In a 2 measure phrase in 4/4 the strongest ending position is beat three of the second measure. In a 4 measure phrase in 4/4 the strongest ending position is beat one of the fourth measure. These are good places to end choruses.
Other strong ending positions in a 2 measure phrase but not as strong as beat three are beat one, two and four. For even weaker ending positions that would be the offbeats, 16th and/or triplet subdivisions. Those are good places to end verses.
You can end the chorus on positions other than beat three of the second measure but its best to make sure that the verse doesn't end stronger than the chorus. Other strong ending positions in a FOUR measure phrase are beats 2,3 and 4 of the fourth measure.
Starting positions have a similar hierarchy. A choruses strongest starting position is the first beat of the first measure of either a 2 or 4 measure phrase. Next in line is beat 3. Weaker still is beat 2 and even more weak is beat 4. Weakest of all would be starting on the off beats, 16th and triplet subdivisions.
Of course it's possible to start a phrase before the first beat of the bar as in pick-up notes/pick-up measure (also known as anacrussis). Normally you'd have to make sure you actually place a note on the first beat of the measure and not skip over it in that case, if it's a chorus we're talking about.
แสดงบทความที่มีป้ายกำกับ chorus แสดงบทความทั้งหมด
แสดงบทความที่มีป้ายกำกับ chorus แสดงบทความทั้งหมด
วันอาทิตย์ที่ 19 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2552
วันเสาร์ที่ 11 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2552
Music Composition/Songwriting How To 7
Another point is section length. Tunes will tend to run on the short side if you have verses and choruses back to back with only 8 measures each. So one or both of them should be 16 measures.
F.Y.I. A vast majority of western music is built in blocks of 2,4,8 or 16 measures. Also, you can contrast phrase lengths not only between sections but within sections as well.
If the first phrase is 8 measures long then the second phrase could be 4 measures long or you could have two 4 measure phrases for balance at another even 8.
Other possibilities include a four measure phrase followed by two 2 measure phrases etc...
So, go get your notebook. Make some schemes for the song form, decide how long each section will be and which key, then how long each phrase will be and write in the starting and ending pitches of each verse and chorus.
Don't agonize over these decisions. Just plop them in. If you catch yourself spending too much time on this process go get some dice and let them decide.
Then decide the starting and ending notes for the phrases within each section for the positions that are still left undecided. That would be the ending of the first phrase and the beginning of the second phrase.
Isn't planning for variety fun? This is the method that I have used a lot and recommend to beginners. Not everyone needs to do it. They have heard and played so much music that the right moves come out unconsciously.
Much of the time it falls nearly exactly like I'm talking about here.
Another consideration is that the chorus should most often reach a higher note than the verse.
Your tunes are starting to take shape and have ceased being an amorphous impossible anything and everything.
We can also talk about melodic shape. If one phrase rises and falls and the next one rises and falls, even if it uses different notes and uses a higher pitch, they still have the same overall shape and that can be boring. Not really if it happens in only one song but if it happens in every song then it WILL be boring without a doubt.
Although many good melodies have both an upper and a lower curve it's possible to write effective melodies that primarily rise or primarily fall or are primarily a flat line, even a single note.
In your notebook plug in some melodic shapes for each phrase in your big plans. Again don't agonize too much. Just dump them in.
You can always change stuff later that's not working or that could work better and you'll have a baseline with which to evaluate them.
I make charts for all this stuff to help me keep track of what strategies I've already used.
Music Composition/Songwriting How To 6
I'm certain Mariah Carey's songwriters know this stuff. You should too.
You can break these rules but you'll want to know that you ARE breaking them and better yet why you're breaking them and that it will probably reduce the sellability of your material if you do.
A related point is that if the chorus starts on the first note of the scale and the first beat of the first measure then the verse shouldn't do either. For variety's sake you should start the verse on a different note and a different rhythmic starting point.
This is the main thing amateur composers miss. I've heard it on all of the songwriter/composition forums I've belonged to. 95% of the stuff people are posting for review aren't taking advantage if this basic strategy.
Every section sounds like its supposed to be a chorus if they all start on the downbeat and on the first note of the scale. The effect is usually boredom.
To recap, the Chorus starts on the downbeat and on the first note of the scale.
The verse doesn't start on the downbeat (perhaps on the "and" of 1 or on beat 2 or before the downbeat) and on some other note of the scale such as the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 2nd, 6th or 4th in that order.
If your chorus started on the 5th which is a slightly weaker note then you probably don't want to start the verse on the 1st note of the scale because it's a stronger note and you'll be relegated to choosing from the 7th, 2nd, 6th or 4th.
The fourth is actually a dissonant interval which is why it's placed last and most tunes don't start with it so if you feel like you need to narrow your choices feel free to drop it from your available options especially if you're a beginner and aren't sure how to treat it.
Now, what are you going to put in those sections? A better question is how are you going to put it in?
Did you know that most sections of popular music have at least two melodic phrases? And you have to write the first one to sound like it's not finished so that people will be expecting the second one?
There are two ways to accomplish that. The first way is where it ends and the second way is what not it ends on.
In a 4 measure phrase if you end on beat one of the 4th measure it will be a strong ending position. The phrase will sound finished.
If you also end on the first note of the scale or the root of the chord that's playing then it may even sound like the end of the whole tune.
Obviously you don't want to end in that position or on that note if there's more music coming. So don't. End somewhere else and end on any other note, preferably not the one you started on either.
Again I've never seen this advice anywhere except in the Berklee book. Not even in books on classical composition. It's very specific and advice that's easy to accomplish.
Music Composition/Songwriting How To 5
You probably want between 13 and 16 tunes on there. It's best to shoot for the higher number of songs so that if you have to throw out one or two that aren't up to snuff then you still have enough to satisfy their appetite for new and good music.
For my next album I've created a scheme with a variety of forms for the first 10. In pop music the A section is the verse the B section is the chorus the C section is the bridge. I also use T for transition and R for Rise which is also known as a prechorus.
The schemes are; ABACDCABA, ABABCAB, ABCDABCDABCD, ABCABCABC, ABTABTCAB, ABABTCAB, ABTABCAB, ARBTARBTCARB, ARBARBTCARB, ARBTARBCARB.
There's variety and it's in the complexity ball park. Also, each one of these songs should either start on a different note, be in a different key or use a different kind of scale.
For now you can just randomly assign keys either just going up the scale as in; the first tune starts on C the second tune is in D the third tune is in E etc... Or you can use dice to decide which tune starts on what note.
The only comment I can make here is not to put the climax of your album in the key of D if you're a solo guitarist unless you can play it with the E string tuned down to D or otherwise you won't have the guitar's beautiful low register to give the tune some oomph.
We're starting to close in on the details. What are you going to do with those sections of music?
Usually the chorus starts on the downbeat and on an important note of the key/scale. That's usually the 1st note/tonic but may also be the 3rd or 5th in that order.
I haven't seen any books cover this point except the Berklee book on Popular Melody Writing. Period. Finished. It's the only one and I've read A LOT.
Music Composition/Songwriting How To 4
So, what is the popular song form and why is the popular song form popular? It goes; Intro Verse Chorus Verse Chorus Bridge Chorus Out .This Doesn't tax people too much. They don't have to work too hard to "get it".
This also has to do with song length. If, as we're told most normal people have attention spans of 15 minutes then a song 15 minutes long won't bring in people with shorter attention spans. Teachers will probably scream and point "Junior High School Students".
If you want to include them then you better cut that figure in half. A tune seven minutes long can go on the album but it will never make it to radio unless you're Pink Floyd etc... Radio format is about 3.5 minutes. Not much longer or shorter.
Initially, shoot for around 100 measures of music at a moderate tempo and you'll be in the ball park for the airwaves.
I'm all for looking at the big picture so let's say you're composing music for an entire album of music and not just one tune. This is a good idea so you can plan to incorporate enough variety between pieces of music on the cd.
People want to feel like they're getting they're money's worth and so the complexity rule doesn't apply so much to the number of songs on a cd.
วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 9 กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. 2552
Songwriting Intermediate
I think it's best to take the big picture and plan in advance how each song on an album is going to be different. You can always change things later if they don't work out, but having variety planned in from the beginning will probably benefit most people. So, for arguments sake, you could define the parameters of your next album by saying The first tune will be in C Major the second rune will be in Db Dorian and the third tune will be in D Mixolydian and the fourth tune will be in Eb aeolian and the fifth tune will be in E minor pentatonic etc...
Then decide on variations in the form. IVCVCBCO, IVCVCBCO, IVRCVRCBRCO, IVCVRCBRCO, IVCVCBRCO, IVCTVCTBCO, IVCVCTBCO, IVCTVCBCO, I=intro, V-verse, C-chorus, R-rise, B-bridge, T-transition, O-outro
Then make a chart and plan variations in each section of the music, perhaps the first tune can have two four measure phrases in both the verse and chorus, then don't do that again on the rest of the album. Have an 8 measure phrase folowed by another 8 measure phrase, have an 8 measure phrase followed by a 4 measure phrase. Have a four measure phrase followed by 2 two measure phrases in one section and two four measure phrases in the second one.
Or a four measure phrase followed by a 3 measure phrase or a 5 measure phrase even. If something doesn't work then just fall back on the tried and true 8 or 16 bar section divided in half.
If you're running out of ideas is when you might want to start both the verse and chorus on the same note in one song and start the verse and chorus on the same beat in another song. (I don't recommend doing both but it might work for a special song perhaps with drone and sitar.) Or switch things up by having the verse start on the downbeat.
Anything is possible really but like my art teacher used to say, it's better to know what the "rules" are and why you're breaking them. (Variety is a good reason I think)
Then within the phrases you'll want to plan some variety in the RHYTHMIC scheme which the melody may or may not follow. Schemes like abaa abac abba abcb abca abcd aaab aaba abab abcc. Something my professor of composition recommends is to use at least three different rhythmic levels in the same instrument especially when an instrument first comes in, such as quarter notes, 2 eighths and 4 16ths for the sake of explanation.
This is something I haven't looked into yet as far as popular styles of music go, but it may have some bearing.
Another thing to try is to plan to start on a different chord in each song's Chorus
If all of you're songs are in CMajor, for the sake of example, then start the chorus in the first song on D minor, in the second song on E minor, in the third song on G Major, in the fourth song on A minor and the the fifth song on C Major. Even if you don't keep any of these or the previous schemes, it gives something to shoot for and starts people writing, which may lead to new and better ideas.
Then decide on variations in the form. IVCVCBCO, IVCVCBCO, IVRCVRCBRCO, IVCVRCBRCO, IVCVCBRCO, IVCTVCTBCO, IVCVCTBCO, IVCTVCBCO, I=intro, V-verse, C-chorus, R-rise, B-bridge, T-transition, O-outro
Then make a chart and plan variations in each section of the music, perhaps the first tune can have two four measure phrases in both the verse and chorus, then don't do that again on the rest of the album. Have an 8 measure phrase folowed by another 8 measure phrase, have an 8 measure phrase followed by a 4 measure phrase. Have a four measure phrase followed by 2 two measure phrases in one section and two four measure phrases in the second one.
Or a four measure phrase followed by a 3 measure phrase or a 5 measure phrase even. If something doesn't work then just fall back on the tried and true 8 or 16 bar section divided in half.
If you're running out of ideas is when you might want to start both the verse and chorus on the same note in one song and start the verse and chorus on the same beat in another song. (I don't recommend doing both but it might work for a special song perhaps with drone and sitar.) Or switch things up by having the verse start on the downbeat.
Anything is possible really but like my art teacher used to say, it's better to know what the "rules" are and why you're breaking them. (Variety is a good reason I think)
Then within the phrases you'll want to plan some variety in the RHYTHMIC scheme which the melody may or may not follow. Schemes like abaa abac abba abcb abca abcd aaab aaba abab abcc. Something my professor of composition recommends is to use at least three different rhythmic levels in the same instrument especially when an instrument first comes in, such as quarter notes, 2 eighths and 4 16ths for the sake of explanation.
This is something I haven't looked into yet as far as popular styles of music go, but it may have some bearing.
Another thing to try is to plan to start on a different chord in each song's Chorus
If all of you're songs are in CMajor, for the sake of example, then start the chorus in the first song on D minor, in the second song on E minor, in the third song on G Major, in the fourth song on A minor and the the fifth song on C Major. Even if you don't keep any of these or the previous schemes, it gives something to shoot for and starts people writing, which may lead to new and better ideas.
Songwriting Basics
on the repeats of the chorus' and verses' change them a bit, preferably more rhythmic events, embellishments and passing tones etc...(aka more complex so that the music is developing interest). Finally use part of your bridge to make the Intro which is ONLY 4 measures long for unknowns trying to break in to the biz.
People listening to your tune want to get to the chorus quickly. If you've written a GREAT chorus consider placing it before the verse and also consider dropping the intro. Now that the melody is handled, it's time to think about accompaniment and percussion.
The Bass guitar and bass drum should be similar but not identical most of the time, the high hat and the piano/guitar should be similar but not identical. One way to create the high hat part is from the bass part. Just use the bass part's rhythm played backwards.
Have the piano and guitar follow the high hat part fairly closely. Likewise, if you've come up with a good guitar or piano accompaniment part, make the high hat similar and then write it backwards and give the backwards form to the bass. (Picked that idea up from Modern Drummer magazine). This doesn't always work but it's a place to start. Some idea is better than no idea at all.
Major chords mostly don't work so well in root position except at the beginning and endings of tunes, so everytime you come across a major chord in your writing put it in first inversion (aka with the third in the bass)
Also, you can't repeat the drums ad nauseum. You have to put variety in. So if you've got a 2 measure drum pattern, repeat it but with changes in the repeat.
Then repeat those four and change the last measure or two of that, then repeat that and put a drum fill at the end of the section. (That's hard to do well if you're not a drummer.)
People listening to your tune want to get to the chorus quickly. If you've written a GREAT chorus consider placing it before the verse and also consider dropping the intro. Now that the melody is handled, it's time to think about accompaniment and percussion.
The Bass guitar and bass drum should be similar but not identical most of the time, the high hat and the piano/guitar should be similar but not identical. One way to create the high hat part is from the bass part. Just use the bass part's rhythm played backwards.
Have the piano and guitar follow the high hat part fairly closely. Likewise, if you've come up with a good guitar or piano accompaniment part, make the high hat similar and then write it backwards and give the backwards form to the bass. (Picked that idea up from Modern Drummer magazine). This doesn't always work but it's a place to start. Some idea is better than no idea at all.
Major chords mostly don't work so well in root position except at the beginning and endings of tunes, so everytime you come across a major chord in your writing put it in first inversion (aka with the third in the bass)
Also, you can't repeat the drums ad nauseum. You have to put variety in. So if you've got a 2 measure drum pattern, repeat it but with changes in the repeat.
Then repeat those four and change the last measure or two of that, then repeat that and put a drum fill at the end of the section. (That's hard to do well if you're not a drummer.)
Melody Writing
I’m just going to discuss the melodic aspect. However, minimally, I can say that the melody would be derived from the rhythm, accents and rise and fall of normal speech but with one caveat, the lyrics probably rhyme using some scheme and you should not say the same thing different ways as in poetry or break rules of grammar to make something fit such as; It is I you that love.
That said, we now have to know the form we should be writing in. Yes, even your favorite icons of rebelliousness are using a formula to write songs. Usually a song will have at least two sections labeled A & B which can also be called Verse and Chorus.
Usually the chorus is second so, unless you’re Mariah Carey don’t try to put the chorus first unless a person in the music industry is telling you to do that for a recording. Also, within each section there are usually two phrases. Sections can either be 8 or 16 measures long. So we are talking about two 4 measure phrases or some other scheme such as two 1 measure phrases followed by a 2 measure phrase.
To differentiate between the verse and the chorus, the verse should start on a different note than the chorus and/or in a different rhythmic position. The chorus should feel like home so normally it should start on a stronger rhythmic position and a stronger note than the verse. Strong notes in a scale are the 1, 5, and 3. Strong rhythmic positions are the first beat and third beat of the first measure of the chorus.
If you start on the note C in C major in your chorus and you play C on beat 1 that will help to make your chorus feel like home. If you do the same thing in your verse, you will sound like a complete amateur and I’m not kidding. You CAN fudge on one, but not both. So, if the chorus starts on beat one then maybe the verse should start on beat 2. And if the chorus starts on the first note C then maybe the verse should start on a weaker note such as G, E, F, B, etc...
Another point is that if the chorus does not start on C and starts on G or E for example, the fifth or third respectively, then the verse probably shouldn’t start on a note which is even stronger than the chorus.
If you choose to do that, then please don’t also start on the same rhythmic position as the chorus which, again, will make you sound like you don’t know what you’re doing.
Also, to make the chorus sound like home, it should probably end on a strong rhythmic position and a strong note. A strong ending position in a four measure phrase is different than for a 2 measure phrase. The strongest ending position for a four measure phrase is beat 1 of the fourth measure and secondarily beat 3 of the fourth measure.
In a 2 measure phrase, the strongest ending position is beat 3 of the second measure.
You CAN end the chorus in a weaker position but then you’d have to pay attention to making the verse end even more weak than the chorus.
The reason is that you want the verse to sound like more music is coming, since more music IS actually coming. In which case it’s best to make it sound like it’s not ending.
If the chorus starts on the note G then it would be natural to end on C if you’re in C Major.
If the chorus started on the fifth note of the scale and ended on the first note of the scale then the verse perhaps can start on the 7th note of the scale and end on the third note of the scale.
Also, the chorus should perhaps reach a higher note than the verse.
That said, we now have to know the form we should be writing in. Yes, even your favorite icons of rebelliousness are using a formula to write songs. Usually a song will have at least two sections labeled A & B which can also be called Verse and Chorus.
Usually the chorus is second so, unless you’re Mariah Carey don’t try to put the chorus first unless a person in the music industry is telling you to do that for a recording. Also, within each section there are usually two phrases. Sections can either be 8 or 16 measures long. So we are talking about two 4 measure phrases or some other scheme such as two 1 measure phrases followed by a 2 measure phrase.
To differentiate between the verse and the chorus, the verse should start on a different note than the chorus and/or in a different rhythmic position. The chorus should feel like home so normally it should start on a stronger rhythmic position and a stronger note than the verse. Strong notes in a scale are the 1, 5, and 3. Strong rhythmic positions are the first beat and third beat of the first measure of the chorus.
If you start on the note C in C major in your chorus and you play C on beat 1 that will help to make your chorus feel like home. If you do the same thing in your verse, you will sound like a complete amateur and I’m not kidding. You CAN fudge on one, but not both. So, if the chorus starts on beat one then maybe the verse should start on beat 2. And if the chorus starts on the first note C then maybe the verse should start on a weaker note such as G, E, F, B, etc...
Another point is that if the chorus does not start on C and starts on G or E for example, the fifth or third respectively, then the verse probably shouldn’t start on a note which is even stronger than the chorus.
If you choose to do that, then please don’t also start on the same rhythmic position as the chorus which, again, will make you sound like you don’t know what you’re doing.
Also, to make the chorus sound like home, it should probably end on a strong rhythmic position and a strong note. A strong ending position in a four measure phrase is different than for a 2 measure phrase. The strongest ending position for a four measure phrase is beat 1 of the fourth measure and secondarily beat 3 of the fourth measure.
In a 2 measure phrase, the strongest ending position is beat 3 of the second measure.
You CAN end the chorus in a weaker position but then you’d have to pay attention to making the verse end even more weak than the chorus.
The reason is that you want the verse to sound like more music is coming, since more music IS actually coming. In which case it’s best to make it sound like it’s not ending.
If the chorus starts on the note G then it would be natural to end on C if you’re in C Major.
If the chorus started on the fifth note of the scale and ended on the first note of the scale then the verse perhaps can start on the 7th note of the scale and end on the third note of the scale.
Also, the chorus should perhaps reach a higher note than the verse.
Relationship between the Bass Guitar and the Bass Drum part Deux
If the previous rhythm was a chorus and you wanted the intensity of the song to come down a bit for the verse or bridge sections, I've got a way of constructing that from the rhythm of the chorus. You COULD use an entirely different groove but frequently all that serves to do is to make it sound like the verse and chorus are part of different songs and should not be together in the same song.
Of course this is just one method of bringing the intensity down. It shows the original rhythm of the section and then less intense variations created through the technique of subtraction.
There are at least two other possibilities; where you leave only the down beat and perhaps it’s off-beat or where you subtract only the downbeat and perhaps it’s off-beat..
Of course this is just one method of bringing the intensity down. It shows the original rhythm of the section and then less intense variations created through the technique of subtraction.
There are at least two other possibilities; where you leave only the down beat and perhaps it’s off-beat or where you subtract only the downbeat and perhaps it’s off-beat..
The Big Picture
It’s a good idea to take the big picture into account and plan in advance how each song on an album is going to be different. You can always change things later if they don't work out, but having variety planned in from the beginning will probably benefit most people.
Tempo
Studies were done on the qualities of popular tempos and the results said that the "existence" region of tempos for musical compositions is between 40 and 300 beats per minute (bpm). The “reasonable” range is between 35 and 130 bpm for a human percussionist.
The "optimum" range for listeners and performers is between 81 and 162 bpm which corresponds with the range of different people's walking speeds. 2/3ds of all music is in this range. More specifically, over 120 bpm is the "preferred" range for most listeners and performers. Songs over and around 120 bpm are more often performed and listened to. The absolute “peak of preference” is 125 beats per minute.
Radio
The data says for music on the radio, the mean is 116.4 bpm. The median is 117.9 bpm. The mode is 123 bpm. And 81% of music on the radio is between 81 and 162bpm. This is good information to have if you shooting for airplay of your music.
When planning an album make each tune have a different tempo
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Also, if an instrument is featured in the A section then in the next 10 songs it won't be there again. So, if one tune goes; wooden xylophone, flute, zither then the next tune might go piano, zither, flute
Another thing to do is vary the compositional technique between sections.
If the A section is using the wooden xylophone’s idiomatic compositional technique whether or not a wooden xylophone is actually playing it, then the A section won't feature that on the next tune. It will use something else.
For arguments sake, you could define the parameters of your next album by saying the first tune will be in C major, the second tune will be in Db dorian, the third tune will be in D mixolydian, the fourth tune will be in Eb aeolian and the fifth tune will be in E minor pentatonic etc...
Then decide on variations in the form. For example, IVCVCBCO, IVCVCBCO, IVRCVRCBRCO, IVCVRCBRCO, IVCVCBRCO, IVCTVCTBCO, IVCVCTBCO, IVCTVCBCO, I=intro, V-verse, C-chorus, R-rise, B-bridge, T-transition, O-outro
Then make a chart and plan variations in each section of the music, perhaps the first tune can have two 4 measure phrases in both the verse and chorus, then don't do that again on the rest of the album. Have an 8 measure phrase followed by another 8 measure phrase, have an 8 measure phrase followed by a 4 measure phrase, have a four measure phrase followed by 2 two measure phrase in one section and two four measure phrases in the second one, or a four measure phrase followed by a 3 measure phrase or a 5 measure phrase even. If something doesn't work then just fall back on the tried and true 8 or 16 bar sections divided in half.
If you're running out of ideas is when you might want to start both the verse and chorus on the same pitch in one song and start the verse and chorus on the same rhythmic position in another song. (I don't recommend doing both but it might work for a special song.) Or switch things up by having the verse start on the downbeat
Anything is possible really but like my art teacher used to say, it's better to know what the "rules" are so you can know why you're breaking them. (Variety is a good reason I think)
Another thing to try is plan to start on a different chord in each song's chorus. If, as an example, all of your songs are in C Major then start the chorus in the first song on a D minor chord, in the second song on an E minor chord, in the third song on a G Major chord, in the fourth song on an A minor chord and the fifth song on a C Major chord. Even if you don't keep any of these ideas, it gives something to shoot for and starts people composing, which may lead to new and better ideas.
The last chord of the verse sections should normally have subdominant function. Taking the example of a verse starting in C Major then its last chord could be F Major but other chords can serve as substitutes for subdominant function. The second chord D minor also has subdominant function although somewhat weaker but will work anyway.
You just don't want to end on the I chord or the V chord in the verse unless you know how to treat them, such as placing the IM7 chord in 3rd inversion weakening its tonic function. Now you have the first and the last chords of the verse and the first chord of the chorus. Often the chorus ends on the I chord but you can also use another chord that can substitute for the tonic function such as the iii chord. Following these "rules" for harmony will help avoid wandering chord progressions.
In the audio version of this course is my song Ruky’s Dream which illustrates the verse melody starting before the down beat and the chorus melody starting on the downbeat. It also illustrates the use of chords with subdominant function in the endings of the verse and the endings of the bridge. However, the tune is in a minor key not in a major key.
One of the issues is that melodies don't exist in a vacuum. The melodies from one phrase or section need to cooperate with other melodies from another area of the tune. The Beatles were experts at this. They would say if the chorus doesn't have any chromaticism then the verse will: either in the melody or in the chord progression or both. Another way to do that is if there is chromaticism in the verse’s melody then there won't be chromaticism in the chorus' melody but can be in the chorus' harmony in order to change things up. This is particularly good advice for Heavy Metal and alternative rock artists.
The same idea applies to the melodic rhythm. One section can have some syncopation, while the other is more flat footed. Or if the melody is flat footed then the accompaniment is syncopated and vice versa.
Also the first phrase within a section can be syncopated while the second phrase is flat footed. Cuban and African music even take it down to the level of one or two measures, where the first measure of the Clave is syncopated and the second measure is on the beat.
Some Thoughts
If you’re trying to emulate a certain artist or group, it's definitely a good idea to listen to them closely and try to hear what they're doing concerning all of these points. The musical elements are just like Tinker Toys or Legos. There's an infinite number of ways to fit the pieces together. The basic song forms help us a lot to narrow down the possibilities into a manageable quantity but still leave room for creativity and originality.
Tempo
Studies were done on the qualities of popular tempos and the results said that the "existence" region of tempos for musical compositions is between 40 and 300 beats per minute (bpm). The “reasonable” range is between 35 and 130 bpm for a human percussionist.
The "optimum" range for listeners and performers is between 81 and 162 bpm which corresponds with the range of different people's walking speeds. 2/3ds of all music is in this range. More specifically, over 120 bpm is the "preferred" range for most listeners and performers. Songs over and around 120 bpm are more often performed and listened to. The absolute “peak of preference” is 125 beats per minute.
Radio
The data says for music on the radio, the mean is 116.4 bpm. The median is 117.9 bpm. The mode is 123 bpm. And 81% of music on the radio is between 81 and 162bpm. This is good information to have if you shooting for airplay of your music.
When planning an album make each tune have a different tempo
88
94
106
112
120
122
124
126
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Also, if an instrument is featured in the A section then in the next 10 songs it won't be there again. So, if one tune goes; wooden xylophone, flute, zither then the next tune might go piano, zither, flute
Another thing to do is vary the compositional technique between sections.
If the A section is using the wooden xylophone’s idiomatic compositional technique whether or not a wooden xylophone is actually playing it, then the A section won't feature that on the next tune. It will use something else.
For arguments sake, you could define the parameters of your next album by saying the first tune will be in C major, the second tune will be in Db dorian, the third tune will be in D mixolydian, the fourth tune will be in Eb aeolian and the fifth tune will be in E minor pentatonic etc...
Then decide on variations in the form. For example, IVCVCBCO, IVCVCBCO, IVRCVRCBRCO, IVCVRCBRCO, IVCVCBRCO, IVCTVCTBCO, IVCVCTBCO, IVCTVCBCO, I=intro, V-verse, C-chorus, R-rise, B-bridge, T-transition, O-outro
Then make a chart and plan variations in each section of the music, perhaps the first tune can have two 4 measure phrases in both the verse and chorus, then don't do that again on the rest of the album. Have an 8 measure phrase followed by another 8 measure phrase, have an 8 measure phrase followed by a 4 measure phrase, have a four measure phrase followed by 2 two measure phrase in one section and two four measure phrases in the second one, or a four measure phrase followed by a 3 measure phrase or a 5 measure phrase even. If something doesn't work then just fall back on the tried and true 8 or 16 bar sections divided in half.
If you're running out of ideas is when you might want to start both the verse and chorus on the same pitch in one song and start the verse and chorus on the same rhythmic position in another song. (I don't recommend doing both but it might work for a special song.) Or switch things up by having the verse start on the downbeat
Anything is possible really but like my art teacher used to say, it's better to know what the "rules" are so you can know why you're breaking them. (Variety is a good reason I think)
Another thing to try is plan to start on a different chord in each song's chorus. If, as an example, all of your songs are in C Major then start the chorus in the first song on a D minor chord, in the second song on an E minor chord, in the third song on a G Major chord, in the fourth song on an A minor chord and the fifth song on a C Major chord. Even if you don't keep any of these ideas, it gives something to shoot for and starts people composing, which may lead to new and better ideas.
The last chord of the verse sections should normally have subdominant function. Taking the example of a verse starting in C Major then its last chord could be F Major but other chords can serve as substitutes for subdominant function. The second chord D minor also has subdominant function although somewhat weaker but will work anyway.
You just don't want to end on the I chord or the V chord in the verse unless you know how to treat them, such as placing the IM7 chord in 3rd inversion weakening its tonic function. Now you have the first and the last chords of the verse and the first chord of the chorus. Often the chorus ends on the I chord but you can also use another chord that can substitute for the tonic function such as the iii chord. Following these "rules" for harmony will help avoid wandering chord progressions.
In the audio version of this course is my song Ruky’s Dream which illustrates the verse melody starting before the down beat and the chorus melody starting on the downbeat. It also illustrates the use of chords with subdominant function in the endings of the verse and the endings of the bridge. However, the tune is in a minor key not in a major key.
One of the issues is that melodies don't exist in a vacuum. The melodies from one phrase or section need to cooperate with other melodies from another area of the tune. The Beatles were experts at this. They would say if the chorus doesn't have any chromaticism then the verse will: either in the melody or in the chord progression or both. Another way to do that is if there is chromaticism in the verse’s melody then there won't be chromaticism in the chorus' melody but can be in the chorus' harmony in order to change things up. This is particularly good advice for Heavy Metal and alternative rock artists.
The same idea applies to the melodic rhythm. One section can have some syncopation, while the other is more flat footed. Or if the melody is flat footed then the accompaniment is syncopated and vice versa.
Also the first phrase within a section can be syncopated while the second phrase is flat footed. Cuban and African music even take it down to the level of one or two measures, where the first measure of the Clave is syncopated and the second measure is on the beat.
Some Thoughts
If you’re trying to emulate a certain artist or group, it's definitely a good idea to listen to them closely and try to hear what they're doing concerning all of these points. The musical elements are just like Tinker Toys or Legos. There's an infinite number of ways to fit the pieces together. The basic song forms help us a lot to narrow down the possibilities into a manageable quantity but still leave room for creativity and originality.
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