The key to music is making people want to listen to it. Your minor arpeggios might be super technical, but it might not sound as good as 3 chords being played with the right rhythm.
@@TylerJohnstonGuitar Yeah, no I don't agree with that. Of course, if you want to MAKE MONEY making music, sure. But what always comes up short (especially also in Glenn's videos) is what the artist actually wants to do. For those of us who are over their delusions of grandeur and are content with the fact that they will never, ever make a living off their own music, it's the far better and healthier route to just make the music you wanna make. I'd rather fail to sell music I enjoyed making than fail to sell music I hated making. So while you're technically correct, I disagree that the key to music is making people want to listen to it. That's how the spotify top 10 are born. The key to music is enjoying making it.
@@TylerJohnstonGuitar Then again you get Radiohead who after their smash success hit with creep decided to never write such a song again and went increasingly more experimental. And found an audience that way. Maybe the golden compromise is to make songs that you still want to listen too and yet you try to write for the listener too? Having a smash hit is awesome, but if it was that one throwaway song you thought was going to be a B-side and which now defines you, that has frustrated many an artist too. Or maybe the lesson is never write and release anything that you can't live with? Either artistic or commercial?
@@mrcoatsworth429 You’re right, I should’ve rephrased. It’s more so the key to selling music. But some people equate sales with success. It’s all about how you see it. Music should be expressive.
The Cranberries are Irish and had heavy accents. I don't think it was a weird phrasing thing, just a regional speech thing. Not everyone has to speak like a BBC news presenter
@@Zoltar_V There's an old saying in the art world: "Every artist has a thousand bad drawings. The sooner you start and the more you draw, the faster you get them out of your system." Seems to apply to music and writing as well. Even people who have written a great song, wind up writing a lot of terrible songs afterwards.
Glenn! I need to thank you so much: With the help of your channel I managed to record a full length album myself, found a label with a good distributor and now our band's music is available at record shops and big box stores here in Germany. We were also featured in the leading two magazines for our target audience with interviews, got good reviews and were played in the radio. The spark that started the fire was your video about mixing and monitors - I couldn´t afford them at the time and was mixing with headphones but never got the results I was longing for when hearing the music loud. After your video I started mixing in my 20 year old Volvo and boy, I was in a different world after that. Again, thank you so much for giving your viewers game-changing and easy accessable advice.
I can't tell you how many bands come through my studio where every member thinks they are the technical master of their band. Everyone needs to be going 100% through the whole song. Most bands fail to recognize that more or less once a vocal is in a song, it's usually the most important part. Complicated riffs and drumming can be cool, but if there is no space for a vocalist, it's just a bunch of people making noise. (there are exceptions to this for sure) but there are so many people out there that equate technical instrumental prowess with good song writing or good composition, when often that is just not the case.
Vocals are the most important part of a song. In fact if there are no vocals it’s not actually a song (the word song comes from sing). Songs are 1000% more popular than instrumental music. This causes instrumentalists to seethe and cope endlessly.
When my singer has a great lyric or hook, I have no problem just straight up Ramones-ing shit. Just hitting the chord progression while my vocalist operates. Everyone will get their time to shine. It doesn't have to be all at once.
I keep on telling guitarists, including myself, when you are up that stage 99% of the time the audience will be focused on the singer. And the only attention you will get as an instrumentalist is when you play a (short) solo or when you f*** up. Everything else is taken as a given. Your extensive pedal board does not matter, your expensive guitars don't matter, your wall of tube amps or Axe-FX's do not matter, your whole precious tone does not matter. You might as well play into a cheap transistor amp with a Squier guitar into some Behringer pedals, if what you play is decent and serves the vocals well, everything else, your kit, your guitars, your attitude, you only do it for you. Not because it actually serves a purpose.
One of my favorite bands is Band-Maid. They are very good at writing songs that are incredibly catchy that you want to listen to over and over, but they’re full of riffs and intricate bass lines and killer drum patterns. But it’s arranged in a way that’s stimulating to listen to and makes you go, “Wow, that is cool.” And it sounds deceptively simple, but I’ve picked up little things the 5th time listening to a song that I didn’t notice the first 4 times. That happens a lot with them.
a good song will work anyway you play it, acoustic or full out, and will keep people coming back to listen. riffs only keep the guitar players coming back. great video.
While that is true, that seems to be too much effort for these people. Even the metal bands should be writing acoustic pop songs and then converting them over.
@@3van1993 yeah except for the chord progressions, the melody, the minor keys, the dissonance and overall feel of the music. other than that, yeah, surf rock. lol. Just because they use tremolo picking doesnt make them the same any more than strumming would make 2 genres the same. Bluesgrass and thrash use a lot of the same techniques too but are not the same.
If you listen to Through the Fire and Flames, the riffing, power chords, and strumming go along to the vocals. The guitar work either boosts the vocalist, or responds to him. In fact, the way they play the guitars actually follows the lyrics. "On a cold winter morning"... very light in sound, almost empty. "When the darkness is falling down/sound of evil laughter"... sounds chaotic. "On the Blackest Plains"... more structured and heavy with double bass drum. "We know"... excellent fill. "So now we fly ever free"... simple power chords, played almost in a hopeful way. "Day after the day this misery must go on"... hard The guitars are telling their own story, almost like a soundtrack to a narrator.
Summary, folks: if you want to be technical, do it in moderation. Phrase your songs with the right contexts, melodies and wisely used riffs. These videos have been an eye opener for me with my songwriting.
Thank you! As a singer/topliner/writer I'm so happy that these stuff is finally told. I had so many demos presented to me that were all of this stuff and more. Ever tried to write lyrics or melodies over a song that has no direction, no space or structure. No Structure and no theme/idea of what their song is or what it should represent is a hell to work on. It's not that it''s not possible but too hard to work on all the time. Plus Bonustip: Learnig how to be inspired is real. Mornig pages/thought pages are an excellent way to get inspired, as are mind maps....
Thank you thank you thank you for putting this up. I’ve been wanting to hear this sort of stuff for a long time. You’ve earned my respect and trust and I picked up the course and can’t wait to dig in!
This sage advise in this video. Really great content! Appreciate you all. I'm lucky I have a very good singer / lyricist for the stuff I do. Its a great relationship where often he will ask me for a title to inspire him and off he goes. The last one we did that I just uploaded the other day, I kinda threw a curve ball at him using *Hanlon's Razor* as the title and ended up with a JP influenced song. I'll take it! haha. With that said, I've done Power Pop then even a 60s surf inspired song and he has no problem with them. But *songs*...Riff salad is a great point and a real thing. I'd way rather write a song than something to impress all the lads at the local guitar store.
Tell henning Pauly that his tip on vocals singing a word weird like the word salad thing ....is stupid ...it's called "Cadence" and alot of times it's necessary and works great !
Excellent content as always 👌 This subject for me feels like it's pulling me at both ends of the spectrum though because style comes from personal taste and personal preference is not really debatable because that's what molds and shapes the artwork and makes you want to keep doing music. I beleive at the end of the day it comes down to mastery of the tools at your disposal and intention. There is a HUGE difference between people trying to achieve something and people who can chose to do something "wrong" because they've mastered the concepts and break the rules in a strategic way to create contrast etc... I guess what I'm getting at is some people can't plan, they just spew out stuff and hope for the best instead of planning to win. This channel has been consistently hitting the nail on the head with how people are thinking when they approach a problem and this drives the point home yet again. Good luck with the new course :)
Me as a beginner songwriter, my thing is getting the hook of the song. Try to find a cool, catch riff or a tasty solo that’ll get the listener’s attention. I’ll show my friends and family a few recordings to get a second opinion. So far, they said they want a full song with singing. Of course my singing is kind of dogshit rn so I mainly just write riffs for right now but hey I’m making progress. Thinking about buying a singing course and do Melissa Cross’s scream training since I gravitate toward hard rock and metal. Great advice man! Thank you so much!!
Something that always struck me about how little you need a solo or at least a really great solo. There was a Guitar World 50 Best Solos of All Times and the Smells Like Teen Spirit solo was like top 10 or something. This poll was apparently taken by people who play or want to play guitar. So, I would say skip the "tasty solo", or at least don't worry about it as a key element. Most of the people who listen to music aren't musicians, let alone guitar players, or even guitar players who know what the're doing.
I often ""Steal"" structures from songs I really like and work from there. Use chords or riffs of my choosing and just kinda follow when they switch parts and how they switch to them. It often leads me to changing the structure a bit more and creating some of my favorite songs ive written. It teaches you what structures work and what doesnt. I also try and make sure I have vocal versions of riffs. I like pauses in the song when they fit. To me its one of those silence speaks louder than words things. Its always a work in progress. Ive always been too nervous to submit my song ideas for review. But our band Tinnitus Attack is slowly releasing new stuff as we finish it. Thanks Glenn for helping me keep some egos in check and giving me many things to improve on while I struggle with leading a band, writing music, and learning to record and mix myself.
This is so true. You can be technical as hell but if you cant write a good song it doesn't matter. Ive been practicing with a band for a one off show and the material is simple to play but it all has groove and doesnt over stay its welcome. Which goes to say just because it's simple to play doesnt mean its bad or boring
I've been listening to more metal recently, I noticed that the focus in modern metal is generally on the quality of the sounds being produced and how cool the breakdowns are as opposed to the listening experience. So, I don't end up listening to most of the songs for more than like 30 seconds. Frankly, when I can't understand the vocalist cause they're screaming, and when I can't hear what notes the guitars are playing cause they're so low and being played with so much distortion, and when there's so much dissonance in the guitars that I can't identify what key we're in, then there's nothing for me as a listener to latch onto and I get extremely fucking bored. If no one can follow anything in the song, and the song doesn't feel like it's going anywhere, then pretty much no one is going to want to listen to it.
The riff topic... For us who play neo classical instrumental metal can't get away with riffing constantly, we have to tell a story.. Revolution and building tension is one of the many things we have to take into consideration along with things llke modes, key changes, borrowing from other keys, inversions and so much more.. I wonder how many of your listeners know their scale intervals and formulas or even why and how the chords or notes they play work and how they do what they do
Unfortunately I'm not a very technical, versatile guitarist during a time of I guess virtuosity. I only have song writing really. I really like the idea of changing the technical aspect for simplicity when it comes to the words because the words ARE the song in my opinion. Regardless if you're a growler or not.
The way I see it, Rhapsody's albums were 6 or 7 fist pumping metal songs, 1 or 2 fun little neobaroque songs and 1 big, epic orchestral extravaganza lasting 20 min. to finish. And anyone that thinks they're more technical than those dudes needs a reality check. You have got to earn those epics with stuff people want to sing along to! 🤘🤘 P.s. Henning: "You can't teach the exception", I have to steal that. P.p.s. Russian folklore and metal go real well together, Arkona and GRAI prove it.
You guys are just hilarious😂😂. Enjoyed this one very much. Never saw anyone trigger Glenn this good😅😅 Most info wasn't very new, but maybe a good slap on the head to take these tips and let them flow into our songs😏😏😏
How I write: -Come up with a theme or an idea, which should include a mood and style I am aiming to create. -Come up with a good riff. -Build progressions based on the key of the riff, so that all the parts of the song fit together correctly. It can be as simple as playing the same chords in a different rhythm or strumming style, but it can be more complex too. -Structure the rhythm guitar and beats, add bass and other instruments if I want. -Come up with vocal melodies. I just use placeholder lyrics to do this, so I can focus on the melodies rather than lyrics. Lyrics require specific focus. -THEN write the lyrics, and start fitting them to your music. Expect to edit your lyrics a lot to 1) make them fit, and 2) make them more interesting and avoiding lame clichés. -For lyrics, I write down what I want to say, then think of more interesting, cryptic, surreal or mysterious ways to say the same things. For example, instead of saying "People fighting", I would say something like "warring tribes" or something like that. Make your lyrics a story, and let your audience have some interpretation. Lastly, with lyrics, avoid shitty clichés that will make most people cringe. Don't sing about your ex girlfriend ditching you. Don't sing about "the demons in my head". BE POETIC and INTERESTING. And leave something to the imagination. -Lastly for real, with lyrics: don't get hung up on rhyming everything. It's totally unecessary, and it causes limitations in your vocabulary. You can use other techniques to avoid rhyming things, or you can use other timings and similar sounding words. -FINALLY I record my vocal tracks and go about creating my mix. -Ultimately you have to make your music interesting and engaging. Avoid long songs as people WILL get bored. Leave your listener wanting more. Most tracks I write are no longer than 2:30, but then again I do write fast-paced punk rock and hard rock, so length is down to your style to an extent. Just try not to outstay your welcome. 2-3 verses and 2-3 choruses is the most you need.
The reason i will never do that ‘review’ kinda show like your mix review show is because it’s always gonna be awful songs and it’ll annoy me a lot that I’ll probably just piss people off. I gotta have some filter on who can get the spotlight. When i scouted for interviews for my show locally it was like 2/3 were incredible, but this is LA it should be almost all of them 😂. If you are leaning on production techniques or technical talent, you aren’t gonna last. If you can’t play your song stripped down live you likely don’t have a good song. Also video editing is on point for this video!
Nobody wants to give their singer more room for their already huge egos, but if they are good- i mean, really good- they are your most valuable commodity… … and, Trey Xavier hated the song i sent in to him to review last week.. it broke me.
There really is no one size fits all approach. But with anything you have to work hard, learn and adjust. As a guitar and bass player, I have done that, but as a songwriter, I kind of suck as a singer, but it’s fun. Thanks for the video.
'Good' song writing is non-existent its all a matter of opinion. You've only got to listen to the toss that gets played on radio to realise this. If you're proud of what you write stick with it, dont let 3 chuckle heads tell you your wrong.
The most important thing you can do is serve the song. I know this sounds like blasphemy, but my band's newest song, I shortened my lead because it served the song better. I wasn't thrilled about it, but I think the song is better for it.
I have to really recommend the course - I'm not even all the way through the 1st part and have already learned quite a lot. Great value for money in my books :)
What the fuck. This is awesome. I love these guys. Glen your rant about cutting notes reminds me of the scene in Amadeus when the Emperor tells Mozart... "Too many notes. Just cut a few, and it will be perfect." lol
I would like to add that making the music that you want to hear, and making sure it’s authentic to you is important as well. Take an emotion, ambience/atmosphere, or a color and use the sounds as your canvas to paint it. I don’t know about y’all, but sometimes a song will just pop into the back of my head that sounds dreamy when I’m going through something. Sometimes, I’ll sit in complete silence so I can “hear” it more clearly and sing what’s in my head first, then try to play it on guitar. For example, when I wrote my song Don’t Go, I was going through an emotional back and forth of wanting to let go and staying with my now ex. Shortly after we broke up, I just started hearing what is now the first verse of that song in the back of my head. So I started writing lyrics relevant to that emotion starting with “stay, please don’t walk away, come hear what I have to say” which is part of what I heard in my head. I know breakup songs are overdone, but believe me, when you’re going through one you want as many as you can take. And so I basically wrote the song that I wish I could be hearing when going through that.
Also, technical ≠ good. I can sweep pick, alternate pick, economy pick, hybrid pick, string skip, play intricate riffs, and all of the above. But you won’t hear me use that in every single one of my songs, because sometimes the song just does not call for it. Don’t force it and don’t be afraid to discard anything that isn’t working. Experiment and don’t place boundaries like “I only play metal, so I can’t put this in a song”. The song will tell you what it needs as you write it, take its hand and allow it to show you. Most important than anything: embrace what makes you unique.
This is a great point. It's clear from browsing the shitshow known as 'SLAPS' that many of the 'artists' on there are simply writing something that they wouldn't even listen to themselves.
ive been playing for 15 some odd years and have yet to make 1 thing I am proud of. no riff i've ever 'written' has ever impressed me, and I realized recently I just have myself to blame. I'm hoping to overcome that ''fear'' and just play with some musicians and have fun.
Gleeeyeeeeeeyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnn. Love this video. I watch your mix reviews and think the same thing. (sorry guys) not to say I am much better or anything like that I am currently attending for audio production and part of getting this degree, requires learning theory and a lot of basic song writing/ commercial intro classes to music concepts. For awhile I used to feel frustrated by this until, I realized a good producer is worth their weight in gold - if they actually understand what makes a “song”. Its key signature, tempos and changes etc. These things are fundamentals to song writing and knowing what your producing is key. Unfortunately they are changing the curriculum now to not require that and it makes me sad honestly. I learned a lot as a producer and a musician (minor in jazz guitar originally self taught metal guy) and I now understand why it was a requirement and why it was helpful as a producer. This content is the hardest truths music producers, and would be composers/musicians will have to face. Technique is not everything if you cannot apply it to create. I am pretty close to getting my BA but for anyone thinking of getting an audio production degree, it is about as useful and valuable as an NFT. (Not very) you will get more info and faster from resources that are free to you folks. This industry does not require degrees. Case and point- have mixing jobs and I am taking advanced editing in mastering for a BA from a class taught by someone who has no education whatsoever (other than their authentic experience). This is the greatest scam and waste of money over any gear. Everyone can take it upon themselves to learn production and how to write music if they try. 🙃🤘🏻🎸
I am interested in the word stressing and the rhythm, but didn't quite understand how it works. can we get a video on how to anylize songs that are doing the work correctly?
I'm going to have to get this course. The only songwriting I can do now, is singing the lyrics do Cheech & chong's earache my eye, to the spectresoundstudios trailer music.
The main issue people have is translating what they are envisioning to the fretboard. Humans naturally understand music through perception of dissonance and harmonious tones/intervals, music theory is there to help you fundamentally understand what music is and how to apply it to instruments. Good phrasing comes as you hone your knowledge.
Exactly right. Theory is the language of music, and without understanding it, a person cannot call themselves a 'musician' really. You only need to understand the easier parts of it, but that counts for everything.
A good catchy heavy melody and vocal harmony is what inspires me to keep listening to a track. I believe vocals are the hardest part and will make or break a song but grunts will make me skip to the next track. I'd rather listen to an instumental. Guitar solos are not required. Thanks for the video it was very informative!
Glenn glad to see you up and going ! Yeah I was writing songs years back writing on paper! but bad things happened and I lost my way on song writing guitar playing is natural for me after almost 50years and I still suck😂😂😂 great episode man 🎸🎛🥁🍺🎶🤘.
I think the most useful advice is to make sure the music comes from your subconscious. Close your eyes, let your mind dream, and try to capture that. Your mind is always brewing a representation of what you experience (ideas, phrases, images, sounds, screams, anything). This is your own, unique point of view and interpretation of things, and capturing that is what makes good art. Strengthening the channel between your subconscious and your music is the most important thing. You can always do "memory dumps" to get the raw information out and then work on formatting it to make it sound good, rhyme, have a more or less defined metric, etc.
Space for the vocals: "Don't Stop Believin'" has only piano and bass in the first verse. Leaving that space made the song. Also has an unusual structure.
“What’s your last name sir?” “Cano. I’m very pleased to be here.” “Okay.” I have been laughing at that for a minute straight. That reaction is exactly why I’m subscribed to this channel lmao
another thing I would add to learn song writing is to rewrite a song. and try to make another version. and maybe another key. it helps learn how things progress and how to get different chords and key changes and all that from the riffs.
AWESOME VIDEO!! I've been studying the band Korn's approach to song writing. I love how simple and creative their music is, and NOT any solo wankery or riff salad. Although I love a good solo that's done tastefully. Vocal melodies are the most important thing in any genre. So leave room for hooks as you guys mentioned. Anyway GREAT VIDEO!
Funny enough, I do simplify every riff when time comes for the verse, but I always thought I was being lazy because I'm a single guitar player/singer who doesn't want to get confused playing and singing at the same time. Who knew I was actually doing it right all along!
I write all of my lyrics with the rhythm of the enunciation- down to the syllable count - in mind. I count the sentences, and there is an expressive structure in place before the lyrics are ever put to music.
A beautiful example of a good song that's simple is "I Don't Wanna Be Me" by Type O Negative. 6 chords total, mainly 4, and a badass rhythm to back up badass vocals. Less is more, only exception is if you're adding minor things to give the rhythm some groove and even then keep it simple.
One thing they left out is point #6. DROP YOUR EGO! Just because you wrote the song doesn’t mean it’s good! I am capable of writing pretty good songs, but I’m also capable of writing complete shit! You need to be honest with yourself and always ask yourself this question. “If this song came on the radio would I listen to it or would I change the station?”
Not a butthurt but, I will argue a couple of points. #2 bands like Fallout Boy slurs the fuck out of their shit because, the producers told them to. It sounds like shit to me but, it clearly sells. #3 Being a copy of your heroes will make or break your band when you find your own voice.
A riff is good when it gets in your head and you can hum it. Sabbath! A good song says something that is universal and timeless. Often it is being vulnerable. A good melody that has as much feeling behind it as the words. It should support the words and have a vibe that amplifies/enhances the feeling/meaning of the song. Metal does that with the brutal distortion and heavy sounds along with the horror lyrics but the problem is they all do it in the same way over and over and over. Songs should be original and creative. I dont know what these guys were talking about, the cranberries were a GREAT band whose songs hit all of those points. They were not a one hit wonder who just disappeared. Still loved to this day. Great song writers and not an exception. Originality is not a bad thing. I began writing music the first day i picked up an instrument. Creativity and originality and having something to say others can relate to is far more important than technical skills. At least they were spot on about not being overly technical. Dont listen to their advice on being formulaic though. Having an original style is VERY important to enable you to stand out. As long as your style isnt whack. Be yourself.
I dunno man. What was the last great metal **song** ? You've previously mentioned that, as a **work** you'd rather listen to Queen's 'a night at the opera' . Most of that is not 'metal'. I'd enjoy watching a 'listen along...' from you against that album, with your thoughts... Although you'd be demoneitized to death!
I thought the new update for extintion level event was going to be available in April? Maybe you shouldn’t advertise it anymore until ready. Just saying
Serious question. When it comes to song writing, not just instrumentals but with lyrics and a structure, isn’t it all subjective? If one uses the basic “structure” of a song, how can we say if it’s good or bad? I’m not claiming to be a great or even good songwriter, I’m just trying to gain knowledge here. I’d love to improve my songwriting abilities but what if you don’t like what I have and someone else does? I guess what I’m saying is I don’t know what makes a song good or bad. What I may love you may hate and vise versa.