You are likely aware of the term “confirmation bias”. It describes this feeling we have to accept the facts that support or confirm a position we might take on an issue, and we reject facts that seem to challenge that position.
We experience confirmation bias in practically every aspect of our normal lives, whether we’re talking about politics, our position on social issues, our favourite sports teams, or even our own children’s accomplishments.
Songwriters are very familiar with the chorus hook, but there are other kinds to experiment with, and you will want to discover the power of layering various kinds of hooks in the same song. “Hooks and Riffs: How They Grab Attention, Make Songs Memorable, and Build Your Fan Base“ shows you how it’s done.
As a songwriter, you also likely make use of confirmation bias. On social media for example, you’re likely to repost or “like” comments that speak to how good your songs are, and highly unlikely to repost anything that expresses a negative attitude.
And as far as that goes, it’s fine. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having a bias toward your own creative works, and I think it would be strange to be giving equal voice to naysayers on your own website or social media feed!
But as a singer-songwriter, it’s important from time to time to take a close look at your music, and assess in a more objective way the ways in which you could be improving your songs.
And probably the best way to do that is to play your music live.
And not just once, but to make live performance a regular part of your musical life.
One thing that a live performance offers is the chance for you to hear a spontaneous, immediate response. And when you perform live over a period of time, you get to, in a sense, “compile” various audience reactions and make note of what seems to be having a positive reaction and what’s perhaps missing the mark.
If you’re not sure how or where to perform your songs live, the best way is to try to make connections to other performers in your area, particularly those who work in your chosen genre.
And if it’s hard to make those connections, you will want to try the following:
- Check out local bars, restaurants or cafés who hire performers for weekend evenings.
- Research local festivals or group concerts.
- Participate in songwriter circles (which gives you the opportunity to sing your songs for experienced musicians who are usually very encouraging and respectful of everyone’e efforts.)
All in all, you want to increase the chances that others will hear your songs, and while building your own fan base it gives you that all important opportunity to hear other people’s immediate reaction to something you’ve written.
Those honest opinions give you the chance to hone and polish your music. Every successful songwriter is a person who has made acceptable compromises to how they write in the bid to increase listenership. And the one best way to achieve that is to start getting your songs out there for others to hear.
Written by Gary Ewer. Follow Gary on Twitter.
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