Building Musical Momentum in a Natural Way

Moving a melody upward is an easy and natural way to ensure that people keep listening to your music.

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Written by Gary Ewer, author of “The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-ebook Bundle.

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It’s hard to define exactly what we mean by musical momentum as it pertains to songwriting. Like many terms relating to the arts, it’s best defined by the end result. In that regard, momentum is that quality of music that makes people want to continue to listen to your song. It is similar to musical energy. It compels someone to stick with your music, because they sense a kind of excitement building.

When songs lack momentum or energy, listeners generally feel bored, not overly motivated to keep listening. Sometimes energy can be injected at the production stage. An otherwise boring song might be improved by making music louder, higher and stronger.

But in my opinion, enhancing the energy level of your music is something best done at the songwriting stage. If you can get a song working well as an a cappella or unplugged tune, where the song naturally builds energy, then you’ve got something that a producer can really bring to life, and possibly turn into a gem.

So how do you build momentum naturally?

1. Move melodies generally in an upward direction. British singer-songwriter Ella Eyre‘s song “Home” is a great example of this. The verse starts low in her voice, moving between G3 (below middle C) and the D above middle C. The pre-chorus then sees her voice moving upward, from Bb to Eb. For the chorus, the voice continues higher, from D to the Bb above middle C. That gradual movement upward is common in most songs, from pop to jazz to classical, and it builds momentum in a very natural way. 
2. Contrast major with minor mini-progressions. “Home” is in the key of G minor, but you get moments of major that contrast with the minor key. That oscillating between major and minor is like a harmony-based engine that keeps the listener interest growing. In the verse, the progressions keep returning to the Gm chord, but in and around that chord you get moments that point more to Bb major: Bb Eb Fsus4 F, for example, in the verse, and then in the chorus: Bb Eb F Cm Eb
3. Move lyrics from narrative, speculative style to something stronger and more emotion-based. In “Home”, you get verse statements like “…everything seems to be fine/ On the surface I look good/ but I don’t feel the same inside/ Something’s wrong…” which change slightly in mood during the pre-chorus: “No need to worry, there’s no urgency here/ I’m all good, I’ll be on my way…” Then in the chorus we get something stronger, expressing the more intense emotions that come from the simple concept of being “home”: “And I find my self at home, home no never be scared/ Home’s where my family are, I’m home no never look back/ Hold on to what I have..” That kind of natural progression is crucial to keeping an audience committed to your song.
4. Give the song title special significance and placement. In “Home”, the word gets sung over and over, its importance emphasized in a crucial way. It’s not just the title – it’s the entire concept, and it directs the creation of the song lyric in a very natural way.
5. Build instrumentation and rhythms to complement the rising energy. As you sense the musical energy building in the design of your song, you can enhance the energy by allowing the instrumentation to increase and backing rhythms to intensify.

Once you’ve got the bare bones of the song working in this manner, it makes the job of creating the performance of your song so much easier. In a sense, there’s a kind of logic that helps you know how the end product should sound. And it all starts by being sure that everything works before you even get to the point of thinking about production.

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Written by Gary Ewer. Follow on Twitter.

“The Essential Secrets of Songwriting” 6-eBook Bundle looks at songwriting from every angle, and has been used by thousands of songwriters. How to use chords, write melodies, and craft winning lyrics. (And you’ll receive a FREE copy of “From Amateur to Ace: Writing Songs Like a Pro.“)