What makes a good original?

[GrimBrody]

ok i dunno whether this topic has been posted before..lazy to look thru the 11 pages worth of topics lah..

What is your definition of a good original song? Does it lie in the lyrics or the melodies? Do not bring up mindless guitar shredding or technical hoo haa cos I will have no idea how to answer to all that.. simply..in the song itself..what makes it appeal to you guys?

Songs IMO from local bands that are really Good..
Rafe's "Everything" (honest lyrics + nice tune+ arrangement)
Concave Scream's "Driven" (i dunno..it felt good listening to that song in your bedroom while it rains outside at night.. Nice guitar works + lyrics + good chorus)
Humpback Oak's "Circling Square" (nice guitar works + brilliant vocal harmonisation + arrangement)

 

[AgingYouth]

Hey Izaar,

Great set last night.... Work on those originals. I see Fatskunks gg a long way with them!!

And basically, I think you've answered your own questions eh?

Hope to hear you guys more!

 

[GrimBrody]

aiyah..haha..
thanks man for comin..

jst tryna get more opinions from my peers man..haha..

thanks again :wink:

 

[wyldeboon]

ya ah.... lunarin 1/2 oso not bad... from fatskunks
as for me rite...the lyrics got meaning or direction n follow the tune or smtink n the arrangement is cool or weird is cool with me...

 

[GrimBrody]

alamak bro..lunarcy 1 & 2 lah...haha.. :smt017


what if the lyrics are actually just mindless words but the arrangements just flows smoothly.. or the tune just sticks in your mind for the rest of the day..leaving you wanting more?

which one is better?

 

[Newbie]

I will actually prefer both. Lol i mean.. Mindless words + smooth arrangements = eminem + GnR.

 

[turbochicken]

prefer concept to melody

hey interesting topic.

um, well, what makes a good original may depend on what kinda audience you're targetting. i mean, songs are meant to be heard and appreciated by the pple right? and since there are different groups of pple, including the laymen, whom prefer melody driven songs most of the time...

but personally, i'm more concept driven than melody. the main idea of your song and how you use arrangement to bridge the idea to the listener; either doing it the safe way(what has been done and proven effective or what's in) or push the edge(say with unorthodox instrumentation).

plus how well you manipulate sounds to further enhance your song and convince the listener of the concept of your song.

something like if you arrangement something to sound sinister, the easiest way is to use darker chords and progressions and perhaps say a detuned erhu that fades in and out occasionally. that's being safe.

erm i know it's riduculously vague but...just thinking aloud.

 

[sanXp]

I'm a melody person. I can get hooked on a song just because of the tune and not knowing what the person is actually singing about. And I always get lyrics wrong, and they almost never make sense to me. (because I get them wrong) But a song will be very cool if it has a very depressingly addictive tune with lyrics that can't be made out by just listening, but are actually very deep in meaning, 'rewarding' people who find out what the guy is actually singing about. Something like X-Japan's rock ballads. Downside is that you can make your fans suicidal.

To me, music is the universal language, therefore to me melody should take precedence over lyrics.

 

[GrimBrody]

I'm a melody person. I can get hooked on a song just because of the tune and not knowing what the person is actually singing about. And I always get lyrics wrong, and they almost never make sense to me. (because I get them wrong) But a song will be very cool if it has a very depressingly addictive tune with lyrics that can't be made out by just listening, but are actually very deep in meaning, 'rewarding' people who find out what the guy is actually singing about. Something like X-Japan's rock ballads. Downside is that you can make your fans suicidal.

To me, music is the universal language, therefore to me melody should take precedence over lyrics.

hahaha..nicely said there man..
personally, yeah..i d rather have a melody stuck in my head..till it makes me wanna get off my ass and go look for the band who played it..and when i finally get the cd..look at the lyrics..sometimes they are very introspective..but sometimes..u have no idea what kinda msg they're tryna put thru to you..

but oh hell..if the melody jst kicks ass..i m sure it'll get u movin :wink:

 

[azacamis]

I guess chicken says it nicely. It all depends on your audience. If your audience says it is nice, who to say it is not?

 

[litford]

believe in your music because only you know it better than anyone else. when pieces of yourself shine thru and you connect with your intended audience, instills a reaction, you've communicated with your art. a good original is subjective, but you're the only one that will keep it from dying and wot you do with it.