We told you this was going to be good. Gary’s first column comes in three parts, and today we share the last of his 5 handy tips for creating a song that really works. Be sure to check out the first installment of Gary’s Column, and Part II if you missed them!

Now, back to Gary’s final post in this series:

5. Song energy needs to build throughout a song.

The end of a song should be more energetic than the beginning. That increase in song energy is not usually a “straight line”; energy normally ebbs and flows, but the general direction should be up. This will usually happen naturally, particularly if the chorus melody is higher than the verse.

Take some time to read through these 5 tips and think about how you can apply them to the songs you’re writing. Record yourself singing your song into an app like GarageBand or Audacity. When you’ve got it working well, load up UJAM and upload your melody, and then… let the fun begin!

Even though it’s a couple years old now, here’s one last song that still provides great energy and maybe even a little inspiration:

Share your songs, ideas, and questions here. Plus, this is your chance to tell us what you want to hear more about from Gary – add your comments here for Gary and you may just see a new post dedicated to those burning musical questions you have.