Repetition is a vital part of most songs’ success. Here’s what needs to be considered when using repetition as a structural element.
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Repetition of musical elements is possibly one of the most important characteristics of good music. Every good song finds that special hook that serves to identify itself to the world. But it’s not just a hook that gets repeated in good music.
Rhythmic patterns, melodic fragments, chord progressions, and lyrics of course, all get repeated as a song progresses. While excessive repetition can be boring, more songs will suffer from too little repetition than from too much.
Check the following list. Songs that lack repetition will sound boring to an audience. When you’ve finished your latest song, you should be able to notice the following elements, all of which relate to healthy repetition.
- A catchy, repetitious melodic shape. A good melody has a shape — it’s not a random up and down thing. You hear things repeating over and over, either exactly or approximately, as a song moves along.
- A catchy chorus hook. While not every song will use a strong, stand-alone hook, many songs do present something in the chorus that stands above the rest of the song. Sometimes you can identify problems by asking yourself one simple question: Is the chorus of my song fun to sing?
- Good interplay of repeating rhythms in the chorus. Though you hear repetition everywhere in good music, it’s during the chorus that you’ll see its importance. And it goes beyond the hook. It’s in the backing rhythms, in the supporting background vocals, throughout the instrumental accompaniments: riffs and patterns that grab the listener and keep them listening.
- An interesting intro that grabs attention. A song’s intro will usually establish the mood, performance style and tempo, as well as the song’s chord vocabulary. And most if not all of those parts involve repetition. Ask yourself: Am I using repetition to its best effect? This is the one section you want to be sure does not go on for too long. Ten to fifteen seconds is usually about right.
The curious paradox regarding repetition is that too much repetition has the same effect on an audience as too little: boredom. So it’s a matter of balance. Mindless repeating of something dulls the listeners’ mind, but a lack of repetition makes them feel lost.
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Written by Gary Ewer. Follow on Twitter.
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