Songwriters: how long should you make your song intro?
Many songwriters don’t know how long to make the intro of their song. Ultimately it depends on what you’re trying to accomplish with your song. If you’re just writing for yourself and you think really long intros are great, then go for it. On the other hand, if you’re trying to sell your songs or get some kind of significant airplay with them, you probably increase the chances of that happening if your song has a short intro.
The main reason for this is that many times when you send your song to a professional in the music industry, they don’t listen to the full track. In fact, if you don’t engage them right away, they’ll move on. It’s sad but true. They are busy people and usually don’t have time to fairly listen to every random song that is sent to them. So they make it easy for them, but they judge the songs very quickly.
According to author Jay Frank, who has written a couple of excellent songwriting books including DNA of future success Y hack your hitYou have about ten seconds to engage your listener. ten seconds before they have that burning desire to move on to another song, if they’re not committed to yours.
Also consider that in the digital age, it’s easier than ever to hear the beginning of a song before quickly moving on to the next. All it takes is the push of a button to immediately listen to the next track, whether online or on CD. It’s not like the old days with cassette tapes, where it would probably be easier to listen to a whole song than to try to find the next one you want to listen to. As great as technology is, it often plays into the typically short attention spans we humans have. This can work against you if you’re looking for someone to give your song a fair shot.
On top of that, even if you caught them early on with a good start, the next “review” point will be at about two minutes. So being past your second chorus, with a new melody and chords (on your bridge) at that point is usually a good idea for a catchy pop song. But that goes a little further than what we’re talking about here in regards to song intros.
I’m not necessarily advocating making any cookie cutter moves. However, if your music is really good (after all, having a short intro is clearly not the only thing a music industry professional will look for) and you want to increase the chances of it being heard, a short intro is usually a must. good option. idea. I know there are plenty of examples of hit songs with long intros (especially classic rock songs), but it’s not the norm these days.
Often times it’s even a good idea to put in a little catchy tune as an introduction before the verse starts. You can use the introduction as a way to engage the listener, as opposed to something they just have to wait for. It can even be something as simple as the intro to Pink’s “So What.” It’s just a repetition of a nonsense syllable in the word “nah”, after a guitar riff that played the same tune. It’s simple, but it’s catchy and it holds you until the verse starts.
Think of ways to make your intro as catchy as possible, rather than just repeating the verse chords you’re about to hit when you start singing. A catchy little guitar riff or nonsensical piece of melody can go a long way when it comes to hooking listeners. Your intro is a great opportunity for you to come up with new, fun, catchy (and quick!) ideas for drawing people to your song. So enjoy the process!
