Great song writers usually know lots of chords.
But you don’t get better at writing songs by learning more chords. Although you’re gonna need to know a few.
Chords are about music…songwriting is about expression.
And doing music for a career is about connection via expression.
»» I send out an email every Sunday about the popular songs of the week and in it I highlight the chords of the songs. It’s just a handful of chords.
Being on stage is a bad time to ask this question.
(That is, unless asking ‘what should we play next’ on stage is your thing, like Springsteen. Just like books aren’t choose your own adventure unless they’re choose your own adventure.)
You know the arc of your show (even if you don’t realize it). You know which songs usually do what. You know where the climax is gonna to be. You know that if the next song isn’t the perfect one for the moment, it might still be the best option you’ve got.
The show doesn’t get better by discussing it more, weighing all options and taking a band vote before getting on to the next.
If you’re on stage still choosing what song should go next, make a call and go with it.
Dinner at the taco truck.
vs.
Dinner at the hip fine dining place.
Both are wonderful. And they draw out two different conversations. The aesthetic, style of food, pace of service and eating, delivery method, lighting, decibel level, size of table, proximity to others, price, layout of the menu…
It directs us and guides us toward what type of experience we want to have, expect to have and end up having.
For people to become fans they don’t need to love all your songs.
You just need a song they love and a sound they love.
And then when you have these two things you end up getting the benefit of the doubt as it pertains to your other songs. They’re more likely to fall in love with your other songs if you’ve given them the first two things first.
It used to be that a two hundred thousand dollar album sounded ten times better than a twenty thousand dollar album.
It used to be that record companies had an exorbitant recording budget MINIMUM written into the contract that the artist had to spend on making the album. (Of course all recoupable.)
Because it used to be that good sounds were only possible in a few rooms with a few select people at the controls.
Now it’s possible to have no sonic difference between the twenty and two hundred thousand dollar album. Now the record company has to be smarter about what makes a good album. Now it’s about knowing the right people for the job you need done…not just knowing one of the top dogs.
The old way was probably easier but the new way is better.