Hit Songwriting Tips Podcast 08-22-06
August 22, 2006
0 Comments
Topics covered:
Chord progressions, I-IV-V, The blues, classical music, mashups, melody, modal progressions, music software, rhythm…
Hit Songwriting Tips Podcast 08-22-06
Subscribe with iTunes here:
Subscribe with Odeo here:
Subscribe with Podnova here:
Subscribe by RSS here:
Subscribe by email here:
If you want to be notified the next time I post something, sign up for email alerts or subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ...Sly and the Family Stone Mashup Depacle. What Happened?
February 9, 2006
0 CommentsWhat is a mashup? A Wikipedia entry defines a mashup as Bastard Pop. Their definition also limits a mashup to the music of one song being combined with the vocals of another.
These days, a mashup can be just about anything. Usually, a mashup is created by one person. But last night, we saw some musical mashups that had no clear leader.
The Sly Debacle
My observations about last night’s Sly and The Family Stone Grammy reunion mashup:
1. No band leader
This was true bastard pop. There was no father figure. Everyone was doing their own thing. A good mashup has to have a leader. Just like a football team has to have a coach, a musical performance has to have a director. But more importantly, a winning football team has to have a winning coach. So a successful musical performance has to have a successful musical director.
2. No performance purpose
If this was mashup was to edify Sly and The Family Stone, then I don’t think the artists were clued in. It sounded like a cacophony of disparate musical personalities. The greatest homage to Sly would have been to stick to the melody of the song and celebrate the song, not the artist’s voice. Use your talent to raise the consciousness of the music, not as egotistical posing.
If I had my way…
I would have communicated to the artists a clear and concise vision and outcome. My outcome would have been to edify Sly. I would have been on the stage leading and calling the plays. I would make the song the number one focus and individual artistry would come last. And when Sly came out on stage, I would direct the other musicians to lay back and show some restraint and give Sly the floor. And I would have had a clear ending that locked in the purpose.
In reality, here’s what happened…
Sly left the stage while the music was still playing. I doubt that was scripted. It seemed to me that he left out of frustration–but he did it gracefuly. Musical cues were missed at the end. Guitars were soloing over each other. Everyone was looking around for someone to take charge but nobody did.
The performance was frustrating to me because I’m a huge Sly fan. Fresh f*d me up for a long time! I couldn’t believe anything could be so funky. It was so damn good it hurt.
But alas, I didn’t get the call from the Grammys. Maybe next year. 
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...How Do You Develop New And Interesting Chord Changes?
February 8, 2006
3 CommentsHere’s a handful of my top techniques that I use to develop new and interesting chord changes.
1. Stick with I-IV-V
I know, it’s not new, but I-IV-V doesn’t have to be uninteresting. There’s a reason why these chords are so fundamental to our harmony. So master them. Use their constraints to challenge your songwriting ability.
2. Copy another song’s chord changes
Just take a look at the top 10 in the past 10 years and you’ll find a long list of songs that use the same chord progressions. The chord changes to Prince’s Purple Rain have been used before that song and after that song many, many times. The challenge then becomes how to write a unique melody over those chord changes.
3. Copy another song’s chord changes and modify them
One of my favorite techniques to come up with chord changes is to simply copy another song and then modify it. You can modify the color of the chords (major/minor/dominant 7/major 7/etc.). You can modify the rhythm of the chord changes by making them change faster or slower or syncopate them. You can play the chords backwards or start in the middle. You get the idea.
4. Create a chord progression mashup
You can follow the popular mashup trend right now. Take two or more songs and then combine their chord progressions. You can cut them up, play them simultaneously or play them sequentially. I haven’t done this yet, but it sounds fun 
5. Write a modal progression
Modal progressions–made popular by Miles Davis (Kind of Blue)–are a very easy place to start. The best modes to begin with are mixolydian and dorian. If you’re going to stay in a single mode throughout your song section, the challenge becomes making the melody interesting enough to sustain the listeners interest. And if all of your song sections are going to be in the same mode, then the challenge is to make each section contrast.
6. Write a blues
The blues doesn’t have to sound like the blues. There’s no point in trying to be another Robert Johnson. Just listen to Prince’s Kiss or U2’s When Love Comes To Town.
7. Dig into other genres
Classical music is an endless supply of time-tested music to recycle. Sting’s Russians is a great example of a song that is based on Prokofiev’s “Lieutenant Kije” Suite.
8. Use music software
I’ve used Band in a Box to inspire me and I’ve messed around with other music software that’s resulted in a few keepers. Check out the del.icio.us musicsoftware tag for the latest releases.
That’s it for now. I’m sure you have some chord progression shortcuts that I haven’t thought of yet. Please share them.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Check Out Podsafeaudio.com
January 20, 2006
0 CommentsCheck out podesafeaudio.com
This site aims to provide a location where musicians can upload music under the Creative Commons License for use in Podcasts, Mashups, Shoutcasts, Webcasts and every other kind of ‘casting’ that exists on the ‘net.
I just subscribed to their podcast in iTunes and they’ve got some really good music on there. Plus, they’ll probably be an important part of my soon to be released podcast about songwriting and music publishing.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...