http://andrymi.com/community/ Andrymi, a collection of music nerds Tag: songwriting en Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:42:21 +0000 http://andrymi.com/community/topic/you-can-learn-a-lot-from-just-playing-the-same-two-chords-all-night#post-514 Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:20:55 +0000 vardi 514@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>yes i agree. coltrane used to spend days playing over only one chord, doing all the different inversions, and all the endless possibillities you can do over it </p> http://andrymi.com/community/topic/you-can-learn-a-lot-from-just-playing-the-same-two-chords-all-night#post-510 Tue, 02 Oct 2007 01:32:22 +0000 Steelbones 510@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>I guess you've been putting those "keep it fresh" ideas into practice without even doing it deliberately.</p> <p>You've mentioned two of your ideas and one of mine at least in the above post. </p> http://andrymi.com/community/topic/you-can-learn-a-lot-from-just-playing-the-same-two-chords-all-night#post-500 Tue, 02 Oct 2007 00:37:41 +0000 Breakfastime 500@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>yeah, I know that's a long title...</p> <p>Last night at practice (the as-yet-unnamed soukous group) we worked on two 'reggae' numbers, a new one, and one from a few weeks back. Both these tunes are VERY similar, in that they revolve around just two chords, and the melodies are lifted from traditional African songs.</p> <p>One of the things about this band is-our singer doesn't play any harmonic instruments (he plays hand drums, but not in this group....by trade, he is a professional dance instructor-again, traditional African stuff)so how we work is-he sings the parts to us!</p> <p>VERY old-school! (reminds me of the old punk rock days..."NO! it goes do-do-do-do duh-do-do!...got that?")</p> <p>So, it's a long process to develop new material: he sings parts to us, we sort them out, and then the key usually changes several times before an arrangement starts to appear.</p> <p>So, these reggae-rhythm tunes we're working on, one of them has changed keys a few times, while the other has stayed in B minor. </p> <p>So I spent a long time last night just playing two chords over and over....not quite as boring as it sounds, actually...</p> <p>Gary (keys) at one point suggested substituting an F3minor in place of the A maj I'd been playing (in the Bminor tune, it was Bm, A maj) so...I tried THAT, and loved it! THEN, I started messing around with inversions of these two chords, working my way up the neck as the song progressed...interesting...I also came up with melodic lines derived rom the vocal melody to spice things up...but ultimately...it was just two chords all along.</p> <p>We've been doing this band for a while, and it's been incubating longer than anything I've done in years, we've seriously been plugging away for well over a year now...it's slow going, but it's actually starting to sound good. </p> http://andrymi.com/community/topic/what-makes-a-song-good#post-209 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 19:14:01 +0000 Steelbones 209@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>Just a touch more reverb, and maybe some slap-back delay................... </p> http://andrymi.com/community/topic/what-makes-a-song-good#post-203 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:36:23 +0000 steinn 203@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>henry: POST A LINK! We're gonna be rich! </p> http://andrymi.com/community/topic/what-makes-a-song-good#post-202 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:31:09 +0000 henry 202@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>I turned the reverb up to 9000. The last ripple of echo will die out around the time the sun goes supernova. Although you can't really hear a single chord or word (it all sounds kind of like seamonkeys mating), I expect it to chart. :P </p> http://andrymi.com/community/topic/what-makes-a-song-good#post-200 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:28:06 +0000 Steelbones 200@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>Try turning the reverb up................ </p> http://andrymi.com/community/topic/what-makes-a-song-good#post-199 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:25:20 +0000 Breakfastime 199@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>So many singer-songwriters forget this stuff and leave the reverb out.</p> <p>They have a lot to learn! </p> http://andrymi.com/community/topic/what-makes-a-song-good#post-197 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 17:12:46 +0000 steinn 197@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>Don't forget the compression =D </p> http://andrymi.com/community/topic/what-makes-a-song-good#post-195 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 16:52:52 +0000 henry 195@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>Heheh. That's what an engineer would say.. "EQ and reverb make hits" :D </p> http://andrymi.com/community/topic/what-makes-a-song-good#post-189 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 09:41:44 +0000 Steelbones 189@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>Lots of reverb............ </p> http://andrymi.com/community/topic/what-makes-a-song-good#post-146 Sun, 02 Sep 2007 18:17:23 +0000 Breakfastime 146@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>There's plenty of songs that I would consider 'good' even though they're not in a style that I like, or would want to listen to.</p> <p>So...what makes a song 'good'? THAT is a good question. It's gotta register with the listener somehow-melodically, lyrically, something.</p> <p>I don't even think it has to be 'catchy' but somewhere in there should be something-a single lyric, even just a brief melodic moment, something-that hits you. </p> http://andrymi.com/community/topic/what-makes-a-song-good#post-134 Sun, 02 Sep 2007 05:57:01 +0000 solar 134@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>Good songs need to have something that GRABS you... Emotion is very important as well. I agree that the Coda is effective. The almighty A-B-C structure works exceptionally well.<br /> Example:<br /> On my MySpace Profile... I currently have a song there called "Money And A Sense Of Humor".<br /> It utilizes A-B-C structure... There is a "Tension and Release" going on with the Chord Choices passing between Maj, Minor and Dominant voicings. Being able to use these types of chord combinations skillfully within a set "Song Strucy=ture" will definitely increase a songs potential for making an impact on the listener. Good lyrical content that tells some type of "Story" or makes a "statement" will help also. </p> http://andrymi.com/community/topic/what-makes-a-song-good#post-85 Sat, 01 Sep 2007 21:45:34 +0000 henry 85@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>I think it's a song that stays with you as soon as you hear it. I hate the middle of the road.</p> <p>A good example, whether you like the guy or not, is Robbie Williams. It seems he has a good writer and producer. And even if it's pop, just listen to <em>Mandalay</em>. It has a good melody, a lyric that fits the melody, and a nice counter-melody aswell.</p> <p>I think that alot of good music these days would benefit from having a coda. Hardly anyone does that these days but it's a coda that has made some rather mediocre songs into epics. Like Derek and the Dominoes' <em>Layla</em>, and turned good songs into excellent ones, like The Beatles' <em>Strawberry Fields Forever</em>.</p> <p>To make sure the emotion of the piece comes through, often you have to revisit their highlights and seduce the listener with them. Pop today is such a nooner. </p> http://andrymi.com/community/topic/what-makes-a-song-good#post-83 Sat, 01 Sep 2007 21:00:15 +0000 steinn 83@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>Even for me (one person), this question has too many different answers.. </p> http://andrymi.com/community/topic/what-makes-a-song-good#post-81 Sat, 01 Sep 2007 20:06:28 +0000 HonkyTonkSamurai 81@http://andrymi.com/community/ <p>just curious as to what you guys think, I know the obvious "its a matter of taste" argument will arise</p> <p>but still, give example n stuff</p> <p>for me its gotta have some aspect of creativity and love of the art to it (which is why i have such a hard time listening to "alternative" music for too long)</p> <p>example: 6 Underground - Sneaker Pimps, catchy, easy to listen to but still outside of the main stream</p> <p>digg? </p>