There are several elements that combine to make a great song. Of course, musical “taste” is all subjective when you boil it all down, but for the listener, it can be extremely useful to know WHY it is you like a song beyond the words: “I like it,” “I don’t like it.”
This article will by no means be definitive or exhaustive, (that’s scholar talk for RIGHT), but it will attempt to give you, the reader, a taste of what to listen for in the music that you love.
1.) Nine times out of ten, it’s the rhythm that makes a song catchy. Think of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. It’s main theme is only two notes, but the rhythm is what makes it memorable. When you are enjoying a great song, pay attention to the rhythm. It’s probably the beat that’s captured your attention.
2.) Repetition. Our brains aren’t very smart. In order for something to register in our brains as “cool” it has to be repetitive. When you are listening to a great song, count how many times a lyric or musical phrase repeats itself in that 3 to 4 minutes. You’ll be surprised.
3.) Clarity. In a great song, you should be able to hear all the parts distinctly and the music shouldn’t be “clouding” up the song. In other words, a great song usually leaves enough room for the singer to sing his / her message without drowning them out.
4.) Structure. This is probably the most valuable part of a great song. While the durations of each section of a song might be longer or shorter, they are usually arranged like this:
Short Intro
Verse 1
Chorus
Verse 2
Chorus
Bridge or Solo
Chorus
Chorus
Listen to your favorite songs and discover that most of them probably adhere to this structure. There’s method to the rules. It’s the rules that usually help a song to communicate clearly. If you are a budding songwriter, LEARN GUITAR CHORDS as fast as you can and keep it simple. (see #3 again).
Again, this isn’t supposed to be some authoritative article on what a good song should be, but it will hopefully get you thinking about WHY a good song is a good song and give you something to chew on while you listen to your iPod.
