LAND OF THE LIVING MAGAZINE - Magazine - Page 32
NATHAN HORST
MELODY
VS. LYRIC
Find Your Influences
Writing a "hook"
How many times have you been singing
One of my biggest influences and favorite
your favorite song and realized you have
bands is Coldplay. I’ve been a huge fan
no idea what the lyrics are? Or, you’ve
since their album “Parachutes”. I don’t
been singing the wrong lyrics for who
know where they stand spiritually but they
knows how long? Songs can touch us in
move me in a spiritual way. There’s
a deep way. They can feel personal to us
something about the way their music ebbs
even without a connection to the lyrics.
and flows that can evoke tears or the
This is what it means when one says a
deepest sense of joy. Another band I’ve
song is “hooky”. Something about the
been influenced by is Fleet Foxes. Their
beat – the cadence – the movement of
sound is more folk driven and they make
the melody grabs us. You may ask, “How
use of the pentatonic scale quite a bit
do I know if the melody I’ve written is
melodically. Their sound is infectious and
hooky? One simple test is if you find
almost haunting at times. Both of these
yourself singing it at random times of the
artists are hook driven but packaged in
day. You can also show it to a friend and
different ways. I also love worship music
see if it grabs their attention. But, above
but if you only listen to worship music,
all the melody needs to move you as the
what you write is probably going to sound
songwriter. Even if you analyzed all the
like a familiar worship song. This isn’t
best melodies ever written and dissected
necessarily a bad thing but as artists we
the formula of what makes these hooks,
are after originality and discovering “our”
you still may create melodies that feel
sound/voice. Diversifying your palette of
contrived because it’s not coming from a
sonic influence is key in unlocking your
place of authenticity – the heart and soul
voice.
of the writer. If you want to get better
at writing compelling melodies, listen
to highly melodic music from a variety
of genres.
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