YES!
Listen to the top songs on the radio. Listen to the songs most liked.
Notice anything?
Most of the songs I have listened to have at least one or more of these:
1# A good main riff that is easy to follow:
A riff that people can hum, sing, or head bang to.
2 # A really good baseline:
Even if the rest of the song is asdflasjdf you find yourself still listening to it.
3# Lyrics or main chorus that anyone can sing:
If you have at least two lyrics that stand out ( like for example "YMCA"), then
after they hear the song, those are the words they will remember,
and hopefully they will go back and listen again.
4# A composition that keeps you listening:
You want good composition?
Then listen to movie themes!
The intensity keep building and BUILDING and BUILDING until it reaches a climatic moment.
It makes people turn ears, they want to stay and wait for the "big WAVE".
5# Beat change:
change the beat during the middle of the song,
but position the beat change so that it enhances the song.
random beat changes don't make your song better.
a beat change will instantly snap the listener back to the song.
6# THE CUT
Want to startle your listeners?
suddenly take out all the filler instruments and bring it back down to a simple drumset.
suddenly the entire focus of the music is on one instrument. then kick it back up.
7# Working around weaknesses :
if one guitarist can't do the entire lead fast or perfectly,
use 2 guitars to accent each other. if the singer can't hit the high note,
integrate the guitar and phase out the singer. If done right, the transfer will sound so smooth you will barely notice the change in instruments.
8# Back up vocals:
if the singer doesn't have enough tone to pull off a good song,
use several vocalists to give the voice and lyrics depth. This is also true if you have a terrible singer and you want to hide this fact. Singling out one voice can bring out all the details... including the worst. Realizing something about pop radio now besides auto tune?
9# Auto tune:
misconception # 1 on auto tune.
auto tune does not FIX everything.
Auto tune only tunes to the pitch you want, and can ruin the raw vocal quality.
misconception 2#
the more auto tune the better
Too much auto tune turns your singer into a keyboard. enough said.
misconception 3#
auto tuning can be placed anywhere.
Yes, it can be placed anywhere, but it doesn't always sound good.
Unless your trying to auto tune for an autotunatious sound, it should be used sparingly,
and only where other parts of the music can detract from it.
Auto tune can be used as a "Style" in a band, the only problem is that it can be very hard for your listeners to replicate when they want to sing your song.
10# odd key or scale
if a band can make their song less mainstream sounding,
use keys that are rarely used, especially minor keys, for their vocal melodies and or instrument riffs, it immediately catches the ear because it doesn't sound like the rest of the songs that are played often.
Whether your making music, in a band, just a music lover, these are fun things to listen for in a song.
have a rocking day!
