hello my friends.
one of the most important thngs that takes my mind in music and makes me think about it is what are the features of award winning songs and musics?
is this just about of taste of music of judges and voters who choose the best song that they choose the music they like or there are certain rules and features that make a song better?
for example i have searched grammy history and i know "nothing else matters" song by metallica was a great song that been beloved by a great group of peaople but it won award and untill now metallica won no main grammy.
i know pink floyd was one of most important bands ever but they only song by them that won a grammy was "marooned" and that wasnt a main grammy.
there is a lot of examples like this. guns n roses won no award but there are groups like u2 that won and nominated for all kind of awards like grammies oscars and.... or lady gaga, jz, green day,.... and as i believe there is not much heart in their songs but...
some advanced people say groups i mentioned their song is just melodic and their song is not supported well by harmony and they just find scales and find a rythme and start writing melodies and thei song is based on riffs and its not respected by award voters.
i want to know your opinion and answer about it.
thank you and sorry for my bad english.
Grammys awards are more political than musical. The best songs don't get awards, like the Oscars and so many others, the show is nothing more than an advertisement for a few acts.
What makes a song a hit?
If I knew, I'd go into the consulting business, because the people who run the record companies would pay big money for that information - in other words - nobody really knows.
Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton
Owner, Norton Music http://www.nortonmusic.com Add-on Styles for Band-in-a-Box and Microsoft SongSmith
The Sophisticats http://www.s-cats.com >^. .^< >^. .^<
There are some hints in such books as this one:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Idiots-Guide-Songwriting/dp/1615641033
But thousands of songs are written every year that have all of the right elements and never make it big.
Renee
thank you hobson. i got book you introduced. as you mean there are some prewritten ruled for a good song like classic harmony rules
I've been writing songs for almost 40 years now....and I have never, ever put pen to paper with the slightest idea of how a song will end up once I've got the first line. I don't write songs to win awards....I write songs about the way I'm feeling, or to make a point. OK, my ambitions might not be set very high....but so what? As long as I'm happy with what I've written, anything else is a bonus....I'll settle for the respect of my peers (ie my guitar noise friends/family) and the ability to keep writing songs for another 40 years.
Take a look through a list of Grammy award winning songs, or even the Oscars... and ask yourself, is there a single song there that you'd be proud to have written?
Write for yourself, first and foremost.... if other people like your songs, that's a bonus.
Work at your writing...it's all very well writing from the heart, but songwriting is a craft - you have to work at it to get better.
The most important advice of all...get writing. Write some more. Keep writing. Songwriting is like any other art/craft/skill....the more you work at it, the better you get. The great golfer Arnold Palmer was once described as the luckiest golfer who'd ever lived...."Yes," he replied, "and isn't it funny...the more I practice, the luckier I get!"
:-) :-) :-)
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
thanks alot @ Vic Lewis VL i was the best answer i can get. music is not about awards and i think no one ever said let me write a song to win an award. but i found some usefull thing and i want to share it.
one of the most important part of a song that is important for some awards like oscars and grammys is diffrent. you said ask your self which song you liked in awards and which not.
for example i love most of hons zimmer songs. and if you ask me he should win all the possible awards but if you think you will see most of his soundtracks on movies are are the same epic song with same formula.
other thing that i noticed was rock songs and heavy metal songs take awards much rarely. other thing that they care so much is a song should make yo feel comfortable. there shouldnt be so much sadness or excitement in it. and other thing i found this genre doesnt take awards is: most of awards and books say that a song should be unified and whole music make you feel about same ideada but many metal songs that maybe for most of us sound great are just made by riffs that is taped together. they easily just change the rythme and change the scale and...
other thing that they care about is music should feel natural. it shouldnt feel it made by force and lots of thinking. many award winning song made basicaly by a simple guitar rythme. they beleive idea should be good and a bad idead even working much on it may nost souund great like many u2 songs.
other thing i a song should feel honest. you cant lie about a feeling in your song. most of highly popular songs in history was made about composer own feellings and happens in life. for example "show mus go on by freddie mercury " was made about his own death or "comfortably numb by pink floyd" was about roger waters sickness time in his childhood.
in the end one important thing about these awards is most of their voters are more than 70 and old. for judging an award you should see the way they like music.
thank you
