Hi and thanks for following the link to this blog. If you’ve landed here you either want to know more about PUKK or the song writing process involved. I hope this does the trick.
Inbetween the busy life I lead I write songs and record them badly at home. It’s almost a trademark. When I get some spare cash together I venture to a studio and get a crafted finish to the songs I write. There are two musicians in PUKK and I’m almost one of them. I don’t read music, have no music theory knowledge and play guitar quite badly given the amount of time I’ve owned a guitar.
At 44 I’ve arrived at a place where I’ve managed to get 11 of my songs played by various internet radio podcasts and radio stations including BBC Introducing who have played 5 of them. 18 months ago I was playing acoustic guitar in the back bedroom trying to figure out the secrets of songwriting. I came to the conclusion that a simple formula needed to be followed to get the ball rolling. Start small and build from there.
The best analogy I came up with is to imagine your song as a child’s jigsaw with only 9 pieces. I use the idea of a jigsaw as it doesn’t matter what order they go together. It’s the fact that they all fit together in the end. Imagine the pieces are big and easy to fit together and each piece has one of the following on it:
1- song title
2- verse 1 (lyrics)
3- verse 2 (lyrics)
4- chorus (lyrics)
5- intro (chord progression)
6- ending (chord progression)
7- verse (chord progression)
8- chorus (chord progression)
9- hooks
There may be an explanation needed for number 9. Hooks are the points in a song that get in your ear and you want to hear again. They can be described as unique selling points or USP’s. It’s the finishing touch to a good meal that turns it into a great meal. Listen to some of your favourite tracks for the hooks. When you start to identify them yourself you will in turn be able to create them.
Keep the form simple to begin with. My first studio song was:
Verse
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
8 bar ending.
It is just 2 minutes long and pure simplicity. There is no middle 8 section, no elaborate intro and the ending is the same chord progression used from the verse. I spent years over thinking songs and when I eventually got myself together enough to write something that resembled a song I found I was doing it naturally and simply.
If you’re into a particular genre or band get one of their tablature books or go to one of the many Youtube lessons or tab websites. Get an idea of how they create the songs you love. Start small and keep trying. Learn all you can from the sources available to you and dismiss what doesn’t work in your process.
I write with an acoustic guitar 99% of the time. I sometimes create the melodies in my head with lyrics then have to reverse engineer the process and try to find chords that fit the vocal melody. It’s not an easy method for me but can be done. If you’re new to the game build the melody off a nice chord progression. Walk before you can run. The more you do the quicker the process becomes.
That’s all for now folks,
Joe
PUKK’s songs are available on Spotify, Itunes, Amazon Music and all other digital retail stores.
https://songwhip.com/artist/pukk
http://www.twitter.com/officialpukk
PUKK 