Components of a Song

The components of a song are many or few, depending on what you are doing with the song.  Songs come in many forms and styles.  There are songs that you can create simply on your iPhone with an app and your voice.  Then there are songs that you have created with a professional studio – which will obviously sound much better and have the necessary components to make it a song that is very listenable and enjoyable.

Let’s take the first example, your iPhone and an app.  Today, you can make a song with a phone and an app and have the right components.  You can create the music with prerecorded melodies and sound effects, then record your own vocals.  It’s fairly easy, even for a novice.  Although, with this method just mentioned, you are missing some of the components of what makes an excellent, professional, sounding song. 

They are:

Being a musician, or hiring musicians – meaning being able to play an instrument and make it sound good.  This takes years of practice and knowing at least some basics of music theory.

Having a good singer, or being a good singer yourself.  It’s hard for anyone to listen to bad singers.  As a matter of fact, there’s a hit show about this called “American Idol”.  The show opens with auditions of very bad singers (people who think they can sing – there are many) and the ones who make it through to the next round.

Having good quality sound.  This only comes with time and practice.  Just like learning to play an instrument – being a good producer takes a long time to perfect.  You need to be familiar with the different aspect of the “sound board” which are just apps and software mostly. But it’s something you can’t fake.  You need to know what you are doing or the sound mix will be bad and render it un-listenable, even to novice ears.  Most of us have experienced what I call the “wince” effect.  Where you have an actual physical reaction to a bad song or bad vocals.

If you have none of these, or even just one of these, the chances of creating a good song with all of the good components are slim.  I mean, there have been flukes throughout the internet age that have managed to slip through.  But they are often cheesy and have a low shelf life.  If you are going to create a song, as with anything… give it your best effort.  Hiring the correct, musicians, vocalists, and studio can make all the difference in the world!