Song Dynamics

Song dynamics are central to the art of songwriting and music. Learn this songwriting craft so your song development goes to the next level. What’s the big deal you might ask? The answer usually is, without them the song gets boring fast.

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Great songs and music need to be a journey for the listener. Too much of anything doesn’t work. It’s like eating too much turkey dinner. Its gets uncomfortable and the thought of more is the last thing on your mind. It’s the same with music.

It’s like pitching baseball. The pitcher who only throws one kind of pitch doesn’t last long. If you don’t give your listeners music with variations or dynamics, the listener gets bored. They get bored and they go looking for some other pitcher, in your case another song.

Variety is what gives listeners satisfaction; it’s the spice in music. It applies to all aspects of your song. For example, the volume, the rise and fall of the notes in the melody, the melody's structure in each section of the song, sectional differences between verses and choruses, where the lyric phrase comes in on the beat in the bar, how each instrument is attacked and how the vocals are phrased.

The idea is to have your song sound like music and not noise. Listeners need softness to feel the swell to high volume in lines and verses. They also need the swell or decay in individual words. Think of music as a journey of contrasts for the listener.

Dynamics can set the mood in your song or change the mood for your listener. It also gives the singer in your song something to work with.

Listen to Celine Dion’s songs. She can really belt out the vocals. But you’ll find she also sings softly at times. This contrast makes her power stand out even more.

All aspects of your song need to complement each other, so think about this as you’re writing. Creating song dynamics will help your listener connect with your song because it will be a more enjoyable experience. They will want more and that’s good for you and them.