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Here's the section for the budding song writers amongst you, if you have any suggestions or comments about the content then I'd like to hear from you. EMAIL The Secret of Writing Hit Pop Songs Article
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The Secret of Writing Hit Pop Songs I’m going to show you how to use simple and proven song writing techniques to write hit pop songs. Song writing is the art of using lyrics and melody to create something that’s truly amazing. Both lyrics and melody are very powerful in their own right, but put them together in the right way and something magical happens. We all know the feeling’s that we get when we hear a great song. In the next few paragraphs I’ll give you an understanding of song writing, so that you can make that magic happen with your songs. Get the structure right Song structure is the song’s shape, and your song should be arranged in a way that keeps your listeners interested, but try to keep the song simple! Quite a lot of hit songs are written around just 3 chords, and all hit songs have one thing in common, they all have melody, harmony and rhythm. Melody: A well written melody will be remembered by the listener. Harmony: Good chord structure can enhance the melody.
Rhythm: A strong rhythm section will get the listeners feet tapping.
Here are the four most popular ways to arrange songs for maximum effect: Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Example 4 Verse Verse Chorus Verse Chorus Chorus Verse Pre-Chorus Verse Verse Chorus Chorus Chorus Chorus Verse Verse Verse Middle 8 Chorus Pre-Chorus Chorus Chorus Chorus
Strong Verse Every song needs a verse. It’s the main part of the song for giving the listener information, and its other job is to lead the song into the chorus or middle eight, it can sometimes have a pre-chorus as in example four above, which is a two or four line section. It is intended to take the listener, both melodically and lyrically into the chorus. The pre-chorus is optional, but if your song includes a pre-chorus in the first verse, then every other verse should contain the same pre-chorus. Each verse should also contain new information. Create a Killer Chorus The chorus should lift the song and keep the listeners interests. Beware! Don’t write a chorus that sounds too much like the verse. The whole point in having different sections in a song is to have variety. Verses, choruses and middle eights should normally contrast each other. This keeps each section unique which helps the song stay interesting. The chorus really needs to stand out from the rest of the song. Try writing the verse sections in a comfortable vocal range which will allow the vocalist to move upwards in the chorus to lift the song, or in other words, give the song melodic contrast. Try using a different chord progression for the chorus; this will also keep the listeners attention. With rhythmic contrast you could change the chorus by altering the rhythm of the words and by putting a strong emphasis on how the words are sung. The Middle Eight If your song includes a middle eight, try to make it work for you, make it add something, or emphasise something. It would normally consists of four or eight lines of lyric, within four or eight musical bars. It should give your song a new dimension and take it to the next level, and then lead the listener back into the chorus. It should also manage this while keeping consistent with the rest of the song. You can use the middle eight to; change the person you’re singing about from She to I, or change the time period, for instance; look back or forward in time. The Hook The hook is considered, the backbone of the song, the part that you will remember after the song is over, the part that you can’t stop singing. The most common hook is a good strong chorus that repeats it self. A strong middle eight can also be described as a hook. Another sort of hook would be the instrumental kind; we’ve all heard songs where the guitar riff or keyboard riff can be the most memorable part of the song. Remember Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple??? Well, probably not! I’m just showing my age…… I’ve shown you how to write a hit song, so now it’s up to you; put it all together and make that magic happen.
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Lyrics and the Songwriter
The first lines of a song are sometimes the most important, it could be the difference between a recording label’s PR Man, listening to the rest of the song or hitting the reject button.Your first line should set the tone and feel for the rest of the song, so try to make your first line as interesting as possible. You can set the scene by asking questions? The answers will contribute to what you want to accomplish with the Song.Questions can evoke a mood in the song, like:· Where is it taking place?· What time of day?· What time of year?· Day or Night?· Is the Song about someone?· Is there something you can say in the first line that would set the scene for the rest of the Song.Don’t fall into the trap of starting your song with “woke up this morning…..” or something just as uninteresting. Try to write something original, something that will grab your listener and make them take notice. Your listener should have an understanding of the song by the end of the first verse, and they should be persuaded to continue listening, either by the lyric or music, or even better, by both.
The more you write the better you will get! Write your ideas down on paper, you can always refer back to them later. Newspapers and magazines can provide stimulation for ideas. Get yourself a small note pad and jot down any headline or snippet that grabs your attention. The Beatles wrote a song using only news events that occurred in a Dailey newspaper. Sgt Pepper was written about characters on an old circus poster. You could write down your ideas as a story or list then re-organise them and work them into a rhyming lyric. There are lots of different ways to approach song writing, but most importantly, have a go you will get a wonderful sense of achievement when sitting back and listening to your songs being played on the local radio station………..
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Striking the Right Chord
In this article I’m going to talk about using chords in your song to create variation. Some songwriters can sometimes get into the habit of starting the chorus with the same chord as the verse, nothing wrong with that, but there are few other ways that you can use chords to change the feel and mood. The ‘I’ Chord If you start a song with the ‘I’ chord, then make sure that you change your song in some other way, either rhythmically or melodically. The ‘iim’ Chord This chord has a similar structure to the ‘IV’ chord, but, it is a minor chord and it is not used very often to start a chorus, but it is used more often as the starting chord of the middle eight. The ‘iiim’ Chord Has a similar structure as the ‘I’ chord, but it is not often used to begin a chorus or middle eight. The ‘IV’ Chord A popular choice to, begin your chorus or middle eight. Ending a verse on the ‘I’ chord the natural progression would be to begin the chorus with the ‘IV’ chord. The ‘V’ Chord Another good choice to begin a chorus or middle eight. The ‘V’ chord is naturally unstable and the ‘I’ chord is a stable chord, so using the ‘V’ chord can create contrast in a song. The ‘vim’ Chord This chord is made up very similar to the ‘I’ chord, in fact there’s only one note difference. To subtly change the mood of the song, try using this chord to start the chorus or middle eight.
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