Song writing is not an easy task and if you want to write a pop music song there are certain elements that are necessary to know before starting to write one. If you are into song writing you would realize that great pop music songs are not written only by accidents and there are so many pop songs around that not all of them can have some or the other inspiration behind them.
Here is the list of elements that make a great pop music song and if you want to learn this art take these tips in mind while writing –
- The structure of the song – every music or a song requires a structure and so does a pop song. There are a few classic structures of a pop song that requires a balance between providing new information and repetition. The reason behind this balance is that with a great song you are providing your listeners with something new but along with that you need to keep them engaged that requires a familiarity or repetition. So typical sections of a pop music song structure is something like this
Verse – Chorus – verse – Chorus – Bridge – Chorus
For those who are beginners and want to perform a good job, it is easier to follow this structure.
- Melody of the music – it is often said that melody is the soul of any music. In pop music it is the most essential thing. Although it is not difficult to write a melody but if these tips are kept in mind while writing a melody you will never go wrong –
- Try to keep the melody as simple as you can. You should be able to remember what you have developed and should be easier to understand.
- Use stepwise motion while writing a melody so that it becomes easy to remember and sing along.
- The distance between the high and low notes of the pop music song’s melody should be limited in order to produce the best sound.
- Learn to control your Tessitura so that you can control the highness and lowness of your melody.
- Look for the stable notes in order to bring stability to the melody you are writing.
- Try to keep all notes in your melody in rhythm so that you don’t have a lot of choppy phrases and downbeat.
- Harmonic Underpinning – here we talk about the chords that talk about the change of rhythm and melody. Choosing the best method to change chords according to melody and rhythm can give you a strong pop music song. Here stability of the chords is of major importance. Pick the chord that is stable with your melody by taking care of holding and releasing of moments of tension in the strings. In order to master the skill it would be great to experiment with the chords so that you know what and how to use each chord.
Harmony talks about the rate at which any chord changes. There are some chords that change at a faster rate while others are slower. We can use these chords accordingly to produce great harmony if we have a thorough understanding of the same. There are parts like the chorus in a pop music song that requires high energy whereas verses requires a low energy. You can manipulate your harmony accordingly in your pop music song.
- Good lyrics – although it is the last tip but lyrics are one of the most important part in the making of a great pop music song. You need to put the entire message you want to tell your listeners in the song and fit it accordingly with the music you have created. For beginners it is always better to keep the lyrics simple to understand. It’s necessary to give meaning you want to tell in every line and paint a picture in mind of the listeners about what it is you want to tell.
I hope these tips are a help and you become a good songwriter keeping all of these in mind.
Joey is a blogger and a songwriter himself. He has read a lot of books of famous songwriters including that of Sheila Davis and John Braheny that helped him to provide these wonderful tips related to popular songs writing for his readers. Hope they help you in your act of balancing various chords to bring out a good pop song.