Motif Manifesto

Ears to Hear: Motif Guide to Song Critique

A song is a vessel for feeling. Good writers always ask themselves how to effectively carry their feeling-message across the sound waves and into the ears and hearts of listeners.
Thus, on the verge of recording, they must wear, or choose someone to wear the cap called “producer”. The producer’s job is to keep the [...]

When to Follow the Rabbit: Choosing Song Direction

George Lucas, Steven Spielburg, Frances Ford Coppola. These directors have great ideas, killer instincts, and popular demand. And why? They know their film. They are responsible for its direction, content, and movement–which would be a daunting task if they didn’t know their film.
The clarity of song’s message depends on the same creative control–choosing a direction [...]

Read While Popping the Chill Pill, Because Your Song Won’t Happen Without You

There’s hardly an instance of stillness in our busy, busy culture. In all the madness, my frustration distracts me from writing because I get worn out. My personality resists processing so much stimulation. In a heavy-traffic lifestyle, it’s vital to stop and catch up with ourselves.

You’ll never appreciate what happens in a moment, and therefore never accurately describe it, if you never experience your own moments. Taking time to be still, breathe, and control your thoughts is essential to writing, focusing your mind and body on the moment’s task.

Songwriting Lingo: Bridging the Lost in Translation

Ever eavesdrop on a folks who speak another language than you? Sounds like hogwash right? You might be able to get an idea if the conversation is funny, sad, or angry, but you’ll miss the specifics by a long shot.
To avoid that bewilderment in our discussions of music and songwriting, we need a common vocabulary.
Lyrics [...]

Origin of Song: Stop, Ooo, What’s that Sound?

Ever listened to the tribal chants on National Geographic? Pretty unfamiliar, huh?
But when you consider the sound of these chants, it’s not hard to find their similarity with cries of pain, excitement, or mourning. That’s because chanting is for expressing passionate emotion.

Song is an expression of sounds that have a beginning and end, and it still communicates emotion. What we consider “song” today traveled a long road, from ancient times when people listened and sang to nature, through strict religious purposes, to entertainment (and its business) as we know it today.

Ears to Hear: Motif Guide to Song Critique

When to Follow the Rabbit: Choosing Song Direction

Read While Popping the Chill Pill, Because Your Song Won’t Happen Without You

Songwriting Lingo: Bridging the Lost in Translation

Origin of Song: Stop, Ooo, What’s that Sound?

Motifs

Link Love

Archives