Your goal with every beat and song should be…
…to TOUCH, EXCITE, and ENTERTAIN.
If you suck at this, no one is going to listen to your music. They’ll skip
right to the next artist.
The good news is, there are proven methods you can apply to
your productions to INJECT MORE EXCITEMENT into the
veins of our music.
So you can make people listen to your songs from start to finish…
…and then – instead of moving on to the next artist – keep listening
to your song again and again and again.
Because it touches, excites and entertains them.
–
Let me share 5 powerful interest raising production methods
with you, so you can grab your listeners by their b…. and make them stick to
your music.
1. A Good Melody, That Sticks
We all know this, since our first experiences with music as children.
We’ve heard a melody somewhere and then it doesn’t stop repeating in
our heads. It continues to play in loop mode, regardless if we want it to, or not.
But what if a beat doesn’t have a lot of melodic content? You can still add a
hook-like element, a sample or sound that stands out and grabs the listener’s
attention.
You will know if your melody or sound will stick in your listener’s heads, when
you do the following:
- Leave your beat alone for a day.
- Then come back and listen to it one or two times.
- When the melody or sound keeps running on repeat in your head,
you got it. - If not, keep working on it or move on to the next beat.
2. A Powerful Drum Beat
Drums are like the pulse of the music. So pay close attention to and put a lot
of intention into your drums.
The combination of drum sounds, drum arrangement, and drum groove
can make or break a beat.
Use the swing function of your DAW, drag your drums slightly out of the grid,
or…if your DAW has this feature…use groove templates to make your drums
more lively and exciting.
3. An Exciting Arrangement
Your arrangement must be exciting.
Period.
Even if your beat has only one or two chords and only a few core elements
like…let’s say…drums, a bass line, and one sample, you can and should
still build an exciting arrangement around these core elements.
Add weird sounds here and there, vinyl crackle, hiss, vocal bits, field
recordings, dog barking, the sound of a cigarette (or whatever) being smoked,
ice cubes in a glass…it’s totally up to your imagination.
Get creative and experiment. Add the sounds in a subtle way or make them
stand out.
Also, throughout your arrangement add elements and take elements away.
Like Hihats, percussions, and other instruments.
You can also take part of the frequency spectrum away with high- and
low-pass filters and then bring them back in by reopening the filter.
4. Fresh Sounds
Unusual and new sounds always work great to catch the listener’s attention.
This is because…
…our brains are attracted to new things.
Which, by the way, is the reason why a lot of people run through their lives
in a mode of steady distraction.
We are bombarded with new stuff every minute and it takes a lot
of effort to withstand it’s attraction and keep following your own path.
We can and should use this force in our music by using fresh and unusual sounds.
You can get creative making your own sounds. Which is a lot of fun,
but can also be very time-consuming.
Or you can simply get yourself inspiring sample packs and sound banks…
…and spend more time producing more beats.
5. A Good Balance Of Expected Events And Surprises
Though our brains are attracted by new stuff and therefore new sounds,
too many of the unknown can be overwhelming.
Aim for a good balance of familiar and new sounds.
The familiar elements allow the listener to relate to songs quickly while
the new sounds make them pay attention and remember your song.
—
Now it’s up to you to apply these tips, so you never have to suffer from bored listeners again.
I recommend you bookmark this article and refer to it during production.
And if you like this article, please leave a comment and share it on your
favorite social network. (Click the buttons below;-))
Let’s make this world a place full of GREAT MUSIC!
Enjoy and stay creative:-)
Marc
P.S. Want a big dose of inspiring, interest raising drums and FXs, that
help you crank out beats that stick in your listener’s heads?
Then I highly recommend you check out Super Hero Drums.
