IndieSongwriter.net

Who listens to music?

The obvious answer is ‘everyone,’ or near enough everyone, but that depends on how you define ‘listen’.

Most people have music in the background. It’s the soundtrack to their daily commute, the background drone when they do the housework, the beat they dance to. The way normal people use music doesn’t involve a huge amount of concentrated attention, and nor should it. Lots of music is supposed to be danced to, heard and forgotten, be nothing but background.

But if we want to get better at this songwriting craft, we need to do more than listen.

We need to use our ears

So why not pick a piece of music that you don’t know too well, and really listen to it. Grab a pen and paper, listen to it over and over, and answer these questions:

What is the form? Does it follow a ‘normal’ structure? Is every verse the same as the last? What about every chorus? What are the chords used, what is the key, the time signature? What instruments play in which section? How do they play? Is the melody in steps, leaps, or a combination? Does it use a large range or a small one? Does the lyric fit exactly the musical mood, or is there a juxtaposition of sad lyrics and a happy tune? Why?

I’m sure you can think of a hundred more questions.

Every single answer you come up with is another idea you can use in your own songwriting.