( Joni Mitchell’s “Coyote”, for example). Energy, from a songwriter’s perspective, is any aspect of music that creates the need for some sort of resolution.įor example, some songs sound largely the same at the end as they do at the beginning, with an unchanging instrumentation, temp0, basic beat, and dynamic level. It’s important not to confuse the term “energy” in songwriting to necessarily mean “liveliness,” though it may be that. Why? Because when someone hears energy dying away, their innate musical instincts tell them that it’s going to build up again, and that entices them to keep listening. One notable exception to the “ebbing and flowing” guideline is the French composer Maurice Ravel’s famous “Bolero.” Approximately 14-18 minutes length (depending on the conductor’s tempo), Ravel carefully adds instruments to the orchestration, resulting in what can be described as quite possibly the longest uninterrupted crescendo in musical history.īut in popular music genres, the building up, then dissipating of, musical energy is an important way that we keep listeners listening. That ensures that listeners keep listening. But even with the ups and downs of the basic momentum of a song, you’ll want the end to be at least as energetic as the beginning, and probably more so. For most songs, energy is something that ebbs and flows constantly. There aren’t many musical compositions that start at a low energy level, and then build energy in a straight line to the end. Musical energy should build and die away several times throughout a song’s length.ĭownload “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6 e-book bundle.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |