Oct

21

How to write top-selling songs

Filed Under songwriting | 2 Comments


Amateur songwriters tend to look at the entire business of songwriting as a single-dimensional activity. It’s as if they say, “I want to be able to write commercially successful songs that I can sell to professional singers,” as if it’s all just one big process. The songwriting business is actually a multidimensional world, involving two major areas: creating and marketing. The marketing end of the business will not happen unless you have created a good song. Creating a good song is where the process comes to a grinding halt for most people.

SO WHAT’S THE SECRET?: It often surprises people when they discover how incredibly simple most of the biggest songs of the past fifty years are. If you think that songs are complicated art forms, you are about to discover one of the most important principles of songwriting, and why many writers’ songs might not be working yet. It’s a principle that applies to so much in our life – not just music: KEEP IT SIMPLE. The biggest and best hits in the songwriting business are songs with simple melodies using a simple form, songs that are easy for people to remember. Most songs in the popular music realm use no more than five chords, often fewer. And their melodies usually encompass only seven or eight notes, if that!

IN NEED OF INSPIRATION? If you aren’t listening to music on a daily basis, then start! Trying to write songs without listening to the pros’ songs is like trying to draw a picture of something you’ve never seen. If you’re really serious about songwriting – start listening now! Listen all the time, and not just to one style of music. Let yourself become influenced by different styles – pop, rock, jazz, country, blues, or classical. Open your mind – let it grow! By listening to many genres, not just one, you will be subtly developing your own personal writing style in a way that will differentiate you from all others. Using the shuffle function on your iPod is a great way to ensure you hear the full range of your music library. I know of people who deliberately try to limit how much music they listen to, because they don’t want to be unduly influenced by another songwriter. Big mistake! Have you ever had that nagging fear that everything you write is something that sounds familiar? And you wonder if you are simply plagiarizing music already written by someone else? The good news is that you probably aren’t. But that fear is more common in songwriters who limit their listening experience to only one or two favourite performers. If you are a pop songwriter, listen to classical music. Listen to blues, or country, or bluegrass. Even if you don’t like a particular style of music, keep in mind that there are great songs in every genre. Great songs are great because they work, and we need to learn why they work. The more you listen, the more material you’ll have at your disposal. And your musical brain will begin fusing ideas together in a way it hasn’t really done before. The world’s best songwriters are able to speak intelligently about many different styles and writers from many genres.

DON’T FIXATE ON “TALENT”. Fixate on writing good songs. If you get into a system of writing good music, talent becomes a side issue. Not that it’s not important… it’s just not worth worrying about. Think of it this way… who’s the more “talented” artist, Monet or Rembrandt? Who knows? And frankly, who cares?!

Click here to listen to a showcase of my recordings.

Sep

9

1% Phat Free

Filed Under The Mr Bad Guys Krew, artists | Leave a Comment



The classic album byThe Mr Bad Guys Krew

Click here to listen to all the tracks