How and why to keep a listening journal (and a template to get you started)

Guest post by Sayana. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

If you’ve dedicated yourself to learning music, you may be taking courses, watching tutorials, or working with a mentor to practice every day. Every one of those things can be an essential turning point for you, but another key component of learning music that both aspiring and practicing musicians often overlook is active listening.

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DRIVERS LICENSE: A case study on hit song narrative structure

In any hit, a strategically structured narrative is paramount to leading the listener through the song in a highly engaging, satisfying, and ultimately memorable manner. This video case study uses the Hit Songs Deconstructed methodology to take a deep dive into Drivers License’s the narrative flow.

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The secret grammar of music

Guest post by Dale McGowan. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper.

I was 13 when I saw my brother’s college music theory textbook sitting on a table — Walter Piston’s Harmony. I had played clarinet and sax for a while, even did some arranging for jazz band. So I knew a little theory, but I was barely out of the blocks.

When I picked up the book, it fell open to a section called “Table of Usual Root Progressions.” Clickbait! I traced the words with a trembling finger:

(That’s an actual scan of the actual line in the actual book.)

Whoa.

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The S.A.M. Principle

Hit Songs Deconstructed kicked off its “Decoding the Hits” masterclass series on Saturday and has made a one-hour segment from the first masterclass available for viewing.

The segment is called The S.A.M. Principle: Serving the Song, the Artist and the Marketplace and focuses on priming every aspect of your song – from melody and hooks, to lyrics and rhymes, to arrangement and production – to serve the song, the artist, and the marketplace to maximize a songs potential chart-topping success.

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Which songs do you recognize in the first five seconds?

Guest post by Carter Lee. This full article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

Everyone on the planet has at least a handful of songs that they’d recognize almost instantly if the first few seconds come on. You know you do, can you think of a few songs that might perk your ears up right now?

Sometimes it’s because of that very particular, iconic lick in the intro. Then again, it could be the use of an incredibly unique sound or instrument that only that one song starts with. And, of course, there are some songs that quickly ring a bell because of our personal connections to them.

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Lyrical themes, and the many ways we can develop them…

Guest post by Charlotte Yates. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

What do you want your lyrics to actually do? Show us how desperately you want someone or how angry you are about something? Or do you want to your lyrics to make us behave a certain way, notice the homeless, start a revolution, or dance the night away?

At some stage you have to figure out exactly what you want to express. At first this might not be 100% clear. But you may have a general idea what you want to get across — that’s your theme right there: a basic notion or vision for the song.

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Why you should write multiple songs at once

When I first started writing songs, I wrote one song at a time until it was finished. This process was so delicate for me that I convinced myself that I had to write the entire song in one sitting or it would be forgotten forever. As a result, my writing sessions were sporadic bursts, going on for hours and hours, then never picking up the pen again for weeks.

This worked well for me when I was in high school and bored on summer vacation. It even worked in college because I had to write songs for assignments. Unfortunately, after graduating, this songwriting process led me to many dry months and I ended up writing just two or three songs for an entire year. That continued for the first few years after starting to work full-time.

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Finding inspiration for songwriting: 7 techniques

As a musician, there are so many ways you can practice your craft and find the inspiration you’re looking for in songwriting. While it’s highly likely that at times in your creative journey the inspiration has come to you, there are plenty of other times when you may need to go out in search of it. 

Everybody has their own methods of getting inspired — and yours will likely be unique just like your music is. While some techniques work better for certain people than they do for others, you can try out a variety of options to see which ones work best for you.

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First look: 2021 mid-year hit song trend report

Last week Hit Songs Deconstructed released its latest hit song trend report, The State of the Hot 100 Top 10: 2021 Mid-Year. To download a 27-page complimentary PDF with highlights from the report, visit: https://bit.ly/MTT-MID-2021.

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How to use past experiences to fuel musical creativity

Some of the greatest songs ever written only exist because of what the artists went through. From classic breakup songs (or every Taylor Swift album) to nights of crazy parties to the feeling of falling in love, past experiences make up so much of the music industry.

Using past experiences to fuel creativity isn’t limited to music. Some of the greatest paintings of our time were inspired by real-life experiences. The same goes for poetry, books, and even movies.

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8 songwriting mistakes beginners often make, and how to fix them

There are probably as many ways to approach songwriting as there are songwriters.

But beginner songwriters are often only equipped with a handful of tools that results in them producing songs that are subpar at best.

We must all start somewhere, so that’s not the issue. Our skills develop with practice.

But you can increase the quality of your songs significantly if you avoid common mistakes.

Here are eight songwriting mistakes beginners often make and how to avoid them.

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“Drivers License:” How Olivia Rodrigo uses much more than lyrics to tell her story

Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” grabbed me (and the rest of the planet) by the lapels and wouldn’t let go when I first heard it. The musicologist side of me wondered why.

Well, after examining it, I think I’ve figured out why the song has such staying power. Here’s a breakdown of the song from beginning to end, and pretty deep in between, too. In case you haven’t heard the song yet (or have been abducted by alien lifeforms and just been returned to Earth), here it is:

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New approach to lyric writing: Telling sensory stories via song

Guest post by Carla Malrowe. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

Lyrics are very personal; no one can, or should, tell you what to write. However, how you write comes down to skill. And lyric writing as a skill, just like any other, can be improved through open-minded exploration and growth-minded practice.

Today, I want to talk about a new way of approaching lyric writing. It entails using sensory and cinematic stories to relay your core song message. It’s a process of deep exploration to achieve a unique expression.

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Hit Songs Deconstructed releases its Q1 2021 hit song trend report, The State of the Hot 100 Top 10.

Hit Songs Deconstructed (www.HitSongsDeconstructed.com) last week released its latest hit song trend report, The State of the Hot 100 Top 10: Q1 2021. To download a 24-page complimentary PDF with highlights from the report, visit:http://bit.ly/MTT-Q1-2021 .

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