker dock leave it in the bathroom, turn on the shower and leave the bathroom shutting the door behind me. You'd be surprised at how different a song will sound through a door while competing with a shower.
Basically the human brain is addicted to stimulus and constructed to form patterns out of stimulus. So give it some oddball stimulation and see what it does with it!
One day I'm going to turn on my speakers in the basement my mainfloor stereo and my ipod dock upstairs all at once and just wander around my house in search of the perfect nexus of sound. And then I'm going to stand there and play guitar until my fingers bleed or I get hungry.
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- KVRer
- 26 posts since 15 Feb, 2005
I agree with the "you have to work hard en don't be lazy", but then again the best things sometimes just come out of nowhere. For example, Paul McCartney stated that the basic idea of yesterday just came to him, that he woke up with it in mind, and therefore he first thought it had to be someone else's (already existing) song.
It took some changings and work to make it into the yesterday we know. At first it was mucht faster, and he sang a first line like "scrambled eggs, I love your legs".
We can't just patiently keep waiting for that moment to arrive to us, and moreover, I do believe that being busy craeting music makes it far more plausible ideas will suddenly arrise in your mind...
It took some changings and work to make it into the yesterday we know. At first it was mucht faster, and he sang a first line like "scrambled eggs, I love your legs".
We can't just patiently keep waiting for that moment to arrive to us, and moreover, I do believe that being busy craeting music makes it far more plausible ideas will suddenly arrise in your mind...
Last edited by frederik D on Tue Jun 09, 2009 1:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- KVRAF
- 2217 posts since 15 Jul, 2003
Keith Richards advice has always been to get out of the way of where the song wants to go. He has the notion that if he tries to guide or add to the song, he can hear that misdirection/mistake.
I think anyone who has worked at this knows what he means.
I think anyone who has worked at this knows what he means.