My question is this - what makes a song "Good"
1. Is it the music?
2. Is it the talent of the musician?
3. Is it the lyric?
4. Is it the talent of the singer?
5. Is the the recording/mix/mastering/medium?
In order to discover the answer to this question I will attempt to eliminate the previous possibillities:
(If there are any missing please comment)
Regarding question 1:
There are a finite number of notes (12) in modern music theory
There are a fintie combinations of these notes that are sonically pleasing(chords)
There are a finite number of sonically pleasing progresssions of chords/notes.
(Most popular music can be defined by ~30 progressions)
There are thousands of songs utillizing the same notes, chords and progressions - some are considered "good"
most are not.
Conclusion -NO.
Regarding question 2:
Ignoring the relatively few masters of instruments who can produce compositions within
these these constraints (notes, chords, progressions) that are nearly impossible to duplicate live -
(very few of these efforts show up on popular music charts) -
I know instrument players capable of "covering" nearly every POP song note for note - thus it cannot be the talent of
the musician (except as conceded above)
Conclusion -NO.
Regarding question 3:
I do not think that the lyric can be eliminated as - no two songs are lyrically identical.
Conclusion -Yes.
Regarding question 4:
Just as there are instrument players capable of perfectly reproducing a song there are singers that can also
sonically reproduce lyrics.
Conclusion - No.
Regarding question 5:
The mechanisms/techniques for Recording/mixing/mastering/medium are reproducible and IMHO although
they can make a good song bad - they cannot make a bad song good.
Conclusion - No.
----------------
This indicates to me that the key to a good song is lyric.
Please do not misunderstand this conlusion.
The music must be well written (within the constraints of modern music theory), well played,
lyric must be well sung, and the song must be well recorded, mixed, mastered copied etc.
----------------
It seems I should be concentraing on writing good lyric.
------------
Comments and thought are appreciated.
brian
1. Is it the music?
2. Is it the talent of the musician?
3. Is it the lyric?
4. Is it the talent of the singer?
5. Is the the recording/mix/mastering/medium?
In order to discover the answer to this question I will attempt to eliminate the previous possibillities:
(If there are any missing please comment)
Regarding question 1:
There are a finite number of notes (12) in modern music theory
There are a fintie combinations of these notes that are sonically pleasing(chords)
There are a finite number of sonically pleasing progresssions of chords/notes.
(Most popular music can be defined by ~30 progressions)
There are thousands of songs utillizing the same notes, chords and progressions - some are considered "good"
most are not.
Conclusion -NO.
Regarding question 2:
Ignoring the relatively few masters of instruments who can produce compositions within
these these constraints (notes, chords, progressions) that are nearly impossible to duplicate live -
(very few of these efforts show up on popular music charts) -
I know instrument players capable of "covering" nearly every POP song note for note - thus it cannot be the talent of
the musician (except as conceded above)
Conclusion -NO.
Regarding question 3:
I do not think that the lyric can be eliminated as - no two songs are lyrically identical.
Conclusion -Yes.
Regarding question 4:
Just as there are instrument players capable of perfectly reproducing a song there are singers that can also
sonically reproduce lyrics.
Conclusion - No.
Regarding question 5:
The mechanisms/techniques for Recording/mixing/mastering/medium are reproducible and IMHO although
they can make a good song bad - they cannot make a bad song good.
Conclusion - No.
----------------
This indicates to me that the key to a good song is lyric.
Please do not misunderstand this conlusion.
The music must be well written (within the constraints of modern music theory), well played,
lyric must be well sung, and the song must be well recorded, mixed, mastered copied etc.
----------------
It seems I should be concentraing on writing good lyric.
------------
Comments and thought are appreciated.
brian