Brilliant Songwriting Explained, How do you analyze music? Options

[Mudbone]

Have you ever heard a song and wondered why it works so well? Why it makes you feel a certain way? I always try to figure out why a piece of music moves me and makes me feel a certain way, but I'm not always successful

"Everlong" by the Foo Fighters is one of my favorite songs. Its a great piece of songwriting, and I always wondered why it made me feel a certain way. Well I came across an article on Wikipedia that explains very well why the song works the way it does, and it will definitely help me with future songwriting. Check it out even if you're not a fan of the Foo Fighters... but who isn't?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everlong

[The Uncreator]

I personally never found it hard to figure out why something moved me, or why I had a passion for something. 99% Of the bands I listen to I have a deep personal connection to because of the childhood I went through, but that's just me.

I do like the analysis though, although as always with music, I'd disagree on some aspects here and there, but its a well thought out explanation. I think the idea of "indecipherable" vocal tracks is quite excellent, I know a lot of bands do it and our brains can basically superimpose something over it that might comfort us, or make us feel more connected with the writing and composition.

[Todd Simpson]

There are several fields of study that look at psycho accoustics, song structure, melody, harmony, poetry, etc. Not the least of which is song craft itself It's a good question. Why some songs work so well and others not. As you learn more and more cover tunes, you start to notice patterns, structures, etc. These will influence your own writing and show up as your "influences" when people listen to your work.

So learning tons of other peoples stuff is one way to get there a bit quicker. You can do it from scratch, just takes longer.

[dark dude]

I'm not as fortunate as The Uncreator, but I still love reading stuff like this!

That's a very cool point about indecipherable lyrics. I often end up ignoring the lyrics of a lot of metal I listen to, as it's too inaudible, and this does allow my mind to wander and create my own story. It has never occurred to me however, that bands would do this on purpose.

Great post, Mudbone!