The Secret to Writing Great Songs?

➡️ ➡️ Today's FAQ Friday questions:
➡️ What’s the best song structure for the music industry at the moment? 0:47
➡️ What is your take on multiple takes to fake a choir? How to best treat them? 15:39
➡️ What’s the best way to remove string squeaks on electric guitar tracks? 20:16

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Leave your FAQ Friday questions below!

[rome]

I am a horrible engineer but a pretty strong songwriter. Here's my opinion on how to write good music:

1) Listen to interesting music
2) Learn a little theory so you're not just fumbling in the dark
3) Try to make weird things sound accessible and accessible things sound weird
4) Write what you like, not what you think other people want to hear. In other words, stop worrying about whether it's good and make yourself happy.

[bluedyeno]

I've been in the same punk band for 15 years and we've definitely combined punk with surf, ska, synth pop and a bunch of Motown. It is all about finding creative ways to make each genre your own.

[KW-qdgu]

My thinking on songwriting has always been to sort of let the song decide how and when it wants to end. At some point it will feel like it’s done, and trying to add or subtract from it will make it feel forced. Love the idea of challenging yourself, there’s never anything wrong with that.

[goodheartmedia]

I love how you slipped and said "Space Oddity" instead of "Odyssey". Channeling some Bowie :)

[michaelvangeldergelderland]

Finally!!!! enough about gear. Without a song... there is nothing to record. Talk about HOW a producer works with the artist to get the performance and song structure together. A very realsistic duty than just getting another piece of gear.

[sentforth]

When I was a younger man, with no internet and little to reference, I wrote all my best songs.
Rules wrecked me.

[BitDraftAudio]

Writing 10 min progressive Rock Songs is complicated art, but writing somesthing so smooth that everybody likes it, is an art too. Even if i don´t really listen to Rodio Pop Songs actively, i really like how it´s done.

[jjlz]

Major props to your son for loving Steely Dan! Very refreshing to know there is at least one teenager in this world with amazing taste!

[elphidium]

Warren, I just wanted to say that you deserve a statue in rock HOF for this channel! It is a joy listening a pro so candidly discusing his profession, and sharing knowledge. Thank you!!!!

[guitars]

One big reason I love 90s and 00s rock is that it still rocked but fit within the “pop format.” So you’d get songs that would make you wanna bang your head but also sing along

[lance]

I've been watching this channel for a little while, but I think this is the most Warren has talked about songwriting. Great topic as I think it might be the hardest thing to do in music. And the most fun.

[Funkybassuk]

When I was a teenager I used to love stretching out in 10+ minute songs. Now that I’ve hit my 40s, I’m trying to write 2 minute songs like they did in the 50s. I remember hearing about The Pixies and Frank Black in particular trying to convince a producer that they should have sub-2 minute songs with the same reasoning.

[barryzito]

"Pop music is not a genre. It is a response" -Hit writer Ross Golan
Listen to the charts. There is EDM, Hip-Hop, Disco, etc. If you want to write a hit you must be a master of song craft/structure. Hits aren't written on accident. Has to be a universally relatable idea that's well executed. Melody is king.

Chords are nice but it's the top line(lyric/melody) that's catchy and contrasting from section to section regardless of chords that's what sticks in people's heads. Structure these days is vastly different than twenty years ago. Pre-Chorus has to be a hook now then even bigger hook in Chorus. Then there is the post Chorus drop which borrows from EDM. You can talk smack all day about pop but try to write a song and get it cut by a major label artist and see how difficult the game really is.

[Matthew-ezze]

Music is art, and people don't know what they want or like until the moment they hear it.

[canyondepths]

I used to worry about string squeaks, until a indie rock hipster at work told me how much he loves that sound, haha. Kind of like how Eddie Kramer loves the console hum and tape noise on the old recordings.

[edzielinski]

Jam packed with top-notch advice and practical, *usable* tips. This is on my pinned list. New to this channel but I'm very impressed!

[benmalone]

Me and my mate Amy had to do a choir on a hymn for a community where we live. There was only us two and what we did was just laid down about 4 different harmonies about 4 different times each and it was absolutely gorgeous. What made it great was exactly what you said the slightly out tune feel..the humanness of it all.... Great vid mate keep it up

[Beatledave]

Hi Warren, you're right on the money about turning down the squeaking. I had an acoustic guitar with fresh strings recorded with a SDC & a 2 fingered melody line was squeaking all over the place. I messed around forever with deessers but all they did was change the tone of the squeak, the fundamental was still prominent as ever. I had to use a fair amount of clip gain reduction to really make a difference. It was painstaking & time consuming but faced with the same situation again, that would be my go to option.

[FroznColors]

i usually write songs in verse - pre - chorus - verse - pre - chorus - bridge/solo (depends) - chorus - maybe outro. i sometimes don't have a prechorus. i've written a few songs w/o this structure but this is just easy to write.