Catching Their Attention

You know the old saying "you don't get a second chance to make good first impression?"

Thankfully, it's not like that on Fame Games, but it's a valid observation in general. If you deliver a great song and production, your listeners will be looking forward to your next one, often with anticipation. Will it be just as good? Better? Nah, it won't be just as good... but let's hear it!

Similarly, if your first submission is mediocre, your listeners will tend to want to skip over your next one. But some might listen for the same reason as above only this time they'll want to see if you've improved.

And now, another consideration. Many listeners only listen to a new song for the first 30-45 seconds. A minute, max. And then they switch. If the first impression was good, however, they'll come back and listen in full. This is a clear pattern we often observe here on Fame Games.

So, how do you ensure that your song will catch your listener in such a short time? And doesn't this imply some sort of cheap commercialism..?

Let's deal with the easy part first. There's nothing cheap or pejoratively commerical about keeping your music interesting and well arranged. Attention to detail and considering your listeners' perceptions is a sign of a mature artist.

But what about the important part? What can you do to keep their interest?

The answer will vary from person to person and from song to song. But there are certain general principles which, if you keep them in mind, will serve you well. Put in the very simplest way, you either have to have a GREAT song or a GREAT production - or... have BOTH.

A great song is one where the whole structure, from lyrics to the melody to the chords, is "just so" - it's natural, fresh yet vaguely familiar, meaningful and "real." It can be happy or sad, light or deep, but it has to have that sense of "having a flow." Few songs are "born that way." Most require a lot of additional tweaking and revision. ALWAYS take the time it takes to make the song itself RULE. Use just one instrument to develop it. If it's great acoustically, it's probably gonna be great fully arranged.

A great production is a more complex question. A production, by definition, also includes the song itself. But in the sense I'm intending here, it's all the arrangement, recording, performance and mixing work that goes into delivering the final product. And with that in mind, you'll need to keep one thing in mind: production serves the song - and only rarely is it the other way around. This is certainly true if your goal is to create something that lasts.

Still, the most important aspects of a production (besides a great song), come down to this:

• Record your band tightly (or if you're sequencing, ensure it's tight and feels "played" - not "sequenced").
• Ensure that all parts are exactly right, interesting and well-played. But don't get too fancy unless you're a virtuoso!
  
• Focus extra special attention on the vocal. Polish it, do as many takes as are necessary to deliver the best possible performance.
• Arrange your whole song from a minimalist perspective. Keep it simple. Only add sounds when the song "screams for it." Don't clutter your arrangement unneccessarily and ensure that the arrangement "breathes." Remember the power of well-placed silence.
  
• Ensure that the sounds you're using, be it a simple acoustic guitar or a complex arrangement, have a "healthy" ring to them. Avoid old and tired sounds, unless they are a feature of your production.
• And finally, mix everything in a way where you'll be able to hear every instrument in the mix clearly, with the voice cutting through in exactly the right proportion.
• Make sure your production screams COMMITMENT!
  

In your arrangement, ensure that you plant sufficient "hooks" (don't confuse this with a strong chorus which, too, is a kind of hook!), to keep re-engaging your listener. A hook can be anything from a quirky-sounding guitar or a drum, to a little run-up on a piano or a transition or a break, or a special effect, or a sound drop-out, or a word in a song delivered in a particularly "hooky" way, or a particularly special chord progression. Anything that's... erm... hooky!

And keep intros to a minimum, especially if all they do is repeat the same thing without contributing anything new with each passing round. Some songs need elaborate and long intros, for sure, but avoid UNNECESSARY repetition.

If you're able to deliver to such exacting standards, your music will not only command people's attention and get you loads of respect, but it just might put some food on your table as well!

LISTEN TO: 229-Q/Monday Jun 29, 2009