It stands for 'keep it simple stupid' (the last S can mean anything you like of course) and it is a good rule of thumb for writing songs.
If the main components of a song are the melody and the lyrics then why would you want to complicate things by adding more to it than you need?
Human beings are really funny creatures. We get bored with simplicity so we try to complicate things so we can remain interested in whatever we are doing.
I think one of the main mistakes that we, as songwriters make is that we think how we feel about our songs is how everybody feels about them. This is simply not the case. Consider the fact that your assumptions as to what people think of your songs are incorrect and just allow people to enjoy them for what they are.
Making a song more complicated may interest you but it also may lose your audience, be careful.
A great song is like a great soup. If you put too many different flavours into the soup then the soup becomes less and less flavoursome. What happens when you mix too many colours together? You get a mess.
As mentioned in the beginning a song is made of two essential components:
1. Melody
2. Song lyric
I say essential because (and this is a personal view) a song without words is an instrumental piece of music and a song without music is a lyric or a poem. All are just as important as each other however, as songwriters we need to make these distinctions clear in our own minds.
In my role as a judge for songwriting competitions I come across lots of songs that have way too many ideas in them for their own good. What this tends to do is overshadow the melody of the song and restricts the listeners opportunity to be engaged in a musical journey. Any hooks that the listener can grab onto become lost.
In keeping it simple you are allowing your songs to breathe and develop organically. A great song has just as much space as well as substance in it and as songwriters we are but the scales that allow the balance between the two to exist.
Musical arrangement, counterpoint and harmony are very important in songwriting however look at these components as things that you use mindfully, knowing full well that too much of these things can spoil the song.
Don't be afraid to keep things simple. Simplicity is not bad or boring but the best way to get your message or intention across to people and besides, we could all do with a bit more simplicity in our lives.
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Songwriter/Musician
Keywords: song writing, songwriting, melody, rss feed, song lyric, songwriting tip, songwriting help, songwriting technique, songwriting idea, free songwriting tip, corey stewart
