(Just some thoughts for the day...)
As a singer/songwriter, I am often working on new ideas for lyrics and chord progressions to allow the melody to stand out. It’s kind of hard to imagine that there’s really only so many keys on a keyboard or notes on a guitar but there are almost unimaginable ways to put those “single notes, two notes or thee notes (chords) together” and millions of ways to wind the melody around those chords. I’m often dumbstruck at how a lot of my songs can become so complex and yet not get the point across in a sonically pleasing way.
I’m always amazed at how the BEST of songs are usually so BASIC and SIMPLE to play. Perhaps part of the trick is – the easier it is to play, the easier it is to listen to and that’s certainly true of Pop, Rock or Country (which has now become a combination of both Pop and Rock). I’ll skip all other genres as the point of this blog is to speak to songwriters that would like to get their songs recorded by some other act or to perhaps get their songs out to the general masses. And I’ll point out that I do NOT profess to a hit songwriter but have worked with countless number one songwriters in the past and countless people in the music industry at all levels and around the world!
One important thing to try to do is to make the stand out from the pack and that’s a real trick as I can assure you that while working on Music Row in Nashville I was exposed to 100’s of thousands of songs and very, very few of them were good and even fewer were GREAT! But I have found acts that I’ve worked with from a development standpoint as a producer to help them develop their songs, their overall sound, and their own unique style and perspectives.
Some of the tricks that I use are to LISTEN to other people and look for catch phrases or turns of expressions that could serve as a them or a title. I also then look for the HOOK! The hook is the most important thing – and many writers approach that in a lot of different way – some writers will write with JUST the bass player to build the song from the root of the beat and a very simple structure. While others will use piano or guitar chords (or course other instruments as well) but sometimes while they are using different chord inversions and structures that can become a little complex for a simple melody.
And even though you have a great hook you must learn to use dynamics and even more importantly an intro, pre-chorus, and even a bridge to let the HOOK breath and to create moods, build tension and release that tension. This is exactly like developing a character in fiction, working on the plot, using foreshadowing to give the reader something to look forward to and then on to the dénouement and the conclusion or in the songwriting world the OUTRO.
Just remember that there is NO RIGHT WAY or WRONG WAY – it either works or it doesn’t and I can assure you with my writing and even most number one songwriters, they have to write 100’s of songs just to find TEN that can be then fine tuned down to just one or two that actually have a shot, but the real secret is writing and writing and writing. I have so many people that want to write with me or want me to critique their songs and more often than not they just have not put the time into the BASICS of songwriting to even be close to being able to write a professional song. And then just out of nowhere, somebody can get a turn of phrase, a great hook or a good structure that as a producer, I can NOW work with them and take the song to a much more developed and a really good song. And once that song is down – then it’s time to get it recorded on tape or in digital format – and that’s when it goes to a whole other level and you start to think more in terms of not just the song, but the arrangements, the overall SONIC quality, harmonies, etc. etc.. but if you really want to write songs – then learn to LISTEN and work on your craft – the strongest and most sincerest form of flattery is to copy someone else’s style or several others styles and then make it your own! With time and hard work – and NEVER giving up, you may just find that in a matter of a year or so, you could have several songs that are actually worth working on some more and getting them recorded…but production and recording is an almost completely different discussion that I’ll save for another time….
Just keep writing! Or as my friend "Brother Dege" would say...
WRITE ON!
Steve Moore
