Small songwriting tricks of your favorite artists

[PopTodd]

For instance...

Nick Lowe always modulates to another key for the last 1/3 of the song so that he can keep hammering home the hook, without sounding too redundant.

[GtrPlyr]

Sly & The Family Stone would sometimes start a song with the chorus, not wanting to waste any time getting you hooked.

 

Among their many talents, The Beatles were good at coming up with intros and bridges, and not sticking with conventional songwriting structures: sticking a solo, or a bridge where a chorus or verse would normally be, etc. This kept the (later period) music unpredictable, unique and more memorable.

[jff]

Am I the only one who is slightly afraid of learning about these things?

[Moss]

Keith Richards uses his open G 1 finger chord to the m7 hammer on in about 90% of his songs. (Start me up, Brown sugar, Happy...). I'm not complaining, it works. Black Crowes use this quite a bit as well.

[Dude]

Keith Richards uses his open G 1 finger chord to the m7 hammer on in about 90% of his songs. (Start me up, Brown sugar, Happy...). I'm not complaining, it works. Black Crowes use this quite a bit as well.

 

He learned that from Ry Cooder during the Beggars Banquet sessions. It's an old slide guitar technique.

[hardwood floor]

i dig when a band sticks a random measure of 2/4 in a song but does it so seamlessly that you can't really tell unless you're tapping your finger or something

 

i do hate key changes though (really, just the predictable key changes, in a coda, between choruses - bleh)

[Dude]

i do hate key changes though (really, just the predictable key changes, in a coda, between choruses - bleh)

 

Yeah, that can be really overdone. I do love the key changes in this song:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTjG8E1utyA&feature=related

[Wild Frank]

One thing I have noticed is how 'Yes' tended to over-complicate a lot of their songs which tends to make them, in my opinion, rubbish!!. 'Yes' were always music-first where as bands like Genesis and Pink Floyd always put the song first and did whatever necessary to make the song great.

[hardwood floor]

One thing I have noticed is how 'Yes' tended to over-complicate a lot of their songs which tends to make them, in my opinion, rubbish!!. 'Yes' were always music-first where as bands like Genesis and Pink Floyd always put the song first and did whatever necessary to make the song great.

 

interesting notion, frank ... i do agree that genesis & floyd were more song-based and yes (and elp) was more performance-based, but i think yes made it work. what examples of yes music would you consider rubbish because they get too complicated? their stuff has never hit me that way. i've always felt tracks like heart of the sunrise, close to the edge, perpetual change, starship trooper, sound chaser, going for the one, etc., are great songs with amazing arrangements whose complexity makes them stronger

[Moss]

Beatles - Tons of Dominant 7th chords.

[Ghost of Electricity]

I remember reading an interview with Ryan Adams where he talked about getting stuck while writing a song. He mentioned a little game which, if I remember correctly, Gillian Welch introduced him to: WWDD? (What would Dylan Do)

 

And if you can claim to figure out how to answer that question, then you're either a genius or as presumptuous a twat as Ryan Adams is. But it's fun to try.

[MattZ]

This thread is great. Would love to hear songwriting tricks of everyone here too, though.

 

As for WWDD, I have to admit that I have tried it (although I never knew anyone else did). Of course, it doesn't work.

 

Dylan likes C > C/B > Am though. And Am > Am/G > F. Not that that helps all that much.

[mjpuczko]

dylan also loves the G-G/C-G at the end of a line

[jff]

This thread is great. Would love to hear songwriting tricks of everyone here too, though.

 

 

 

I wouldn't call myself a songwriter, but I come up with a fair amount of song parts on the guitar. My main trick has been to learn a song then steal the parts and rearrange them. I didn't realize I was doing this until fairly recently. You'd be amazed how many different ways you can reconstruct Blackbird and Little Wing.

[Wild Frank]

interesting notion, frank ... i do agree that genesis & floyd were more song-based and yes (and elp) was more performance-based, but i think yes made it work. what examples of yes music would you consider rubbish because they get too complicated? their stuff has never hit me that way. i've always felt tracks like heart of the sunrise, close to the edge, perpetual change, starship trooper, sound chaser, going for the one, etc., are great songs with amazing arrangements whose complexity makes them stronger

To be honest I was just being silly. I do have respect for 'Yes' and they are far from rubbish. I do love 'Heart of the Sunrise' as well as tracks like 'Awaken'. My point was the focus of different prog groups and different reliances on musical chops, lyrics or melody etc. I feel Genesis and Floyd were better groups as they really did service to their songs whereas Yes .......to be honest I'm confusing myself now. I know what I mean, but I can't express it!!. Not the best way to reach your 300th post. Nevermind.

[MattZ]

I wouldn't call myself a songwriter, but I come up with a fair amount of song parts on the guitar. My main trick has been to learn a song then steal the parts and rearrange them. I didn't realize I was doing this until fairly recently. You'd be amazed how many different ways you can reconstruct Blackbird and Little Wing.

 

I can relate to a lot of this. I play guitar but I dont know when I become a musician. I write (bad) songs but don't know when I become a songwriter. I will call you one, if you call me one.

 

(I think Bob Dylan said that. Or, something.)

[froggie]

dylan also loves the G-G/C-G at the end of a line

 

 

i love that too!. he did a lot of it in the 80s and early 90s.

 

 

also John Bonham, played slightly behind the beat

 

 

ETA: Hendrix hid behind special effects and distortion to disguise the fact that he wasnt all he's made to be! (heeheee)