| Learn how to improve song lyrics and your | | | | many other things in their lives. Make them hungry |
| songwriting by creating stable and unstable parts in | | | | for what you have for them. |
| songs. Sometimes the whole tune is unstable but | | | | Music is like good nutrition. In the long run listeners |
| don't let it happen by chance. | | | | need balanced intake of the musical experience |
| Another way to look at this concept of tension in | | | | you're taking them on. |
| music to look at whether what you are writing has | | | | Ever listened to a tune or a record and ended up |
| the effect of making your tune feel stable or | | | | thinking that everything feels too much the same? |
| unstable. When it feels unstable it needs the tension | | | | What did you do? Did you turn it off? |
| released. | | | | Knowing how to use tension and release will make |
| Again the trick is to build tension and then provide | | | | you a much stronger songwriter. Try thinking about it |
| release and do it over and over again in predictable | | | | whenever you listen to what you've written. |
| way for the listener. | | | | Ask yourself questions about how all the parts of |
| When there is tension an unstable feeling created. | | | | the tune are moving from stable to unstable and |
| When the tension is released it feels stable. Not | | | | back again. |
| providing enough change also creates tension, i.e. | | | | If you ask yourself questions when you reviewing |
| boredom. | | | | your creation it will make you more aware of what |
| It is like when listeners get back to the chorus and | | | | you're doing in your writing. |
| feel, - oh, there's that part again. Predictability | | | | Listen to your favorite tunes and see if you can spot |
| provides stability. | | | | the points where they are stable or unstable. I have |
| It is good to provide musical surprises but remember | | | | a list of the questions to ask on my Great |
| there is no place like home for your listener. Let them | | | | Songwriting website. |
| relax and put their feet up before you take them on | | | | Sometimes you want to take tension to the listener's |
| next part of their journey. | | | | edge to shake them up. That's ok, just remember |
| That is unless you want them to feel tension and | | | | prolonged anything can feel like torture. |
| unstable. That can be you goal and there's nothing | | | | So usually you should make sure they get home |
| wrong with that. It can be very effective. | | | | safely to stable pleasant feelings. |
| But it is like eating; to have too much of anything | | | | Some tunes need to be totally stable but usually you |
| doesn't always feel good. You need to think of your | | | | should build stable and unstable parts into your music |
| listener's one at a time. | | | | and song lyrics. |
| Listeners only get to eat what you feed them. They | | | | Listeners usually don't know why they love, hate or |
| either enjoy your song, move on to listen to | | | | feel ho-hum about what you've written. Your job is |
| someone else's song. | | | | to connect emotionally with your listener before they |
| You do not want them to decide to do one of the | | | | tune you out. |