The digital age has changed the way we think and live music. In technical terms, practically anyone with a laptop computer and a little knowledge can produce a decent quality music track. It is a double edged sword. The question beckons, how can make your songs stand out from the ocean of songs that come out?
What Makes a Hit Song?
Interestingly enough, renowned producer Benny Blanco argues that thinking of making a hit song is the biggest mistake most people make when making music. He knows his stuff since he has collaborated on smash hits with the likes of Rihanna and Keisha and has had songs he helped produced reach the top of the Billboard charts. Mr. Blanco is convinced that you have to hook your audience in the first five seconds or a person will lose interest, regardless of whether you’re creating an extremely personal song or you’re trying to create a catchy tune. However, in his eyes the most important thing that keeps people coming back for more is a unique voice. This is easier said than done. But if you’re honest with yourself it will show through and your audience will instantly recognize it.
How Can I improve My Songs Creatively?
As mentioned before, there are plenty of people making music today so it would behoove you to make the most of your resources and follow some basic guidelines to make your music pop out from all the plethora of music productions being put out there. Below we have put together a top ten list of some of the things you can do to make your song just a little bit more interesting than the rest. It’s these little things that make the biggest difference.
1. Keep your sound clean. Don’t clutter your song with too many sounds. If you have too many instruments it can make it extremely difficult to know what to listen to.
2. Experiment. Don’t be afraid of trying things that might sound bad. You can always go back and change them. Fortune favors the bold.
3. Produce lots of music. Practice makes perfect and it will help you get better.
4. Make use of your equalizer. Fins the frequency range and fill it with sounds.
5. Avoid using loops. They tend to get tiring. If you do decide to use them make sure they are truly original.
6. Use uncommon time signatures. We know that most western music is 4/4 but try to go back to point #2 and experiment.
7. Mix up your rhythms. According to 2CatsAudioProductions, “Today’s technology can make things so precise that we sometimes forget what makes music so great. Add a little imperfection here and there to create unexpected twists and turns. People nowadays have computers that can do almost anything. Don’t let your sound seem like it was created by machines.”
8. As mentioned before, start the songs with an interesting hook. A good idea is to listen to Beatles songs and study how they started their songs.
9. Try instruments and sounds that are uncommon. This will give a unique quality to your tracks.
10. Use music theory. You don’t have to be an music maestro. But some theory can really help you add depth to your music.
These are just some tips and tricks to help you make your music unique. By far the most important factor to making your music special is to find your voice. Once you do that everything else will fall into place.
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/08/showbiz/music/making-of-no-1-song/
http://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-make-your-tracks-more-interesting–audio-1759
