Think of a song that gave you goosebumps, and you felt as if your hair stood up the first time you heard it. As a songwriter, you would absolutely want to make your listeners feel the same kind of emotions when they listen to your music. If you want to experience the science behind this phenomenon and some songwriting techniques to achieve this in recording studios in St. Louis, keep reading.
Why Music Gives Us Chills:
According to various studies, the chills we experience when we listen to some songs are because of our brain's reward system. Right before we get the chills, a brain wave is activated, which is associated with completing a memory task. Hence, this hints at a reward. So, when the reward is received, dopamine is released, making us feel good. The reward response has two stages which are buildup and release.
How to Write Songs that Cause Chills:
Give People What They Need
Providing your listeners with a buildup and release is important. There should be musical builds in the pre-chorus, and it should break into a powerful chorus for the payoff. You can utilize various techniques that can help in creating such anticipation and delivering an emotionally satisfying release.
Reverse Psychology
Fear is quite important in inducing chills. So, you can surprise your audience by leading the song to a build-up but then giving an unexpected waste. There are various ways in which you can do so, such as pounding toms and then cutting them during the chorus. You can also follow a climbing melody with a lower register chorus. This will always keep your listeners on the edge.
Highlight the Drop
The drop is a powerful movement that signifies the introduction of drums, basslines, etc. This is mainly in electronic dance music. However, even in other genres, a clear and impactful drop can add a lot of intensity to the song in the recording studios in St. Louis Missouri. Make sure that the bassline and drums enter with a lot of force and create an amazing impact for the listeners.
Change Keys
When you shift keys in the song, it can provide a natural lift without any additional production. For this, you should connect chords like sus chords or chromatic scale as this will help you seamlessly transition between the keys. When you find common chords in both keys, this can help create an emotionally charged and smooth key change.
Use Contrasts
The best thing to utilize is contrast. You need to create a successful buildup release combination that has differences between the sections. Add dynamics to the track and make every part feel different and create anticipation during the buildup while having a powerful payoff in the release.
Conclusion:
If you want to write emotionally powerful songs that can give listeners chills, you need to understand the reward system of the brain and how anticipation and payoff play important roles. You need to make the best use of buildup and release while relying on reverse psychology, changing keys, and also focusing on the drop. This way, you will be able to craft songs that will efficiently capture the attention of your audience and will make them experience a lot of emotions when they listen to them. You will be able to create songs that will take your listeners on an emotional journey they will want to experience again and again.
If you wish to work on your songs in a recording studio in St. Louis, all you need to do is connect with us at Kalinga Production Studios. We can provide you with the best resources and you will always be satisfied with your recording experience in our studio.
Get in touch with us for more information.