I wrote this tutorial exclusively for Newgrounds. It is my personal belief that 85% of the submissions to website lack to many of these. This article is good to read once, but it is also good to review every time you write something new. I guess one way to classify it would be a "Informative Rhetorical Survey." I hope you find it useful.
I. Checklist
General Information:
What is the structure, or form of the composition?
Example: A B A, A B C A, A B A B C A-Prime A.
Prime means that the section has been altered in some small, yet significant way.
Name at least two basic chord progressions used, with a small variation on at least one.
1.
2.
3.
Did you quote at least one other work previously written by you? If not, do you think doing so would be an effective addition?
Quickly listen to your piece. Are there any parts that may be confusing or boring to the general public (experimental)? If so, is it worth risking the possibly of others rejecting the song as a whole?
Melodic:
Do you have at least one secondary melody for every minute of your song?
Do you have at least one motif?
A motif is a small melodic line that shows up throughout the piece. Motifs are often creative plays on the melody, and can sometimes be used to "tease" the listener into thinking they are finally about to hear the primary melody again (but you fooled them!)
Are your melodies memorable and "catchy"?
Do they flow well with any background sound effects or harmony?
Does your primary melody have a lyrical foundation? (This is recommended.)
Note: Melodies that have lyrical roots, especially if your song has no words, are often easier to listen to, the reason for this is that rhythms formed by a language flow more like words. There are exceptions, of course. Anything written by Scott Joplin is likely to be very, very busy, and probably not nearly as easy to sing to as Jingle Bells (James Lord Pierpont).
Introduction and Exit:
Have you established a mood for both the introduction and exit of your song?
If so, quickly describe how you accomplished this.
(For "popular" music only) - Within five seconds of the beginning, have you interested your listener enough to carry them to the next section?
Note: this step is not at all restricted to music, you can use voice, effects, dialog, etc.
Classify your work into one of these four major categories:
Short Normal (Radio-edit) Long Extended-Ballad
(For "popular" music only) - Unless your music features a powerful redeeming quality, you should try and shoot for the "Normal" classification.
Genre and Style:
What common genre does your work fit into?(Rock, R&B, Drum & Bass, Classical, etc.)
Different from above, what style does your piece fall into? (Latin, Rock, Jazz)
Note: Genre and style are often the same, but can absolutely be different. For example, a classical piece can most certainly take advantage of the Jazz style.
If more than one style is featured, are your transitions effective without confusing the listener, or ruining the song's flow?
Environment:
What environment was your music meant for? (at home on the computer, background music in the waiting room, loop library, live performance, etc.)
Is your intention supported by the content?
For example: A piece written for live performance should be playable and the difficulty based on the group performing it.
II. Presentation
Lifetime:
While their are exceptions, most songs fall into these two classifications:
Quickly popular, quickly forgotten.
Slow or limited popularity; thus, a "classic" is born.
(Rare) Absolute hit, a classic, and remains popular through multiple social generations. Example: All I Want for Christmas is You (Mariah Carey).
Consider the information below, then try to classify your work into A or B.
A rap song is meant to be a huge hit, but will almost certainly decline in popularity immediately. Something by Bach or Nirvana is likely to be recognized for a long time.
If the lifetime over the course of your piece's popularity is likely to be among 1 to 5 listens per individual, do NOT be original. Instead, use as much associative power as possible. Please read section III for a deeper understanding of what I mean by "associative." If your intention is to be remembered as unique, use something different, sometimes even strange, that people will remember as being yours. Example: Phantom of the Opera uses chromatic descending diminished chords on organ. You're probably not going to hear that in T-Pain's next single.
III. Taking Advantage of Relevant Culture
Note: This section is highly theoretical; therefore, do not take any of the following information as absolute.
Certain chord progressions (I-IV-V), synth sounds, and ensembles can actually "carry" a mood with them, similar to a stereotype. Try this quick activity:
Activity:
Note: This is a great way to decide what instrument you want to carry your melody.
Listen to the note A (middle A is 440 Hz) on a wide selection of sounds. If the instrument you are comparing is not capable of the exact same frequency, use the a that the instrument is most comfortable with playing. For each one you listen to, write down three descriptions. The reason this works is that timbre, which is essentially the sound of an instrument without any context, can often be defined as happy, sad, aggressive, sorrowful, etc. Flute is likely to give your listener a happier response then trumpet, even though both instruments are capable of many of the same notes and expressions, trumpet is generally more aggressive.
Many sounds only make the impression that they do, because culture made them that way. Stop for a moment and think about most popular music. Rock can be very basically summed up into one thing: electric guitar. In the same way, rap is often based on a non-tonal pulse, and/or low bass-lines. In a very basic way, this proves that associative value is very important. For instance, if you take electric guitar, and add it to an orchestra, it almost always makes things sound "hardcore," or "epic." Example: Canon Rock (JerryC).
Copyright © 2009 Seth Johnson
If you'd like to test a few of the statements made. Try answering these questions to the Newgrounds top song: Chaoz Fantasy by ParagonX9.
Thank you for reading.
