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.
We’re back with more in Gary’s Column. Today we’re picking up with Gary’s insider tips on Creating a Song That Really Works. Be sure to check out the beginning of Gary’s Column if you missed it.
Now, where were we:
3. Chord progressions need to be strong, or progress from fragile to strong.
I often describe chord progressions as being either “strong” or “fragile”. A strong progression means that the chords strongly point to one chord as being the tonic, or I-chord. For example, this progression is strong: C Am Dm G C. It strongly points to C as being the key. Many of the chords in that progression have roots that are a 4th or 5th away from each other (A to D, D to G, and G to C), and that strengthens a progression.
A fragile progression means that the chords don’t necessarily point clearly to one chord as being the tonic chord, or may even avoid the tonic chord altogether. For example, this progression could be considered fragile: Em F Am G. There’s no one chord there that seems to be acting as a tonic chord. The progression works well, however.
There’s nothing wrong with a fragile progression. But you have to know when to use a fragile progression, and when to use a strong one.
In general, a verse and a bridge can use fragile chord progressions quite easily. Choruses tend to use strong progressions. A verse can certainly use strong progressions, but if you use fragile ones, your chorus should follow up with some strong ones.
When you record your music on UJAM, it gives you the opportunity, if you’d like, to change the chords it has suggested. So it’s a great opportunity to experiment.
4. Verse melodies are usually pitched lower than chorus melodies.
Take a listen to most songs on the Billboard Hot 100, and you’ll notice this right away. The chorus melody is usually placed higher in pitch. This helps generate song energy.
Here’s an example from the Billboard Hot 100:
Most of the time, even the top producers, mixers, DJs, and songwriters conform to a set of basic rules, as you can see. And clearly, that doesn’t mean that pop music lacks interest or all sounds the same. The guidelines here show what the most common techniques are for making a song that works – from there, the possibilities are nearly endless.
There’s yet another tip coming your way from Gary’s Column on Creating a Song That Really Works, but you’ll have to stay tuned for it! In the meantime, play around with these tips and see how much better your tracks sound for it.
This blog is the place to learn about all things you + music. And what better way to do that than by getting insider tips from professionals in the music industry? We know you don’t just want to hear us blab all day, so we feel extra lucky to know a few pros that can give you handy tips & tricks.
But we’re especially excited to introduce you to someone new today, and it’s a guy who’s got major experience in the music, songwriting and education world:
Meet Gary Ewer, and our first installment of Gary’s Column on the UJAM Blog.
Gary Ewer received his B.Mus degree in Music Composition from Dalhousie University in 1982 and is just finishing a senior instructorship at Dalhousie before devoting himself more fully to composition and trumpet playing. Plus, he says, he wants to do more writing, especially on his blog called “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” which offers incredible tips for songwriters and all those interested in learning practical music theory. His career has been mainly in the teaching of music at all levels of education from grade school through to university: music theory, ear training, composition, arranging and orchestration.
Gary’s main interest growing up was in pop music, although his university training was mostly classical. (He credits English rock bands like Genesis and Yes, and American rock band Chicago as his main influences.) Far from abandoning his interest in pop, he sees how pop songwriters and classical composers are all attempting to do the same thing: compose musical works that take listeners on a coherent musical journey. His interest in the relationship between the pop and classical worlds eventually led him to write a text for songwriters (“The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” – it’s more than just a blog!) that analyzes hit songs in much the same way a classical musician would analyze a symphony: by showing writers what works, why it works, and how to use those same kinds of ideas in their own music.
Despite being very busy, when we asked Gary to write some tips & tricks tailored to our UJAM community, he was excited to jump on board. So, without further ado, we’re handing it over to Gary, who’s already written an introductory post to get you started right away:
Creating a Song That Really Works
A few short years ago, the thought that you could bring up your web browser and create a high quality song within mere minutes, complete with a great band backing it up… well, it was unheard of. Songwriters from a generation ago would have been blown away by the amazing songwriting opportunities UJAM gives us.
UJAM, however, can only work with the melody you give it. So to make your online experience on UJAM really successful, it’s important that you understand some of the basics of what makes great songs great.
The following tips and tricks will help you understand what most hit song composers have known for decades, things that have made their songs so successful.
1. Give your songs a strong sense of form.
Form is the word we use to describe how songwriters organize the various sections of a song. There are many forms can use, but by far the most common form is:
You may not have noticed this before, but the kind of lyrics used in verses are not generally the kinds of lyrics used in choruses.
Here’s a quick summary:Verses are where the singer describes a situation, or a person, or tells the audience what’s going on. The chorus is where the singer tells the audience how they feel about it.
That’s a crucial difference. So you’ll see lots of emotion coming forward in a chorus, emotions based on what the verse describes. In a bridge or middle-8 (which is optional) a singer goes back and forth between describing situations and quickly expressing an emotion.
A great song that shows these different song sections, and shows those different characteristics of describing things and expressing emotions is Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me.” Give it a listen.
You’ll notice that she describes the situation in the verse, then describes how she feels about things in the chorus. In the bridge, she goes back and forth between telling the story and expressing emotions. It’s a great example.
It’s amazing how much you can do with a song once you know what makes it work. We’ll give you some time to digest Gary’s first post here, and we’ll be back more of Gary’s column and his tips & tricks for creating a song that really works. Stay tuned!
PS: In the meantime, you can learn more about Gary’s teachings from his e-books and other resources, found on his second website in addition to his blog.
