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Wanna Be a Song Writer?

Mickey Richaud

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Pretty neat bit of mixing, but it sure exposes the formula for success in today's music. Six song mash - be sure to watch to the end when all six are played at once:

 
Wow! I am a little surprised there isn't a massive 6 way Mexican stand-off plagiarism lawsuit - My Sweet Lord anyone?
 
That's one of the main reasons I don't listen to new music. It all sounds the same to me. It also didn't sound like country and western either.
 
I am a songwriter, seems I'm just trying the wrong things. :grin:

In truth, all you need is 4 chords...

Turn on annotations to see the song titles. Please note that there is some NSFW language (f-bombs) in a couple spots if you are sensitive to such things.

 
Wow! I am a little surprised there isn't a massive 6 way Mexican stand-off plagiarism lawsuit - My Sweet Lord anyone?

<pedantic>
You can't copyright a cord progression, so that similarity is fine. Jazz guys did it all the time, take a progression they like and write a new melody over it.

Melodies are different enough to be okay. But not different enough to be interesting. :grin:
</pedantic>
 
Chord progression?

Think 1-4-5

Thousands of songs...
 
Chord progression?

Think 1-4-5

Thousands of songs...

Non musicians wonder sometimes how I can learn new songs so quickly... or can play along with songs I've not heard before. It's not that impressive once you know the truth underneath.
 
It's more than just the same chord pattern: It's the same key, same tempo and similar sounding lyrics. Yes, we all have done the four-chord or the I-IV-V medleys, but never to this extent.

As good as this sounds, if there was someone who really knew how to do a master recording, it would sound that much more often.

While this sounds formulaic, at least they are still doing song writing in Country Music. In today's pop music, production trumps songwriting each time. It's more about how many bangs and clanks you can put into a recording than a decent melody line. I always give songs the "Cocktail piano" test. If you can take a song and do a decent cocktail piano version, chances are there is some decent songwriting going on. Try that with a current pop tune and you get some very strong sounding material.
 
That - Was - Hilarious! :applause:

1 - 4 -5 = The Ramones entire repertoire. :friendly_wink:

If cord progressions could be copywrited, there'd only be one country western song. :highly_amused:
 
I always thought the music at Tractor Supply all sounded the same, guess I was right.
 
There's two kinds of country, the formula driven "pop" country, which is what most people hear... And there's a form of country that straddles the border between country and folk, just look up Sam Baker out of Austin, Texas... He's not ultra famous but well known enough... A brilliant song writer, he's been known to tour through Alberta but I've always missed the shows...

Up here in Alberta musician John Wort Hannam, defined as country music but much more then that, great song writer and musician, not that sickly "pop" country...

You have your homework :cool: and there are many more examples like them...

And lately I've been liking anything by Rosanne Cash that I've heard... And she's not nearly as famous as her father, whose music I also like...
 
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