The "IdOMusic" Blog (Powered By PatchWerk): Songwriting 101: Watch For The Hook

We all know that the music business is very competitive. As music continues to change daily so does the members involved. The songwriters are challenged all the same way. The fact is every artist in the game most likely has an arsenal of songs they are marketing and creating daily. The music industry is bursting with countless melodies, lyrics, and hooks all competing for the coveted spotlight

Everyday this week I will leave you with some important info to make your Songwriting "WERK!" Today lets look at the chorus and the hook.

The Chorus Section & ‘The Hook’

The chorus of your song should be the part that everyone sings along with; the part that really drives your message home. When people ask about a song and don’t know the name, people will say, “Sing me the chorus.” This usually leads to the answer. You want the chorus to be the strongest part of your entire song. It can help you get the main idea across and establish the key of the song. From there, you can try to build your verses and bridge around the main chorus concept. Beginning to write from a verse is all right too. However, without a chorus idea in mind, it is often easy to lose focus of what your song is truly about.

When composing the melody for the chorus, it is best to keep your listeners in mind. Keep things simple. The simpler your chorus is, the more people will be able to sing along.

Special emphasis should also be placed on ‘the hook’ of your song. Often times, the hook means the song title’s placement in your chorus. Some songs will just repeat the hook or song title throughout. Other songs try the hook out first. One of the most popular places for a hook or title is at the end of the chorus. Using this hook placement, your title will be the last thing the listener hears during the chorus section. Since most songs end with the chorus, the title will also be the last thing the listener hears when the song ends.

It can be argued whether the title or the hook chorus placement is the best. Regardless you want your title to stick out in your song. This can be obtained by using a catchy melody or by musical arrangement ideas. If you begin writing by building a strong chorus, you have already established your main idea and you can now draw inspiration from that idea for the other sections of your song.

Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow!

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