Hooks and hugs

Some Songs are like a house. The intro invites you to come in. The verses show you the living room, the chorus is a celebration of intimacy and sharing. A way to say - as a popular expression in México do - my house is yours.

My favorite intros set the mood as the initial credits on a film do, but in pop music and some rock and roll tunes the idea of a "hook" is more relevant, a catchy easy to remember short musical phrase to capture the attention of the listener in the first seconds. That kind of thinking implies a tough competition for the attention and is quite related to the idea of mass distribution of music trough traditional media like Radio and TV

But in a concert situation ( and I dare to affirm that also happens on a web search situation) also , of course in the streaming concert scenario, there is no that kind of competition, There are no duration limits nor preconceptions about It. We are telling our story and we command our way to do it. So traditional structure approach can be defied. The intro is not that important as the road it promise. The intro can be as elaborated as a house front and not only a welcome carpet.

There are a lot of nice intro riffs and short phrases or rhythmic patterns I like. But in bossa, for example the intros are quite long. They have a little "bonsai" kind of structure, a little song before the song . They announce the song, give us clues about what we are going to listen and warmly welcome us.

My favorite "intros" are not exactly a Hook rather than a welcome Hug. Wich Are your favorite ones?

Departure point: A song DNA

I have the constant feeling that what i call "my songs" actually have chosen me to exist, i don´t write them, they inscribe in me words and notes revealing something i can´t think about, but i´m able to feel.

Departure point is always very simple, but is hard to keep it that way. So i take the guitar and just repeat and repeat this line in order to let it be clearer, more defined. The "less is more" rule guide me. Usually it has rhythmic pattern, a few words, a basic melodic line, but  also contains a full story, a clear subject, a vivid image. 

This very brief initial segment contains all the essential elements i need to build a song. Keeping it simple and pure, released of any preconception is my main focus. When i can do it , I have a song "DNA" to work with.

Everything else is just work and more work. A rational process of:  this works, that don´t. I work very hard on the melody line after i write the first verse or the chorus (whatever comes first)  I use the piano then, cause i can have a better visual sense of variations and possibilities.

Before building the whole structure i trust in these little piece of information. An idea for a song - as far as i have read in other songwriters experience - have a very syncretic form, developing the little elements that comes form initial inspiration is, off course, 99% of the process, but i find in these little "gens" a valuable point of departure in the always unpredictable journey of a new song.

How does it start for you?