The Algorithm to Writing Great Songs: A blog about the top elements that go into good songwriting, including details about rhythm and melody.
Creating an Electronic Song!
Posted by admin on Mar 13, 2013 in Blog | 0 comments
There are many different genres of songs. And within each genre there are thousands of different styles and types of songs. In this article we will discuss how to create an electronic song. It is interesting to note that some of the most popular songs were ones that were created by accident. Sometimes when you are experimenting with different sounds you can end up creating something that has never been heard before. When you are creating an electronic song it is easy to get caught up in the moment and simply play around with beats and melodies until something sound good, but the best way to create a great song is to know what you want out of it ahead of time.
Step 1 – Listen to Music
The first step in creating any electronic song is to take time out of your schedule to listen to all kinds of music. You should listen to at least one or two hours per day, but if possible you should listen as much as possible. Many people think that listening all day long will drain them and they will not be able to focus on their work
The Algorithm to Writing Great Songs: A blog about the top elements that go into good songwriting, including details about rhythm and melody.
Writing a great song is a lot like baking a cake from scratch. Just as with baking a cake, if you follow the recipe and you follow the steps in writing your song, what you end up with will be pretty tasty.
What are some of the elements of a good song?
First off, most songs have an intro, verse, bridge and chorus. The intro is where you announce the chord progression for your song, and builds anticipation for what’s coming next. The verse is where the lyrics tell your story, usually from beginning to end. The bridge gives the listener another chance to hear your chord progression before they’re led back into the chorus. And finally you have your chorus; this is where your audience hears your hook or main idea of your song. It’s typically repeated at least twice and it gives everyone listening a chance to sing along or daydream about their own experiences that may relate to yours.
Most songs have three or four chords; sometimes more if you’re really trying to push it. You can pick any chords that sound good together but there are some combinations that are used more often than others;
Writing a song doesn’t have to be hard. Sure, there are many elements that go into a good song and it’s easy to over-think the process, but you know what they say: “Keep It Simple, Stupid!”
The Algorithm To Writing Great Songs
There is no magic formula that will instantly turn any piece of music into a hit. But just as there are key ingredients in cooking, there are some essential elements that all great songs share. As you start writing songs, keep these elements in mind and you’ll be on your way to making great music.
1. Rhythm
2. Melody (aka the Hook)
3. Emotion
4. Structure
It’s not easy to write a good song, it never has been and it probably never will be. That’s because writing great music is hard. The reason it’s hard is because there are a lot of elements that go into a good song. You have to have great melody, great chords, lyrics that connect with people, rhythm that makes people want to move, and on and on it goes.
But there are some things that make writing a good song easier. There are some specific principles that if you follow them, they will help take your songwriting to the next level. I call this the ‘Songwriting Algorithm’
In fact, one of the things I do in my Songwriting Pro blog is talk about these ideas in more detail. I have written articles on everything from Rhythm and Melody to Lyrics to Structure and Form. If you want more information than just this article provides, check out the blog posts below:
We’ve already looked at the top 5 elements to writing a good song, and I promise this is the last time we’ll mention that. But, in order to round out our knowledge of songwriting, there are 2 more elements that we need to cover: rhythm and melody.
First off, rhythm. Rhythm is really just the organization or patterning of beats in a piece of music. Beats are what you tap your foot along with when listening to a piece of music. So basically, rhythm is how beats are arranged, and how they’re played against one another (or alongside one another). In fact, it’s a lot like counting in math class:
The top number tells you how many beats are in a measure (and also which kind of note gets one beat)
The bottom number tells you which kind of note gets one beat (and also how many beats are in a measure)
So in 6/8 time, there are 6 eighth notes per measure. And in 3/4 time, there are 3 quarter notes per measure. And so on…
Now that we understand rhythm notation, let’s take a look at some different types of rhythms. You can hear an example of each type below:
Straight Rhythm: Most pop music has straight
It’s easy to come up with a chord progression and a melody, but it’s the song structure that makes it work.
One of the main reasons why songs stand out is because they’re structured in an interesting way. Sometimes you can even tell what part of the song you’re at just by hearing the instrumentation, even if no lyrics are being sung. For example, in many pop songs, the first verse and chorus are usually just accompanied by a guitar or piano, then for the second verse there might be drums added, and for the bridge (or pre-chorus) there might be a build up of instruments leading up to the final chorus.
Song structure helps to keep listeners engaged by introducing them to new sounds and ideas every few bars. If a song just stayed on one chord or one sound for its entire length it would get pretty boring pretty quickly.
If you’re having trouble structuring your song then it can help to look at other songs for inspiration. Have a listen to some of your favourite tracks and try figuring out how they’re structured. Why do you think they sound so good? What elements do they use? How do they build up throughout the song?
There’s a lot of people who have great ideas, but they’ll never do anything with them. They might start to work on them, but they don’t complete them. So why is that? It’s because of the way they think.
I have a few theories on this topic and I’m going to go over some of those with you here.
First, there is a difference between the way most people think and the way creative people think. Most people think in terms of problems, while creative people think in terms of solutions. Here’s an example:
Problem: My car broke down.
Solution: I need to fix my car or find another one to drive.
People who tend to think in problems will usually take one of two approaches: either just accept it as an unavoidable problem or just not do anything at all about it. On the other hand, those who think in solutions will actively try to find a way around the problem by fixing it themselves or finding another way to get around it without having to use their car (like taking public transportation).
A second reason for why some people don’t finish their ideas is because they’re too focused on results instead of process/action steps along the way towards achieving those results (i.e., goals