Phew! - I read the title of the thread and thought I was going to get a slamming!!!
This is one of my favourite "discussion topics" - the "rules" of songwriting
As we all know there are no "rules" in songwriting and because songs are so subjective what one person loves another will hate
However, one thing (of a gazillion things) that can make a song sound "good" is to make it sound like the massive hits that "Joe Public" will unconsciously recognise
I therefore believe that there are rules/tricks/techniques/tools/ you can implement to make your songs sound more like the songs people recognise, which will help them "connect" with your song, which will probably make them more likely to like it
This is essential for pitching (whether you like it or not) but can also help to make any song "feel" more professional and help people engage with it
One such trick (and IMHO the most important) is structure
Currently the most popular (by far) structure is the one described above
After an important and exciting announcement in the next SongwriterSelect podcast, which will be available very soon:
http://songwriterselect.com/ I will be able to back this up with some interesting facts and figures (watch this space
![Wink ;)](http://songwriterforum.co.uk/Smileys/default/wink.gif)
)
However, DOGMAX is spot on that the structure chosen should be the one that suits the song, and (IMHO) gives the song the best chance of connecting with the listener
Eg
if you want to create an initial impact then why not start with the chorus?
If you have a "story to tell" why let a chorus get in the way of the story?
- why not just use verse-verse-verse-verse (etc.)?
- or have a "mini chorus"/ refrain by simply repeating the last line of each verse?
It is these things that move you from "song
writing" to "song
craft"
For me the writing part comes from the heart and is the "arty" part
For some this is all that is required/desired and I respect that
For me my favourite part is applying the "craft" to try and make my writing sound as "professional" as possible - which means making them sound like previous hits - which means learning the "rules & tools" of songcraft - and when to break them to suit my needs
So I suppose my real mantra is:
"learn the rules so you know how to break them when you want to"