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Florida
by bennash - 06/07/26 09:34 PM
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Lamb.wavv
by Gary E. Andrews - 06/05/26 04:07 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 2
Casual Observer
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OP
Casual Observer
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 2 |
I seem to have difficulty shaving the length of songs down to the standard radio-friendly 3 and 1/2 minutes. With every song, the first run thru usually has the first chorus coming in at the 2minute mark! Granted, most of my songs are not necessarily catchy pop tunes, but even in my genre this could present a problem outside of college radio! Are there any tricks of the trade that I could use?
WhipSmart
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 9
Casual Observer
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Casual Observer
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 9 |
Whipsmart, if you time most of the sonds on the top 40 of any genre, I'm sure you'll find that very few are anywhere near that "Magic Formula" time of 3:30.
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Peace, Love, Rock and Roll, dylannotbob
Peace, Love, Rock and Roll, dylannotbob
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4
Casual Observer
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Casual Observer
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4 |
Study some songs of other writers that you particularly like and you will start to see some common elements. The chorus is the payoff of the song, and what your initial lines or verses should lead to. Making a listener wait two minutes to get there may lose them. This is only important if you aren't just writing for your own self-expression; but if you want to make an impact with radio play, getting cuts of your songs covered or even positive reviews, some development of craft will certainly help you. I'd recommend mentor Jason Blume's book "6 Steps to Songwriting Success"
Valerie DeLaCruz
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 28
Casual Observer
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Casual Observer
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 28 |
Just a note, you might want to check out some of the songs by Yes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers. Maybe you're in the jamming or progressive rock category.
Do you like that kind of music?
If it's pop you're looking to write, I encourage you to get involved with a songwriting circle or take a songwriting course at a local college, continuing education group. I'm not sure where you live but I'm hunching you're aiming for pop songwriting, and hooks are definitely what make up a good chorus, not something that meanders!
Good luck. Do check out some of the bands like Yes, just in case-- tho'.
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