Songwriting Habits - Listen

One of the key skills used in composing music is the art of listening. Often we have a melodic idea or a chordal pattern that we would like to use, but we stop and don’t know where to go next. So let’s spend some time listening.

Let’s go and find other songs that have the sound that we want in our song. It might be a Motown sound we want to create, or perhaps a 1950’s sound. By listening to other artists from a particular style we can decide on what elements we could use in our own song.

Let me give you an example. If we listen to an Angie Stone song we hear the funky feel that her songs create. How do the instruments she uses create this sound? Perhaps it is the rhythms of the bass and drums of her songs that are the key. We can use these instruments to give us ideas in establishing the feel we are after in our song.

Another example is trying to establish a 1950’s style, like the songs from Grease. They use clean sounding guitars with simple rock riffs; horn sections playing fill- ins, walking bass lines, and sometimes a 12 - bar blues formats to achieve a simple rock sound. All of those elements you could use in your 1950’s rock style of song, if that is what you are after.

By listening to others music, you create a library of ideas that you can use in your own music. Music is a shared experience, it isn’t something that happens in isolation. There is a wealth of inspiration out there if you can take some time to listen.