Spotlight on the Blues song genre

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The aim of our spotlights on different song genres is to make it easy for Music teachers to bring to life the different contemporary music styles.  In addition, for English teachers to have the knowledge and a great instrumental track for pupils to write song lyrics in a style of music they choose.

The Blues, which originated from the African Americans communities in the 1860s, is one of the most influential music of the 19th and 20th century. It is the root of many contemporary genres like Jazz, Rock”n”Roll, Country, R”n”B, Soul, Funk and many more.

We’ve looked at some of the key features of instrumentation, rhythm & beat and chords & harmonies in Blues songs.  Plus we’ve selected some Blues songs to have a listen to.  Pupils can use our demonstration instrumental track to write their lyrics & melodies over.

Instrumentation
Slaves in the deep South of America used to sing work songs narrating their routine. When slavery was abolished in 1865 and they were able to have their own instruments, the best one they could afford to accompany their singing was the guitar. Blues evolved with time and incorporated quickly the harmonica, the piano and in the 20th century, the drums, the bass, the electric guitars and the organs.

Rhythm and Beat
Because it originated from songs that accompanied Slaves working on fields, Blues had at the beginning a slow tempo, to sync with the speed of walking footsteps. It is also the music that created a new rhythmical feeling calling shuffle, which led from the 1910s to the rhythmical feeling called swing, used in jazz and many other genres.

Chords and Harmonies
Although it came from musically uneducated people, the Blues revolutionised completely the western perception of music because of its unconventional harmonies. Some “rules” were unconsciously broken, like the fact of singing a minor third while the chord played was major. These discoveries led classically trained pianists to create new piano genres of music like the ragtime and the boogie boogie. The authentic Blues form was created and respected since the beginning and The Blues scale is nowadays used in all kind of music, as well as for improvising melodies.

Demonstration instrumental track
You can use our demonstration instrumental track below to have a go at putting your lyrics and melodies over a Blues style instrumental.  The Demo instrumental has the minor blue form and has a slow 6/8 feel which is quite common.  The song structure of this instrumental track is:

Refrain – 4 bars
Verse 1 – 16 bars
Refrain – 4 bars
Verse 2 – 16 bars
Solo – 16 bars
Verse 3 – 16 bars
Turnaround – 8 bars (second half of verse progression)

SONG REFERENCES

HREE O’CLOCK BLUES – BB.KING
BB.King was considered as one of the “three kings of the blues” with a career longer than 65 years as a singer and guitarist. He was one of the most influential blues musicians since his first record in 1949. This song has a slow 6/8 feel like the reference instrumental.

BEFORE YOU ACCUSE ME – ERIC CLAPTON
In the 1960s, rock”n”roll came to life. Many guitar heroes like Eric Clapton (who was a a friend of BB King) arrived from that time and although music continued to evolve, nobody forgot where all the inspiration came from, the Blues.

SWEET HOME CHICAGO – ROBERT JOHNSON
The legend says Robert sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his talent and ability to create the blues. Sweet Home Chicago is one of the oldest recorded blues song that became a standard among musicians.

SWEET HOME CHICAGO – THE BLUES BROTHERS
The blues brothers became famous worldwide with their movie “the blues brothers” in 1980 which features stars from their time like Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Ray Charles..
This is an interpretation of the song by Robert Johnson which they performed with a whole band including e-guitars, horns, drums etc… It’s a great example of how Blues has evolved through time.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=blues+brothers+sweet+home+chicago

Click here to explore more of our songwriting resources for Teachers.

Information on The Young Songwriter 2023 competition, entry period 1st February to 31st March 2023

Spotlight on the Reggaeton song genre

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The aim of our spotlights on different song genres is to make it easy for Music teachers to bring to life the different contemporary music styles.  In addition, for English teachers to have the knowledge and a great instrumental track for pupils to write song lyrics in a style of music they choose.

Reggaeton is a music style that originated in Puerto Rico during the mid-1990s and is now regarded as one of the most popular music genres in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. Over the 2010s the genre has increased in popularity across Latin America, as well as acceptance within mainstream western music and nowadays the grooves of Reggaeton are used in many crossovers with other mainstream styles like RnB, Hip Hop and Pop music.

We’ve looked at some of the key features of instrumentation, rhythm & beat and chords & harmonies in Reggaeton songs.  Plus we’ve selected some Reggaeton songs to have a listen to.  Pupils can use our demonstration instrumental track to write their lyrics & melodies over.

Instrumentation
Reggaeton comes from music styles that used mainly acoustic instruments, drums, guitars, percussions. But with the influence of western electronic music, Reggaeton which is meant for dancing in clubs, blends synths sounds with more percussive traditional instruments. It is also common to hear some acoustic guitars and sometimes even horn sections.

Rhythm and Beat
Typical is the drum beat with the kicks going “4 on the floor” like in a EDM beat but with the snare playing more syncopes (syncopated rhythm). The guitar, accordion or piano sometimes play the typical reggae “Skunk” which is about playing all the “off-beats”. The rhythms are generally accompanied with a lot of percussions like shakers and congas that add fills and dynamics.

Chords and Harmonies
The roots of Reggaeton are close to folk-music but at the same time, it wants to get modern and trendy. That is why there are some songs that use traditional chord progressions while others sounds more pop. But reggaeton is also loved in RnB where we use more colourful jazz chords.

Demonstration instrumental track
You can use our demonstration instrumental track below to have a go at putting your lyrics and melodies over a Reggaeton style instrumental.  The Demo instrumental has a typical medium dance Reggaeton groove.  The song structure of this instrumental track is

Intro x4
Verse x8
Prechorus x8
Chorus x8
2nd Verse x8
2nd Prechorus x8
Chorus x8
Outro x4

SONG REFERENCES

The following references are here to help you understand the classic Reggaeton sound but also different crossovers possibilities.

DESPACITO – LUIS FONSI
This classic has almost 8 billions views on Youtube. It’s a typical Reggaeton song with acoustic instruments like guitars and traditional percussions.

MI GENTE – J BALVIN, WILLY WILLIAM
Another big hit for Reggaeton using sampling, electronic drums and percussions.

LOOSE MY COOL – AMBER MARK
This is an RnB song but using Reggaeton´s beat. It’s a very trendy crossover that uses jazzy harmonies, soulful vocals and Latinos rhythms.

DINERO – JENNIFER LOPEZ
An great crossover between Reggaeton and Hiphop mainly electronically produced but using samples.

DON’T GO YET –
CAMILA CABELLO
This is a pop song but with a rich production blending Reggaeton beats with Salsa elements. You can recognise the traditional instruments like the piano, the guitars, the choir.

Click here to explore more of our songwriting resources for Teachers.

Information on The Young Songwriter 2023 competition, entry period 1st February to 31st March 2023

Spotlight on the Hip Hop song genre

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The aim of our spotlights on different song genres is to make it easy for Music teachers to bring to life the different contemporary music styles.  In addition, for English teachers to have the knowledge and a great instrumental track for pupils to write song lyrics in a style of music they choose.

Hip Hop developed in the 1970s by African Americans, Latino Americans and Jamaicans in the bronx borough of New York City, but through times it became more than just a music genre. It started mainly with DJs that would mix music with turntables, experimenting with scratches and breaks while singers would Rap. And the use of new technologies like sampling and drum machines allowed the creation of new music by using old records. Nowadays Hip Hop culture include MCing/rapping, DJing, Break dancing, Grafiti writing, Beatmaking, Beatboxing, Autotuning.

We’re looked at some of the key features of instrumentation, rhythm & beat and chords & harmonies in Hip Hop songs.  Plus we’ve selected some Hip Hop songs to have a listen to.  Pupils can use our demonstration instrumental track to write their lyrics & melodies over.

Instrumentation
While Hip Hop has evolved since the 1970s, creating many subgenres on its way, it is mainly defined by having strong drum beats that uses electronic sounds and samples from old records. The mix of synthesised sounds and samples of acoustic and even exotic traditional instruments from all over the world is a blending of modern and old times which until today has always been trendy.

Rhythm and Beat
Old school and contemporary Hip Hop have the same essence but different drum grooves. While the old school beats tend to be medium fast for break-dancers, it is very common nowadays to have slow beats that have a lot of drum movements and energy using sub basses and crunchy kicks.

Chords and Harmonies
Hip Hop is all about energy and beat. There are no rules really for chords and harmonies because there are many different sub-genres that uses all kind of combinations. Lofi-Hip Hop has a strong jazz influence while Trap is more defined by having less chords and a moving bass line.

Demonstration instrumental track
You can use our demonstration instrumental track below to have a go at putting your lyrics and melodies over a Hip Hop style instrumental.  The Demo instrumental is typical for nowadays Hip Hop beats. It uses mainly a sample of an instrument that reminds traditional instruments from somewhere in the world.  The song structure of this instrumental track is:

Intro x4
Verse x8
Prechorus x8
Chorus x8
2nd Verse x16
Prechorus (buildup) x8
Chorus x8
Chorus (or bridge) x8
Outro x8

SONG REFERENCES

Following song references are here to give you a wide idea of the hiphop sound.

STILL D.R.E – DR. DRE
This is a classic for old school hiphop. A strong drum loop, a repetitive piano pattern, some strings in the background and a lot of rapping.

I LIKE IT – CARDI B
Great production using a lot of traditional instruments and samples in the style of cuban music.

OLD TOWN ROAD – LIL NAS
Fun song blending country singing style, traditional instruments like banjo with autotune and hiphop beat.

GOD´S PLAN – DRAKE
This production is made of 2 chords, a looped synth and a drum beat. Typical contemporary hiphop beat that feels slow but on which we move and dance double time.

Click here to explore more of our songwriting resources for Teachers.

Information on The Young Songwriter 2023 competition, entry period 1st February to 31st March 2023

Spotlight on the Dance song genre

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The aim of our spotlights on different song genres is to make it easy for Music teachers to bring to life the different contemporary music styles.  In addition, for English teachers to have the knowledge and a great instrumental track for pupils to write song lyrics in a style of music they choose.

EDM are the initials for Electronic Dance Music which is a wide range of genres made for nightclubs and festivals.
Disco is one of the biggest precursor of EDM that started to use mostly these so called “4 on the floor” beats where the drum kick stays steady, typical for most dance music nowadays. With the appearance of synths, samples and electronic drum beats, several genres were born from the 1980s like Electro, House and Techno music. The clubbing culture evolved differently in Europe and America but from the 2000s EDM music’s popularity increased globally and many different sub-genres continued to develop.

We’ve looked at some of the key features of instrumentation, rhythm & beat and chords & harmonies in Dance songs.  Plus we’ve selected some Dance songs to have a listen to.  Pupils can use our demonstration instrumental track to write their lyrics & melodies over.

Instrumentation
EDM music like the name says is mainly made of electronic sounds and synths. The development of digital production on computers made easy and accessible the manipulation of audio files, complex arrangement with many details and sections, sampling and the use of synthetic effects.

Rhythm and Beat
We are talking about club music so obviously, the goal is to dance, to feel energised. The grooves are mostly fast using strong drum kicks, a lot of percussions and synths that moves with a lot of up beats. Depending of the genre, we could eventually hear a funky guitar or keys that adds even more rhythm.

Chords and Harmonies
The energy of any kind of EDM music comes from the rhythm, the hooks and the sound aesthetic. Some genres use only a few basic chords. some others get influenced by jazz, soul or even classical music.

Demonstration instrumental track
You can use our demonstration instrumental track below to have a go at putting your lyrics and melodies over a Dance style instrumental.  The Demo instrumental has a typical fast beat using a lot of effects, electronic sounds and synths.  The song structure of this instrumental track is:

Intro x4
Verse x8
Prechorus x8
Chorus x8
2nd Verse x8
2nd Prechorus (Buildup) x8
Chorus x8
Chorus x8
Outro x4

SONG REFERENCES

WAKE ME UP – AVICII
Avicii was one of the well known producers that made an impact on the EDM scene. This production has a pop song character but have some typical dance parts led by melodic synths.

TITANIUM – DAVID GUETTA
One of the oldest players in the clubbing game released this classic with the iconic SIA

THIS IS WHAT YOU CAME FOR – CALVIN HARRIS
Another DJ who created this Dance production in collaboration with Rihanna.

SYMPHONY – CLEAN BANDIT
Clean Bandit is a band that is well know for creating clever dance songs with a touch of classical music by using a lot of strings.

Click here to explore more of our songwriting resources for Teachers.

Information on The Young Songwriter 2023 competition, entry period 1st February to 31st March 2023

Spotlight on the RnB song genre

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The aim of our spotlights on different song genres is to make it easy for Music teachers to bring to life the different contemporary music styles.  In addition, for English teachers to have the knowledge and a great instrumental track for pupils to write song lyrics in a style of music they choose.

RnB are the initials for Rhythm and Blues, a genre of music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. That was the time where musicians transformed jazz based music by using new popular instrument like electric guitar and bass and more heavy consistent drum beats.

Some artists who made this genre well known were Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Little Richard.  Nowadays, RNB music has evolved a lot, using electronic sounds and production technics like in modern pop music. But the essence is still the same as at its beginning, some Jazz, some Blues and a lot of Soul.

We’ve looked at some of the key features of instrumentation, rhythm & beat and chords & harmonies in RnB songs.  Plus we’ve selected some RnB songs to have a listen to.  Pupils can use our demonstration instrumental track to write their lyrics & melodies over.

Instrumentation
In contemporary RNB, it is very often to hear electric or acoustic guitars. Synths and keys are used to add more colours and its even possible to hear sometimes horns sections which comes from jazz and soul music. And of course all kind of drum beats with modern effects, reversed sounds and noises that add character to a track.

Rhythm and Beat
RNB evolved a lot through time and it is difficult to define one typical groove for this kind of music. The early “Rhythm and Blues” sounded very similar to Rock”n”roll. It had a fast tempo with the intention to make people dance. Nowadays RNB tends to be slower than typical dance Songs and they are sometimes even very slow. Most songs are in 4/4 which means that the rhythm goes 1, 2, 3, 4 but RNB is a genre that has a lot of songs using 6/8 rhythms like in the demo instrumental.

Chords and Harmonies
Pop and RnB music seems to be very similar nowadays because they are both very popular, very flexible, they use both acoustic and electronic sounds. But the roots of RNB are Jazz and Blues so you need to play jazzy chords to get the colours of a H.e.r or Jorja Smith´s song. By adding the 7th of each chords like Am7 instead of just Am, it will already get much closer to the authentic RNB sound.

Demonstration instrumental track
You can use our demonstration instrumental track below to have a go at putting your lyrics and melodies over a RnB style instrumental.  The Demo instrumental has a 6/8 feels which means that we count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.  The song structure of this instrumental track is:

Intro x4 (bars)
Verse x8
Prechorus x8
Chorus x8
2nd Verse x8
2nd Prechorus x8
Chorus x8
Chorus x8
Outro x8

SONG REFERENCES

Following songs are here to help you understand the groove of it, make you discover variations with different moods and also inspire you with melodic ideas.

FALLIN – ALICIA KEYS
One of the most well known RnB songs of the 2000s. Alicia Keys loves to use the acoustic piano everywhere and a lot of backing vocals to add more dynamics while the electronic drum beat is almost just a loop.

FORFEIT – KIANA LEDÉ
Typical 6/8 guitar based RnB song with many movements and variations in the vocal melodies.

COMFORTABLE – H.E.R
Intimate song with simple hooks with the choruses that leaves a lot of space for the music to vibe.

IF YOU LET ME – SINEAD HARNETT
This doesn’t have a 6/8 feel but it is a great song with a lot of energy and passion although it is very slow and uses only electronic sounds.

DANGEROUS WOMAN –
ARIANA GRANDE
This would probably be described more as a Pop song rather than a RnB one but it is also in 6/8 and Ariana Grande is anyway known to have sung anything from EDM, Pop, HipHop, Jazz and of also RnB.

Click here to explore more of our songwriting resources for Teachers.

Information on The Young Songwriter 2023 competition, entry period 1st February to 31st March 2023

Songwriting workshops at Half-Term & Easter holidays

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A must for aspiring young songwriters!  Develop your songwriting skills.  Be inspired.  Meet like-minded young people. Write great songs.  Enter your songs into The Young Songwriter 2022 competition!

Bookings are now open for our popular online and in-person songwriting workshops over the February half-term & the Easter holidays! Songwriting workshops for beginners, intermediates & advanced young songwriters.  Small groups of like-minded young creatives get inspired by Song Academy professional songwriters & take on songwriting briefs to express themselves with lyrics & music….writing their own original songs. Collaborative technology used with Zoom and Soundtrap to create an excellent online experience.  Builds confidence & creative skills……and great fun!

Two types of songwriting workshops:

  • Want to write a song with others? Join a group of up to 8 young people to write a song from scratch together. Then start writing your own song. 3 hour workshop
  • Want to write your own song? Join a group of up 4 young people and write your own original song over 2 days (2 hours each day) or over 3 days (2 hours a day)

All groups have young people the same age and songwriting/musical experience.

CHECK OUT DATES & HOW TO BOOK YOUR PLACE. Don’t miss out! Limited places available.

Testimonials:

“A perfect holiday activity – creative, fun, great group of kids, inspiring leaders and a fantastic song written & performed in such a short time. Bravo!” Emma, Mother
“I’ve come away with loads of ideas to try out with my new songs. Plus I’m going to start writing some with the friends I’ve made!” Anya, aged 16

Songwriting tips from SAYS22 judges & ambassadors

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Get inspired with these songwriting tips from The Young Songwriter competition 2022 (#SAYS22) judges & ambassadors!

We’re running a campaign to help inspire and share wisdom with the next generation of songwriters.  Over the #SAYS22 competition period we’ll be sharing 15 second songwriting tips from our judges, Song Academy ambassadors & professional songwriters around the world.  Some are in the YouTube videos below and keep a watch on our social channels for more!

We’d also like all young songwriters around the world to share their top songwriting tip.  Alternatively, to share how they are using the songwriting tips we’ve shared in writing their own songs. To get involved, upload an Instagram story on your channel and tag song_academy and #SAYS22.  We’ll share them on our social media channels!

Would you like to enter your original songs into The Young Songwriter 2022 competition?  Find out more here.

Songwriting resources for Teachers – Exploring rhyme schemes

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When we use rhyme in writing song lyrics, it helps to keep a rhyme scheme in mind. Rhyme helps give a song a sense of structure and make lines more memorable and catchy.

Here is a quick recap of how rhyme schemes work, if needed – Look at the lines below:

Twinkle twinkle little star A
How I wonder what you are A
Up above the world so high B
Like a diamond in the sky B
Twinkle twinkle little star A
How I wonder what you are A

The rhyming words appear at the end of each line, which is the most common type of rhyme. Each line is labelled with an alphabetical letter, and the lines that share rhyming words are labelled with the same letter. We then use that sequence of letters to describe the rhyme scheme.

Therefore, in the example above, as lines 1, 2, 5, and 6 all rhyme (star/are), and lines 3 and 4 rhyme (high/sky), we would call this rhyme scheme AABBAA.

Here’s another example:

Finding me outside A
I can’t fall asleep B
How my body aches C
How I’ve fallen deep B

This rhyme scheme is ABCB. Only lines 2 and 4 rhyme (asleep/deep), so we only label them as the same letter.

ACTIVITIES TO TRY WITH YOUNG BEGINNER SONGWRITERS

  • Pick a song well-known to the group. Hand out copies of the lyrics, or display them on a board or screen. As a group, discuss and label the rhyme scheme.
  • As a group, write four lines of lyrics to a simple rhyme scheme, e.g. AABB or ABAB.
  • Have the group create their own four to six line rhyme scheme. They can either write lyrics using their own rhyme schemes, or swap with a partner to challenge them to write to their rhyme schemes.
  • If this is going well, challenge them to write using a more complex rhyme scheme with more letters, e.g ABCBA or ABACDA

 

 

Songwriting resources for Teachers – Turning a poem into a song

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Turning a poem into a song.  Poetry and songwriting are very closely connected – in fact, many songwriters have stated that they started out writing poems before they wrote songs, and those poems became the basis for their lyrics.

So what do a poem and a song have in common? Both make use of RHYTHM and RHYME.

RHYTHM refers to the speed and pace of words, how fast we say them, and which words we emphasise.

RHYME refers to words that sound the same. You’ll often see rhyming words at the ends of lines in poetry. There are many types of rhymes, including single-syllable – like ‘cat’ and ‘hat’ – double syllable – like ‘missing’ and ‘kissing’ – and more.

In poetry, rhythm and rhyme provide a flow to a poem as it is spoken or read. However, in a song, rhythm and rhyme combine with the melodies and production. The rhythm of the words contributes to the overall mood of the song, and the rhyme enhances certain lines, making them more memorable and catchy.

ACTIVITIES TO TRY WITH YOUNG BEGINNER SONGWRITERS

Step 1:  Find a short poem to use – 4 to 8 lines. A limerick might work particularly well. First have the children identify the rhymes, and label matching rhymes with matching letters. (If unsure on this system, consult resources such as https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z4mmn39/articles/z83g2nb )

Step 2:  Set a pulse beat going, either using a metronome or clapping, and have an individual child or children recite the poem over it. Identify which words were emphasised – this is the rhythm of the words. It may help to underline these emphasised words, for memory.

Step 3:  Discuss melody – what sort of melody would go with this poem? Which words would the pitch move up and down on?
Have the children create their own melodies to fit with the rhythm of the words they have found.
If this is going well, challenge them to find more than one melody, and experiment with the rhythm of the words – lengthening, shortening and emphasising different words than before.

More songwriting resources for Teachers are at

All information on The Song Academy Young Songwriter 2022 competition, open for entries for the 1st February to the 31st March 2022.

Half-Term and Summer Holiday Songwriting Workshops – dates announced

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A must for aspiring young songwriters!  Develop your songwriting skills.  Be inspired.  Meet like-minded young people. Write great songs.

Bookings are now open for our popular online songwriting workshops over half-term & the Summer holidays! Songwriting workshops for beginners, intermediates & advanced young songwriters.  Small groups of like-minded young creatives get inspired by Song Academy professional songwriters & take on songwriting briefs to express themselves with lyrics & music….writing their own original songs. Collaborative technology used with Zoom and Soundtrap to create an excellent online experience.  Builds confidence & creative skills……and great fun!

Two types of songwriting workshops:

  • Want to write a song with others? Join a group of up to 8 young people to write a song from scratch together. Then start writing your own song. 3 hour workshop
  • Want to write your own song? Join a group of up 4 young people and write your own original song over 3 days (2 hours each day). 6 hour workshop.

All groups have young people the same age and songwriting/musical experience.

CHECK OUT DATES & HOW TO BOOK YOUR PLACE. Don’t miss out! Limited places available.

Testimonials:

“A perfect holiday activity – creative, fun, great group of kids, inspiring leaders and a fantastic song written & performed in such a short time. Bravo!” Emma, Mother
“I’ve come away with loads of ideas to try out with my new songs. Plus I’m going to start writing some with the friends I’ve made!” Anya, aged 16

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