IT is often said that every good pop melody has already been used. Songwriters are just rearranging existing song structures and I have linked to an article which does its best to describe legally exactly how many notes that are the same as an existing melody constitute violation of copyright laws. I have always perceived the craft as a combination of hack songwriting (copying just enough of a melody that is successfully catchy and changing just enough notes to keep your new song considered original) and divine inspiration. Sometimes this can be nothing more than a rip off, but it can actually be a legitimate coincidence. As I previously stated, in pop songwriting there are just so many combinations of notes that statistically it is almost impossible to write a melody and have it be completely original, unless you want to do something entirely discordant or dissonant. Even then your song could be too close to an existing melody. And when you’re talking about the conventional song structures or catchy melodies that are pleasing to most listeners you are even more at risk for copy write infringement. Songwriting is a subjective thing and what one person likes another may hate. But pop songwriting by its very nature is created to appeal to a mass audience. The best advice is write something that you would want to hear, and if you are a fan of pop music there is a better chance that your song will appeal to more listeners.

Everyone has their influences and it’s better to go to the original source rather than become influenced by bands that have already been influenced by those original influences. Literally millions of writers have been influenced by the Beatles for example, so copying bands that have Beatle influences is just making your compositions even more derivative or homogenized. You can also be influenced by the artists that influenced the Beatles, but it depends on how far back you want to go. Aside from the hack aspect of just rewriting existing great songs there is a magical aspect to the creative process, like when a melody, a fragment seems to just pop into your head. For example, I was weaned on top forty AM radio like many people my age. All these great songs are just embedded in my brain just from years of endless hours of being exposed to great songs over and over. The brain works like some kind of super computer and all these hooks, melodies and choruses are just floating around in your head. Then suddenly a song comes to you. It sounds like another song, but low and behold its actually not, it’s your song, and it’s different enough from your influence, so now you are the creator of an original composition. There are various ways that this process occurs. Sometimes I will choose a song, and try and capture the vibe of the composition without actually copying the exact melody. Other times a song will literally pop into my head. Also you can combine influences to come up with something while not completely new, is different enough to be your original song. Using the right combination of influences can lead to some very unique results. That’s where some of the real song crafting comes into play. After you gain more experience you’ll want to stay away from cliché’s and structures that are too obvious, but if you listen to plenty of hits, they are remarkably similar to previous hits because these are proven formulas that are pleasing to the ear.

Another factor is the flow of the song and relation of the different parts. I’m particularly driven by the groove of a song or developing the song by using the rhythm that really gives the song movement. When you get into that magical place that I will call the songwriting groove sometimes the song seems to write itself. The transition from verse to chorus must make sense and have a flow.
Being a video editor, writing screenplays and especially writing jokes and comedy has helped me become a better songwriter. Like a good joke or screenplay the composition must have a build up, tension and release. And like a good editor the transitions must flow and make sense. Sometimes you start with a chorus and sometimes it’s the verse. For example if you have a verse, then you can write literally hundreds choruses that fit with the verse and finally you choose the one that works, the one that feels the best. Many writers use the mix and match method. When you write a good chorus, but it doesn’t fit that well with the verse, you just save that chorus for another verse that you come up with later or use it with one that you have previously written. Usually I write the music first, and then the lyrics, but not always. And sometimes I’ll come up with a hook or chorus with certain words at the same time, and then write the lyrics around that. The bridge is a third component that should combine the feel of both verse and chorus but also create its own little island in the middle of your song before heading back into the final chorus. Lyrically and melodically the bridge kind of ties up the whole song and creates a break in the verse chorus cycle.

Mostly I’m talking about more conventional song structures and there are many great songs that utilize alternative structures, like starting with a chorus. I myself do not read or write music notation, as many musicians do not. In many cases the more musical theory and knowledge you have the more versatile and complex your compositions can be. Some of the great Motown hits are good examples how jazz theory, complex chord structures and playing within a groove, pushing and pulling on the beat can create amazing results.

But it’s not always the case, in jazz fusion for example, the chops are great, the solos are impressive, but the composition can meander and not have the infectious quality of a simple melody with a simple but driving rhythm that just sucks you in. The power of a four on the floor simple rock and roll beat cannot be underestimated. Sometimes simple is better and knowing too much can push you to over do it.

Then there are the vocal harmonies which can really shape the character of a song. The right harmonies can really lift that chorus, but the wrong ones, or too many can really change the character of the song for the worse.

It’s also important to mix it up. Too many writers are notorious for basically re writing the same song, and I’ve been guilty of that I will admit. That’s why I throw away as many songs as I keep. But when you get a keeper, you’ll know.