how to write RELATABLE music

I'm a normal guy and here are my three top opinions on how to make your music more relatable to other people number one write for one person number two be specific and number three let your audience forget part one write for one person as you write music it's normal to think about what other people are going to think about your music but if you do this too much it can be really hard to make any decisions at all because it's hard to predict what other people are going to think so instead I suggest just think about what one person is going to think about your music and have this be a specific person in your head someone who encourages you someone who is excited about your creativity and it's not so much about making music that they will like it's more about surprising them having sort of a meta musical conversation with them through your work show them a part of yourself they don't often see as a result your music will feel communicative it'll feel connected but it will also be specific to you part two be specific I believe it is better to be very relatable to a few people than it is to be just sort of relatable to many people and the more specific your music is to your own Niche tastes and experiences the more people will feel connected to it for example if you say we must stand together against Injustice everyone will agree with that but no one cares that you said it you sound like a corporation or a robot but if you say the United States has a duty to support people seeking asylum in this country and our immigration policies are dehumanizing to migrants well now you're getting more specific people will have actual opinions about what you say but it's still an impersonal stance it doesn't really connect with anyone but if I tell you the story of why I will never wear a necktie again and how it's because there's this for-profit immigrant Detention Center hidden in the middle of nowhere in lumpin Georgia where over a thousand migrants are kept as prisoners and in it there's a waiting room where family members of the inmates sit and wait to talk to them through glass on an old shitty phone after driving for days to get there the room is miserable the guards at the front desk eyes are permanently rolled back in preemptive annoyance at any question you ask and on the wall there is a framed picture of three smiling white men in suit and ties the warden and his son beaming proud of the hell over which they rule and I do not want to look like them that's something I've lived and seen and in the specificity I am better able to express broader Truth by the way a good lyrical example of this is in sufan Steven's song Casmir palasi day when he sings in the morning when you finally go and the nurse runs in with her head hung low and the Cardinal hits the window the part about the Cardinal hitting the window is a detail that is super specific to the story but feels emotionally clear it highlights the pain and confusion of the moment how would you even think to make up a detail like that part three let your audience forget it can be tempting to try to make your music super hooky and catchy all the time but just because something is stuck in someone's head doesn't mean they want it to be stuck there music is often a balance of parts that are hard to remember followed by parts that are easy to remember think about Verse Chorus forms the verses are usually more varied with different lyrics and melodic embellishments things that you aren't meant to memorize and they're not supposed to get stuck in your head on the first listen whereas the chorus is often supposed to be memorable on the first listen well why not make everything so memorable on the first listen well it's often the chorus and the repetitive parts that make you remember that a song exists after you've heard it but it's the verses and the variants in the bridge that make you keep coming back so here's a short song I wrote for my wife with very specific details about how we got our doggy in the snow with verses that change each time quite a bit and are hard to remember and a really hookie chorus put the seats down in our van a bed laid out for you and shopping bags who knows what shape you'll be in who knows what hell has shaped you in the blizzard this time we take our time driving slow so we don't miss the chance to see a dream through of living for something other than ourselves don't give up shining your life the best things you imagine and are coming to life I promise you our love our love for you when never die the chaos in your home is fing dying alone in agony on the side of the highway desecrated her body and mangled in my tires something smells wrong under the car but you don't need to know anymore don't give up shining your light the best things you imagine are coming to life I promise you our love our love for you will never die the chaos in your home it's fting if you'd like to learn more about songwriting with me check out my course getting songs done it's 25% off for the spring it's at Ben lmusic school.com I hope you have a wonderful time till next time

Channel: Ben Levin

Views: 17,620

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Id: H49d1XtkkT4

Length: 6min 15sec (375 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 02 2024