Everything you need to know about choosing the best genre for your song

Tip 1: How to choose the best genre for your song

Let's be creative and say, you are the male version of Ariana Grande, with a hint of Steven Tyler from Aerosmith, with a house beat. What would you call it as a genre?
Not an easy one to answer, and that is okay.
Are you struggling with the selection of your genre? Is it Pop, or is it Pop/Rock, is it Reggae with some Folk influences through the chord progressions? You can have your own genre. My band Awash uses melodic guitarpop. Making up a new genre sounds great. However, it might steer people away from listening to your songs.

To answer what the best genre for your song is, is not that difficult. But might sound a bit strange, because you already know this, right?!? And for sure, you are already playing your songs in a genre. Most likely the one you like best. Question Answered.
And your (future) fans are probably looking for your music, through the genre you have put yourself in. Our society is like that. 

​When you want to learn new things, looking at different genre's and how they 'work', to make the same things happen with your song, is a very helpful tool. Almost every genre has its own specific way of play-out in an arrangement. The instruments that are used and how you could use them in the particular genre. Chord Progressions and possibly Melody and Lyrics could determine what genre or even sub-genre you are playing.

So, take your time to analyze what you have written so far.
What was the intention of your song-story with the lyrics?
What was the mission of your song?
What message did you want to bring to your audience?
For example: when it is a love story, you probably want to choose a slow tempo rhythmically.

• Do you even want drums in there?
  
• And how would you want them to sound?
  
• Not only overall, but if you use them in the first part of the song?
  
• How would you like them to sound in other parts of your song?
  
• Do you even want the drums at first, or only starting at the half part of the song, or even only in the last bit?
  

Whaaaaaaa!!!
All these questions....

Do not panic. Some things will come to you without even thinking to much about it. You intuitively know what you want to do. You have heard so much music throughout your life, that most of the answers are already in your subconsciousness. But it could be helpful to know how to use what you know in your own songwriting and to your advantage.

Overall solution: Check your songs and compare it with ones you feel that are similar. Look up that genre and see how it makes you feel. If it is good, keep it, If it doesn't feel right, look up another.

Make sure you don't pick Polka, unless you really write that music. ;-)
You can always contact me when reading gives more questions than answers. I have a FREE CO CREATION CALL for all who like some help and more explaining on this and all other subjects. 

YES, I WOULD LIKE A FREE CO CREATION CALL

Tip 2: One easy way to learn from the Pro!

I am going to give you a quick answer and easy assignment. Pick your artist and listen to all of its songs. When it is your idol, you probably like all of his/her songs, so make a playlist and play it for a lot of days. In the background when doing stuff that is not music related. When you are going on a trip. When you are reading a book to relax, or just when you are relaxing.
How fun is this exercise? Let me know in the comments.
Ow, and did you notice which of the songs are the most catching your attention while you do this?

Tip 3: Why you should dissect 3 of your favorite songs from tip2

Okay, time to get back to it. You have had a few days (you did this exercise from my previous tip, right?!?) and now have those 'ear-cathing' songs. List them and pick 3. Start dissecting the song, one at the time.
Find the tempo by tapping along and setting a metronome to your tapping. If you already know how you can figure this out, do the time-signature too.

Answer every question, before starting with the next pointer.

• What is the first part of the song?
• Does it have an Intro?
• How many bars does it have?
• Write those bars down.
• Does it have lyrics?
• Write them down.
• What melody do the lyrics have?
• Write that down too.
• Do you hear instruments?
• Write down which ones?
• What chords are they playing?
• Or do some have melodies, and what are those melodies?

​​I have explained this in a simpler way, when you have read my blog on Melody. But because we're going more into the matter and starting with combining these different sections, it has more components. With all these things becoming more diverse, still 'Practice makes perfect' counts as we go along. To make a new example, I'll use another Awash song to explain how you can write this down.

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