Music Theory: Does It Still Matter?

Guest post by Ian Temple. This article originally appearedon Soundfly’s Flypaper

Last year, Rihanna’s hit single “Work” started an argument here at Soundfly. We come from an array of different musical backgrounds, styles, training, and instruments, and the question that kicked us off was:

What key is “Work” actually in?

It’s got that super repetitive synth bass line that returns to C# every time, giving the impression we’re in C# Dorian mode, but the key signature is B major, or G# natural minor. The melody floats around a C# note a lot, but it still sounds unresolved, except in a few moments where it lands on G#. There are even a couple moments that sound a little more major and could lead one to hear the B as an unplayed tonic (or “home base”).

Click to read more ...

Making Sense Of A Song By Richard Strauss Via Botany

Guest post by Erica Ann Sipes. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

Yes, you read that correctly. In the course of this one blog post, I am going to attempt to use a brief study in botany to unravel an issue I am having in the accompaniment to a song by Richard Strauss.

Ready?

Click to read more ...

7 Laws For Smart Songwriting

Music surrounds us every day – we hear it while driving the car, shopping in the mall, or eating in a restaurant. It has become a part of our everyday routine, and some of us can’t imagine an hour of our lifetime without a favorite song.

Music is something we aspire to. It’s something that communicates emotions rather than words. It motivates us to work, rest, cook, exercise. There’s a song for everything we do. It awakes right emotions, so that we can get more motivated.

And if you belong to that type of people, who like to sing about their emotions, you’re probably a potential songwriter. It may seem that if you have an ear for music and a poetic talent, it would be super easy for you to right a hit song.

Click to read more ...

Essential Questions To Answer Before You Finish A Songwriting Collaboration

In a music-theatre context, there are a number of questions that must be answered before any song can be completed. Often when lyricists and composers collaborate on songs for a new show, these questions may be answered unconsciously or internally by each collaborator or not at all. If one person were writing a show all by herself, that might be just fine. But in a collaboration with one or two other artists, it’s critical that everyone on the team articulate these questions together, discuss them and come to agreement on each answer. If this is done before starting work on a given song, it can save everyone a lot of extra work, frustration and other unpleasant feelings. Take the time to be just a little bit pedantic when it comes to songs you’re co-writing for a new musical and you’ll be much happier with the results.

Click to read more ...

10 Types Of Songwriter Jobs

This guest post by Evan Zwisler originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog

Songwriters have a special place in our culture. If you’re a songwriter, you’re not simply playing music, you’re imbuing our lives with a soundtrack that is evocative, thought provoking, and deeply meaningful.  

Most bands have a songwriter, or several, and most songwriters have been in a band before. But being a songwriter can be a more feasible career choice in the long run.

Here’s a look at some of the different types of job opportunities that are available to songwriters.

Click to read more ...

Hit Songs Deconstructed Releases Its Q4-2017 Hit Song Trend Report

Hit Songs Deconstructed today released its Q4-2017 Trend Report. This report details the compositional and industry trends for the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10.

Click to read more ...

Hit Songs Deconstructed Releases Its Q3-2017 Hit Songwriting Trend Brief

Hit Songs Deconstructed (www.HitSongsDeconstructed.com) released its Q3-2017 Trend Brief. This 100+ page report details the compositional and industry trends for the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10.

Click to read more ...

Did Led Zeppelin Steal Stairway To Heaven?

I don’t think that any respectful musician should be proud of violating the copyright of another one. With all the social networks that exist nowadays, if someone makes a plagiarism, the news will spread worldwide in a matter of minutes. It is far too embarrassing of a place to put yourself in.

Click to read more ...

Photay On Being Terrified By ‘Flight Of The Bumblebee’ And How To Mess With Song Form

On his latest release, Onism, Photay’s Evan Shornstein combines his study of West African percussion with a heavy grounding in ’80s and ’90s beat-driven electronic music. And in the process, he diverges from popular, tried-and-true song form through a series of irreverent arrangements, arresting textures, and a radical withholding of the conventions of the “drop” and “release” that the uninitiated might expect from contemporary dance-inflected music.

Shornstein’s charge is, as he says, “to explore unfamiliar musical realms,” and he manages to do so with respect and reverence for the myriad traditions he’s moving through, resulting in music that’s both “incorrect” and deeply informed.

Click to read more ...

The Downsides To Using Fiverr For Music Production

With limited human resources (nearby to help to produce the song), I opted to produce an entire song— from start-to-finish— using a popular online marketplace, Fiverr.com. It was called an experiment— I had no idea whether it would work or not. Within a week timeframe, the entire song idea became a song distributed across the web.

Click to read more ...

Q2 Hit Songwriting Trends

Hit Songs Deconstructed recently released its Top 10 Hit Songwriting Trend Report, which details the compositional trends of the songs that chart in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 during a specific quarter across 28+ categories, including song length, genres and influences, instruments, first chorus occurrence, tempo, key and more.

Click to read more ...

The Top Five Things Every Singer/Songwriter Is Doing That Need To Be Fixed

There are at least a hundred ways for every singer/songwriter to improve his or her chances of success, but these are the five I already know that need to be addressed without even seeing your show. They are inherent the performance of virtually all aspiring (and sadly many seasoned) singer/songwriters.

Click to read more ...

Four Tips To Jumpstart Your Songwriting Routine

If you’re visiting music think tank for the first time or the 50th time, you have something in common, you’re here for the music and your whole life has probably been dedicated to music. Perhaps this craft is basically all you can imagine yourself doing for the next however long. 

Click to read more ...

4 Tips For Songwriters Seeking Artists To Record Their Songs

This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

The goal of many a songwriter is to find artists to sing our material. And there are few things more thrilling than when you hear your music come to life. The first time you get to hear an artist’s take on a song you spent hours on, all alone in your writing room, is truly magical. The feeling exists somewhere in between hearing a very personal cover, and the ephemeral act of co-writing or collaborating with someone.

Click to read more ...