Music and the Mac

http://www.ilovemymacthesong.com/ Copyright ©2006 Daphna

How to get Hooked

by Daphne Kalfon

Okay, I knew that would get your attention : ) So far in this column we’ve talked about music creation techniques, file swapping, audio effects plug-ins, virtual instrument plug-ins, lyric writing and most recently, the basics of film scoring, all of which I have framed around Apple’s GarageBand.

What is at the core of all this however, is the music. It doesn’t matter how many tips, tricks and techniques you know, how adept you are at sound editing and audio effects manipulation or how knowledgeable you are about lyric writing or film scoring, if your music doesn’t do anything for the listener. The music, in the end, is what makes the headlines, and nothing can or will make up for a weak song, or a weak piece of music. This is very important to keep in mind if your main intent is to communicate something meaningful to your listeners. Whatever you learn about the internal workings of music itself will carry you further than anything else in your music- making journey. 

I touched on this very topic - on the importance of a certain basic understanding of music - during my interview of April 19th on the MyMac.com podcast with Tim Robertson and Chad Perry. Be sure to tune in if you get a chance. I think we all had a good time!

So this month’s installment will focus on the most important element of all in the art of music creation: the music! And more specifically, on the core element of any song - its hook. 

If you’re not familiar with the term “hook”, here is a brief explanation. “Hook” is a term widely used in the commercial songwriting world. More often than not, it is what is still left playing in your head after the song is over, and this can happen sometimes even in cases where you didn’t even like the song in the first place. It is very annoying when the latter happens of course, but as I’m sure we’ve all had that experience at one time or another, you now know what a hook is! It’s that part of the song that stays with you, that grabs you and won’t let go. 

While I’m at it, I should also mention the word “riff” which is closely related; a riff is a short repeated phrase, frequently played over changing chords or harmonies or used as a background to a solo improvisation. Sometimes just the riff of a song, if catchy enough, will become the song’s trademark.

I guess the best example of a hook would be commercial jingles. They are designed specifically to stick in your head and stay there, whether you want them to or not, and anytime you even just hear the hook, without necessarily seeing anything, you immediately think of the product behind it. If that happens, then the jingle writer has done his or her job. 

There are different kinds of hooks, to be sure. The most commonly known and used hook is simply the chorus of any song. The chorus is the part of the song that contains its main message; it is usually the climax to the song, the payoff. A good chorus is one that is totally and instantly understandable, simple, easily remembered and that touches the heart and feet. The hook is usually comprised of the title of the song, both of which will invariably be somewhere in the chorus, sometimes in the first line of the chorus, sometimes in the last line.

As I mentioned in January’s column on lyric writing, variety is key. As important as it is that your lyrics have changes in density, meter, and rhyme scheme, the same holds true for the music: changes in the music’s intensity, volume and texture will help people to better absorb your message and most importantly, to remember it. Instead of simply repeating your chorus over and over again, try techniques such as duplicating, alternating, contrasting and developing your melodic ideas. These are compositional techniques that can greatly add to the staying power of any chorus or hook.

Then there is the hook that is purely instrumental; by that I mean that there are no words attached to it, as there are in my first example. These instrumental hooks may not even have any connection to the main vocal melody, but rather stand apart on their own. If these are well constructed and placed strategically in the song, they can make just as much of an impact on the listener as any chorus. 

Of course having both types of hook in a song will give the song just that much more impact and staying power.

Then there is the case where the lyrics of the song are so communicative and powerful that long after the song is over, you may have forgotten what the melody was, but some of the lyrics are still playing over and over in your mind. This is known as the story line hook. This may be more common in country songs because that genre places a heavy emphasis on storytelling style lyrics. In my short experience of studying country music, I quickly came to realize just how difficult it can be to do that kind of writing well, and just as quickly I developed a newfound respect for that genre. 

Moving on, there is something called the production hook. This refers to the things that you put into your song: the sounds you use, the instruments you use and their various combinations. Between real instrument sounds, electronic sounds of all kinds, sound effects, and sounds you can simply record yourself and modify as you like, there is an infinite variety of sonic combinations possible. 

It is important to be aware that certain kinds of sounds can evoke particular emotional responses in the listener, so be sure to use sounds and sound combinations as another artistic tool in your music creation process along with lyrics and melody, to create the mood and emotional feeling you are after. The most powerful hook in this category could be the sound that no one has heard before, something new that you’ve created yourself and that is also a good fit in the song that you are writing. 

With easy access for most of us these days to the recording technology available, production is something to which one must give serious consideration in the whole songwriting process. As I mentioned earlier however, it is equally important not to make this particular item of the process - production - your entire focal point, because this will not and cannot, by itself, create a memorable song or piece of music that people will want to listen to again and again.

If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can make up your own songwriting assignments to help you work on honing your hooks (sorry, I just couldn’t resist). For example, you could study the hit songs of one of your favourite artists, and then based on what you have learned about the stylistics particular to those songs, try to write that artist’s next “hit single”. As you study the songs, keep in mind all the factors that I mentioned earlier that make up a hook, be it the chorus, an instrumental hook, the lyrics, a riff, whatever, and try to incorporate those things into the songs that you will write.

To be clear, I am not saying to simply copy what you hear, or plagiarize, as that could get you into very muddy waters, but instead, to incorporate those elements that you learn work well in a song, and adopt them in your own songwriting process. If you make this a regular exercise, you may well find yourself on your way to not only writing better songs, but to an endless new source of ideas for your own songwriting. 

If you would like to learn more about this, much of the information in this column was gleaned from John Braheny’s book “The Craft and Business of Songwriting” and is available at bookstores everywhere. To visit John’s website: www.johnbraheny.com