As a songwriter, what if you gave your music a personality, or wrote it for a specific occasion?
Simply put, when you write one dimensionally, your goal is likely to get people to like your music. In this case, it’s ‘good’ and worth listening to, at least in one sitting.
Best case scenario, someone might even give a ‘thumbs up’ to your song, or maybe even tap the ‘follow’ button on your socials or Spotify account, but that’s about it. Your song gave your listener a quick dopamine hit, and was just enough to get them to follow along for more content.
Your new listener thinks you’re all well and good, and they may think you’re talented, but you haven’t (yet) really tapped into who they are as a person.
When you write more dimensionally, you’ll create a fan for life. Here’s what that looks like.
2-Dimensional Songwriting: Moods and Vibes
Happy. Sad. Whimsical. Romantic. Mysterious. Agressive. These are moods and emotions that usually describe your music. This sets the atmosphere in which your music can be played.
As a songwriter, you probably have one of two goals at this stage: to create harmony, or create tension, on what you want your music is trying to achieve.
But a mood doesn’t capture who you, or your audience is, as a person. By writing in two dimensions, you can capture your emotions in the moment.
But by thinking in the long-term
you capture not just the mood for today, but the zeitgeist in which you wrote it. More on that later.
Whereas in the 1-D setting someone ‘liked’ your song, in a 2-D setting, they may add that song to a playlist of similar music. In this case, you’ve taken one step outside of the vanity metrics that people usually chase after. Your song is on its way to making a real impact in someone’s life!
3-Dimensional Songwriting: Personalities
Now things start to get real! What is the personality—the temperment—of your music? Does this resonate with your audience? How might people describe your music when it’s not on? Or even better, how might you describe your audience when they’re not in the room? Are they a social butterfly who’s the life of the party? Or are they a doe-eyed, sheltered, maybe even home-schooled individual who’s always a year late on today’s trends?
Where things really start to get interesting is when you combine personalities. For example, take a band like Avenged Sevenfold, who could maybe be best described as a romantic outlaw of sorts.
By describing your audience’s personality, you can match your music’s personality to your audience’s neurochemistry.
And finally, to really take your music to the next dimension, consider where and when your music might be played. Picture it on a CD (yes, really…). Does it sound like it would fit on the soundtrack playing in your listener’s favorite memories?
Or try on my favorite expercise: Find a festival or concert lineup who your ideal audience would go see. Does your music seem to fit the occasion, or does it feel out of place? Metal music probably won’t take to a hippie festival, and traditional jazz won’t vibe at a hip-hop concert.
4-Dimensional Songwriting: Events and Occasions
What do Bing Crosby and the Backstreet Boys have in common? When you listen to them, you’re immediately transported to a period in time. A whole unique zeitgeist when there were different social norms and values. People dressed differently. You could sleep soundly with your door unlocked. You had to wait days to hear the latest news. Get the picture?
Their music captures all of this in
just a few moments. When their music comes on, you know distinctly that their song is an “oldie but a goodie.”
This is what makes holiday music so special.
Would you ever listen to the Halloween cult-classic, “Monster Mash” while you get ready for a night on the town? Or would you sing “Auld Lang Syne” at midnight every night other than New Year’s? When it was the last day of high-school, could you hear any song other than Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out For Summer?” Is any night of country line dancing complete with out Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road”, or Garth Brook’s “Rodeo”?
When you can vividly associate a song with a 3-D person’s memory, your music becomes a hit. Even better, it becomes a part of the zeitgeist of the decade, and your music enters the 4th Dimension of songwriting. Give your music depth, and you’ll pull your audience into your world.
Take stock of your music catalog. Is it two dimensional, or does it break the fourth wall?
