A Formula For Successful Songwriting

How To Make Music Everyone Likes

Through the ages, there have been two important elements to music that have lasted and remained relatively unchanged. Although lots of people enjoy different genres and styles of music, there are two main components to songwriting that appeal to almost all people. These are a catchy melody, and a dancing beat. How you go about creating these two or combining them depends on how much of either you want to explore. Here is a rough guide on how these two should be considered:

A Catchy Melody
This is the most important part of the song because it is what will be remembered best. If your melody is catchy, people will get this musical expression stuck in their heads and maybe even hum along. Many musicians, from The Beatles to Puff Daddy to Shania Twain, agree that a melody is the best and most important part of a song (as is evident in their music). So how do you go about creating a catchy melody?

1. It should contain some element of symmetry. Meaning, if it goes up it must come down, and vice versa.
2. It should be something that can be easily sung by another person. This implies that the melody should be stepwise, with a few leaps here or there, but not too many.
3. It should have some notion of repetition. This does not mean that you should relentlessly repeat the same line over and over again. However, you don’t want to be too chaotic either. A good melody will have lines that repeat and or counteract one another (hence the symmetry).

For a visual example, imagine a mountain range. It has peaks and troughs, ups and downs that vary in different lengths and distances. It repeats over time and cycles throughout (it is balanced), yet still maintains an element of randomness and uniqueness. You can think of a melodic line in this fashion. Whether you want to choose a chord progression and then develop a melody from that (which I find to be harder), or you sit down at a piano and create a melodic line, is really up to your own tastes and preferences. In the end, music should be something that expresses an idea but does so in a way that can be understood or related.

A Dancing Beat
This element may seem even more important today than it used to. Pop, Hip-Hop, Trance, Techno, R&B and Rap are a lot more popular than they used to be. All of these genres have a heavy drum and bass sound that is essential to dancing. Hence, it’s important to consider a good beat that will move people when writing music because that’s what really appeals to the public. Here are some tips:

1. Keep it simple. You want a rhythm that people can dance or bop their heads to, something energetic.
2. Silence is golden. If you use space between your notes you can create a sense of anticipation. That’s always better than a bunch of fast notes.
3. Incorporate a repetitive pattern. Something that repeats over time is much better than something that changes every bar. Interestingly enough, it might entice more people if your pattern is longer. If it repeats over 2 or 3 or 4 bars as opposed to 1, you may have the opportunity to add more or layer the beat than if you only did a pattern that repeats every measure. Danny Carey’s drumming is an example.
4. Adding syncopation gives a beat a little bit of flare and a swaying motion.

As with all art, music can’t be explained by rules or guidelines. This is simply my interpretation of the standards and forms that have been used in popular music for a long time. Also, more importantly, you should always write music for yourself. Write and play what you like and what you want to listen to, not what will appeal to others. You’ll find that your works are more enjoyable and satisfying.