How do I properly send an email or letter to a label or producer to get them to listen to your songs? - Luke (0:42) I could be wrong, but it seems to me my musical strength resides in that what makes me weak as a human being: my suffering,…continue reading →
Questions: I've been looking into and planning on attending The Academy of Contemporary Music in Oklahoma City. What's your overall take on music schools? - Sean Gross (0:33) Why do all of the sounds of big name productions sound so big? I understand mixing/panning/effects, but I feel like they're all…continue reading →
"Here's how to add more vocals to your melody without distracting from it (Backing Vocals, Call & Response, Counterpoint)"
This email on backing vocals appeared in my inbox last week:
Lets say I have a nice melody that I play on the piano. How do I involve other instruments to embellish that melody, - either to replicate it an octave up, or produce some kind of counter-melody, or complimentary melody that would make my song more interesting? - thanks : ) Ian
Sounds like a good topic to tackle in an article, so let’s talk adding secondary melodies. Or in other words: Let's talk Backing Vocals, Call & Response and Counterpoint.…continue reading →
Growing up with my parents's favorite bands such as the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel, I recently noticed 3 major changes in how songs are written now as opposed to 30+ years ago.
Understanding these 3 major changes in the songwriting industry is important because the consequences are very present in which songs make it to the radio (thus, your audience) and which don't.…continue reading →
Writing an energizing song is one of the big challenges songwriters have. Writing happy, fun songs seems to be the holy grail of songwriting for most. So if you're one of these struggling songwriters (as I know I was), this article is for you!…continue reading →
One of the biggest enemies to writing commercial songs is confusion. If your listeners don’t know where they are in your song (“wait - is this the chorus yet?”), they won’t stick around much longer. This is especially important in high-energy songs, such as Rachel Platten’s Fight Song, because this…continue reading →
Phew, you ready? This is a good one… Today we’re talking about one of those “secrets” that will help you transition from good to great songs. This one is all about flow… You already know what flow is of course: When there’s no distractions in the music and one line…continue reading →