Keep the Hook Simple and Stupid?

Erm, yes. Controversial title :-) Well, this is an interesting read on how simplicity and repetition are the the key elements to producing a great hook for a song.

I would certainly agree where Steve Moss (editor of Tunesmith Monthly) is coming from. Think of all the great pop classics over the last 30 years, then read this article.

Calvin

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What is a hook? Think of any song that was a hit back when you were a kid and start singing it. Chances are, the first thing you think of is its hook. A hook is a brief, memorable, irresistible bit of music, lyric, or both, that the listener will remember even after hearing your song only once. It's the part that gets a song on the radio and sells records. It's the part you can still remember and sing twenty years later...

Click here for the rest.

Source - http://www.musesmuse.com/5.4-July02.html#article2

Written by Steve Moss, editor of Tunesmith Monthly http://www.tunesmithmonthly.com

technorati tags:learn, songwriting, chorus, hook, how, to, write

Too Many Idea's Can Spoil A Song

Well, I've certainly been a victim of packing in too many chord changes or musical idea's in one song. I've dug up this article which explains how you shouldn't focus all your energy into creating several different idea's for one song - but rather zone in on that one GERAT idea, and repeat it over and over

Check it out...

Calvin

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When you listen to a song, you probably notice that the music is made up of certain phrases or ideas which repeat themselves throughout the song. These musical phrases are called motifs or themes. They may be as short as a few notes (like the first four notes of "America the Beautiful") or several measures in length. A motif may be melodic, rhythmic, harmonic, or a combination of these. The point being that each time you hear the motif in the song, it registers in your brain as something you've heard before -- and that makes the song easier to remember (and that's good).

A common mistake made by songwriters is thinking that the music becomes "boring" or "too simplistic" when phrases are repeated in this manner. As a songwriter full of musical ideas, you can easily get caught up in trying to be too clever. This usually results in a song that has too many musical ideas -- and that makes the song harder to remember (and that's not good). If one of your main goals as a songwriter is to write something that's memorable, then by far the best technique available to you, is the power of repetition. The trick is in knowing how to use repetition without getting "boring".

To complete reading the article, click here.

Source - http://www.craftofsongwriting.com/Column2.htm