Chapter 2

Looking at the Genres: From Country to Rock and Everything in Between

In This Chapter

Finding your niche as a singer-songwriter

Looking at the commercially successful majors

Following your heart to the specialty genres

Experimenting to find your genre match

As a songwriter, you’re presented with a broad menu of styles, or genres, from which to choose. Many songwriters settle on at least two or three musical directions in which they want to specialize, usually mirroring their personal taste in music and drawing from their background and influences — although you might want to keep it to one or two to get your feet wet. Some songwriters can write outside their field of expertise and stretch themselves — often with the help of a collaborator versed in that genre. Other times, a writer’s song that’s intended for one marketplace can find a home outside its original genre by a clever recasting of the arrangement.

In this chapter, we look at the different genres of popular music, and see how you can vary your songs — in both writing style and arrangement. We also explain how to tailor your lyrics, melodies, and chord progressions to fit each genre.

The various musical genres we take a look at include the following:

Singer-songwriter: When you write strictly for yourself and seek what defines you personally, the rulebook goes out the window.

Rock: This broad spectrum of styles ranges from hard to soft, with a zillion styles in between, and has been around since the mid-1950s.

Pop: Ranging from Billy Joel to Michael Jackson (the King of Pop), and from Christina Aguilera to Lady Gaga, this genre is perhaps the most widely known and commercially accepted.

R&B, urban, and hip-hop: This ever-expanding segment of the music charts started life in the 1940s, took off with Smokey Robinson, the King of Motown, and hasn’t stopped to catch its breath.

Country: Spanning from traditional to pop or alternative country, both twenty-first-century fads, this genre continues to be a force to be reckoned with for the serious songwriter.

Gospel and Christian: Defined today mainly by its lyrical content and subject matter, this genre now encompasses most of the musical styles.

Blues and folk: The granddaddy of several other styles, the imprint of blues, both lyrically and musically, is undeniable.

Jazz: This chapter would be incomplete without a mention of this style, which basically created a bridge between classical forms and contemporary songwriting.

Creating Your Own Style: The Singer-Songwriter

A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and sings their own material. It’s considered a genre of its own because it defines itself by often breaking traditional songwriting rules and depends on the unique vision of the artist. Success in this category depends on how well the artist’s vision relates to public taste and whether the audience cares enough about the artist as a person to listen to what they have to say. The singer-songwriter genre tends to be very personal and sometimes confessional. It’s a form that isn’t so much learned as it’s lived.

A lyric that was once deep and thought-provoking might be considered whiney or self-indulgent, depending on how “in vogue” the singer-songwriter genre is in any given year.

If you’re a performing songwriter, your goal should be to create a unique voice and persona through your songs. Although issues like good song form, effective use of poetic devices, and solid musical hooks and ideas are a given, the overriding objective is to separate yourself from everyone else and isolate whatever it is about you that makes you unique. It may be a point of view, a complete diversity of musical styles, or the unique way you look at life. Whatever it is, you define this genre — not the other way around.

The list of singer-songwriters goes on and on; they invented for themselves a style all their own. Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Cat Stevens, Kenny Loggins, Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette, Jewel, and Melissa Etheridge are a few of the singer-songwriters. One characteristic that’s shared by all these artists is this: There’s no mistake about who you’re listening to as soon as you hear them.

Back in 1984 when I was on the road with Survivor, we were staying in Beverly Hills when I wandered into the hotel bar to have a drink. As I drank a cold one, I noticed the young girl performing at the piano. As I started to focus on what she was playing and the words she was singing, I soon realized this was not your typical lounge singer recycling standards and top 40 hits. She was singing future classics. I went over and sat at the piano bar (one of those pianos with seats positioned all around it where the piano itself becomes your table), and I sat mesmerized by the stories of her life. When she finally took a break, I introduced myself to the young Tori Amos. Her sense of unshakeable confidence and knowing who she was totally bowled me over. Without any false modesty or boastfulness, she just knew that she would make it and that she had everything it took to make it in this business.

—Jim Peterik, performer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist for the bands Ides of March and Survivor, plus writer of hits for .38 Special, Sammy Hagar, and others

If your primary ambition as a songwriter is to perform your own material, study the lyrics of the artists previously listed (along with any of your personal favorites) to compare your vision with theirs; then ask yourself:

Just who am I, and how can I best put my personal vision into a song?

How do I reach deeper inside than ever to examine what’s important to my soul?

How can I develop a style of songwriting, arranging, and singing that, when it comes on the radio (or is heard from the lobby of the theater), will immediately be recognizable as mine?

The singer-songwriting category is one where being unique is not an option — it’s a necessity!

Looking for Mainstream Success: Commercial Appeal

If your intent is to find a large audience and sell your songs to the masses, you may want to concentrate on one of the following four mainstream genres because record labels and publishers look primarily for songs and artists that can be marketed commercially on radio and satellite stations. One thing to keep in mind when selecting your genre is to pay attention to how each one can vary widely in lyric and melodic style, chord progressions, and rhythm, and even how the production qualities feel — the characteristics that tend to contribute to their audience appeal.

Many labels and publishers are looking to market songs in the modern day to TV, video games, and as ringtones. These placements account for a significant percentage of total revenue, as the industry is no longer run by radio placements. At music conferences, I have heard this buzz phrase, “TV is the new radio.” This has and will affect what types of music labels and publishers are looking for. A great example of an artist who has broken into pop culture from a media placement is the band The Shins from the work they did with the music for the movie Garden State!

—Steve “Skillet” Killen, guitarist, session player, and founder of Heron Blue Recording Workshops

When you look in terms of professional baseball, there are the minor leagues and the spotlight of the majors. Songwriting genres can be thought of in a similar way — niche markets and commercially appealing platinum domination. One is not necessarily better or more creative than the other, but in terms of commercial success and revenues generated by the masses, the major-league songwriting home runs are “hit out of the park” in the following groups of musical genres.

Rock

Rock music was born in the mid-1950s from its ancestors: rhythm and blues. As a songwriter, this is one genre that can satisfy many cravings. The genre of good old rock music is the foundation of a multitude of subgenres.

If this is your style of interest, take a look at the following subcategories of rock, and see where you might fit on the continuum and how you can tailor your own writing to correspond.

As Chapter 4 mentions, the musical riff (often played on guitar) is a component in the rock genre. As a songwriter, if you’re a bit weak musically, try to find a guitarist who can create an original signature sound for you in the same way that the Edge does for U2, Keith Richard does for The Rolling Stones, Eddie Van Halen does for Van Halen, Jimmy Page did for Led Zeppelin, or Slash did for Guns ’N Roses.

Old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll

This genre started in the wild mid-50s when people were looking for the perfect escape with acts like Bill Haley and His Comets (“Shake, Rattle, and Roll”), Chuck Berry (“Johnny B. Goode”), Jerry Lee Lewis (“Great Balls of Fire), and of course, the King of Rock and Roll himself, Elvis Presley. The rockabilly performing songwriters like Buddy Holly (“Peggy Sue”) would be a major influence on the “British Invasion” acts and the songwriting of the Beatles — then later the more blues-influenced Rolling Stones and the blues-rock groups like Traffic, Cream, and The Moody Blues.

Today, this genre finds expression as a hybrid of blues-rock in a variety of acts such as George Thorogood and The Destroyers, Brian Setzer, Black Crowes, The White Stripes, and John Mayer. However, opportunities for the songwriter are a bit limited in this genre because it’s full of bands and artists who usually write their own songs. If you love it, however, then write it and pray that a new band is forming (or form one yourself!) that’s ready to kick butt with some good old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll!

Songs in the old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll genre generally base their chord progression on the basic blues progressions (“Hound Dog” and “Johnny B. Goode” both use the 1, 4, 1, 5, 1 progression — or E, A, E, B, E progression) and they just bump up the tempo. Messages are pretty straightforward, although Chuck Berry notably stretched its boundaries with the pretty darn literate lyrics (considered rock ’n’ roll poetry) of “Sweet Little Sixteen.”

Hard rock

As you turn up the decibels and distortion, mic up the drums from a distance (to capture the raw room ambiance), and perhaps focus your lyrics on more extreme, explicit, angry, and controversial topics, a genre known as hard rock comes into the focus. Filling this genre are artists and groups such as AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Joan Jett, and Van Halen, as well as those bands considered more “classic rock” in terms of style, such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and the Grateful Dead (classic rock has a tendency to write politically charged material and to sway toward psychedelic sound scapes, rather than extreme, explicit, or angry).

Because hard rock is such a live-performance-oriented genre, it’s difficult to write it in the confines of a writer’s cubicle at a publisher’s office — the bands themselves generate many of the songs written in the hard rock genre. It’s also not a form that encourages the outside song (the song written by someone outside the band and pitched by that writer or his publisher). Songs are often fallen upon in open-ended jam sessions, where the musicians turn up the volume and interact musically until they fall into some sort of set pattern over which song structure and lyrics are placed.

If your songwriting is verging into the hard rock side of music, it’s time to look at the menu of choices to see just how loud, extreme, and radical you want to go. This genre includes many subgenres such as:

Heavy metal: For example, Megadeth, Metallica, Static X, and Ozzy Osbourne. This subgenre is defined by overdriven and distorted electric guitars generally playing a minor key and an often classically inspired riff underneath manic, shouted vocals.

Speed metal (subgenre of heavy metal): For example, Anthrax, Slayer, and, perhaps “the fastest guitar alive,” Sweden’s Yngwie (pronounced Ing-vay) Malmsteen. This is where heavy metal is played as fast as humanly possible, and then sped up from there.

The Swedish sensation Yngwie Malmsteen used to play for Stormer and then Keel — he’s had and still has an amazing solo career and sells tons of CDs worldwide. The Guinness Book of World Records checked this guy out for his speed — that’s how fast he was at his peak — but Nigel Rojas (lead guitarist for The Orange Sky, a reggae-rock band from Trinidad that was Yngwie’s 2005 tour opening act), pushed the envelope and set new velocity records with the speed of his fingers!

Punk rock

Featuring bands such as The Clash, X, Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Good Charlotte, and Green Day, this subgenre is all about alienation from society, making a fashion statement, and speaking to a depressed economic and sociopolitical condition through music with all its rough edges left in. Punk songs usually contain anywhere from one to three chords and are arranged in a stripped-down fashion. Tempos tend to be exceptionally fast. Vocals are generally sung at the edge of hoarseness.

Alternative rock

Initially, this genre emerged with cult acts that were on independent labels and received their exposure through word of mouth, but some bands achieved commercial success and mainstream critical recognition, such as The Cure, REM, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, and Smashing Pumpkins. Sometimes referred to by the media as Grunge (referring both to the grungy distortion present in the guitars and to the often negative themes of songs), this genre has been around for over 20 years and shows no signs of losing steam. In fact, in the mid-2000s, after almost a decade of domination by rap-rock and nu-metal bands, this genre has hit its stride and emerged anew with the commercial success of bands such as Vertical Horizon, The Killers, and Kings of Leon — and a diverse group of acts that cross over to this category including Lifehouse, Nickelback, Incubus, Jimmy Eat World, and Shinedown.

Modern rock is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that primarily plays alternative rock music — from acts such as U2, Coldplay, System of a Down, Staind, Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd, and Linkin Park. This category is a modern blend of decades and genres combining the slick production values (big guitars) and song craft (big choruses) of the ’80s, with the attitude of the new millennium. Modern rock also samples from other genres such as rap, metal, and hip-hop.

Progressive rock

Musical acts such as King Crimson, early Genesis, Hawkwind, Yes, Rush, Pink Floyd, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer (ELP), and System of a Down pushed the technical and compositional boundaries by going beyond the standard rock song structures. This is music with a grand vision, musically, lyrically, and visually. This genre incorporates expansive musical arrangements, sometimes written for full symphony orchestras, into what are essentially rock melodies. Progressive rock draws themes from classical sources both literary and musical and has served as inspiration to genres such as post-rock, avant-garde metal, and neoclassical metal. The style has actually experienced a bit of a rebirth in the early years of the new millennium, with many of the signature songs by progressive rock acts being sampled and scratched into new music by groups in the electronic subgenre of rock.

When I was a member of Survivor, we would usually jam at sound checks (when a band checks its equipment, house amplification, stage monitors, and lighting, usually a few hours before a performance). I’d always have my cassette player rolling (some bands record every sound check through the mixing console) to catch any brilliance that might just happen to be flowing through the band that particular day.

—Jim Peterik, writer of 18 Billboard Top 10 hits including the perennial favorite “Eye of the Tiger” featured in Rocky III

If you’re a songwriter with aspirations to write in the rock genre, put together a kind of songwriter’s jam band, not necessarily to become a recording act (hey, you never know — crazier things have happened!), but to immerse yourself in that environment to write songs in the rock genre for other artists.

Pop

Pop, or popular, music sometimes overlaps with rock (pop-rock, pop-punk, and harder-edged pop) because it originally began as a softer alternative to rock ’n’ roll back in the mid-‘50s — but it’s also a style all to itself that is basically commercial in nature. Pop music includes the subgenres of dance-pop and electro-pop, as well as the fusion genres (a music genre which combines two or more genres) of pop-rap, and country-pop. As you can see, there is a lot of crossover potential in this genre.

Usually what separates the rock from the pop is a sense of imminent danger that rock possesses and pop lacks. Rock songs walk terrain that pop songs often fear to tread (or choose not to). On the other hand, you’ll probably not choose “Pit of Zombies” by Cannibal Corpse as your wedding song. Take a look at several of the modern-day subgenres — and the radio formats that define pop.

The term Top 40 (contemporary hit radio), originally coined by Radio & Records magazine, was used to describe a radio format that primarily plays music that’s charting in the top 40 songs — this includes several subcategories that mainly focus on rock, pop, and urban music. Think Miley Cyrus, Alicia Keys, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Maroon 5, Black Eyed Peas, All-American Rejects, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Jay-Z when describing top 40 artists.

Contemporary pop

Evolving from the form called traditional pop (Barbra Streisand, Nat “King” Cole, Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow), contemporary pop has been the songwriters’ gold mine for a number of years. Usually represented by artists strong in the visual and performing arts (and not necessarily strong in the songwriting craft), it’s an industry constantly searching for great songs to extend the careers of its stars. Artists such as Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Enrique Iglesias, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, and Marc Anthony have supplied the voices and talents to inspire (and feed) hundreds of songwriters.

Memorable melodies and catchy hooks are highly prized in this category, and ageless themes such as love, regret, faith, dedication, and family are the norm. Instrumentation can be innovative, but never harsh, and is subservient to the voice of the singer and the message they want to convey.

When writing a contemporary pop song, it’s important to keep your lyrical themes fairly broad and universal if you want to be considered by the widest number of artists. If you’re writing with a particular artist in mind, put yourself in their shoes, and see if you can picture your words and melodies emanating from that artist.

Dance-pop

Songs for this category are based around the almighty groove. If a song just happens to possess a memorable melody, relatable concept, and interesting chord progression, all the better — but getting an entire dance floor pulsating to the diva gyrating on the stage is much more to the point. Madonna is the grande dame of this genre, with the likes of Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Paula Abdul, Kylie Minogue, and Lady Gaga following her lead.

Keep your lyrics very simple in this genre — also positive and young in feel. Reflect on experiences appropriate and relatable to your target audience — males and females in the 10- to 25-year-old range. A lot of the depth and complexity you put into your pop and soul songs may get lost on the dance floor in this genre.

Lyrically, this genre tends to be on the risqué and suggestive side, but it’s not generally explicit or filled with foul language — call it X-rated innocence, if you will. The female singers love to seduce you and then tell you that they’re “not that kind of girl.” The guys, for all their strutting and posturing, would like nothing more than to “promise forever” to the girl of their dreams.

As a songwriter, your demo for the dance-pop field will be especially important in getting your song cut. Slicker is better, and the more like the finished product it can sound, the better your chances are. This is truly a genre where sound is as important as content. Use a good programmer to do the drum track for you. Treat him well; he’s worth his weight in gold records. (You might even consider making him a part of your songwriting team in exchange for his services.) There are many rhythmic devices he’ll know that’ll keep your song cooking along even if it’s a mid-tempo tune or ballad. Those inner rhythms will fool the ear (and the feet!) into thinking it’s a much faster tempo.

I didn’t quite get the whole dance-pop phenomenon until I took my nine-year-old son to see the, at that time, up-and-coming ’N Sync open the show for urban diva Janet Jackson. They took the stage in space suits and soon stripped down to their multi-colored, chick-magnet uniforms. The screams were high pitched and deafening (as opposed to the more muted din for Janet which seemed to be voiced about an octave lower because of the slightly older demographic of her segment of the audience). Each member had a distinctive persona and their own legion of fans. The songs, which seemed a bit clichéd and overly simplistic on the radio, took on a whole new power live when combined with the razor-sharp choreography and million-watt sound system. I gained a whole new respect for this genre — just make sure you don’t have a “wardrobe malfunction” when performing these tunes!

—Jim Peterik, writer of 18 Billboard Top 10 hits

Don’t skimp on hiring the right singer for your song. This is one genre where the A&R representative (A&R stands for artist and repertoire — the person responsible for not only finding talent but also finding songs for the acts he brings in) will cut no slack for a “charming” rendition by a non-singer-songwriter. Bite the bullet — spend the extra bucks on a great session singer to increase your odds of landing a giant cover of your song. A great singer will most assuredly elevate your song.

I just arrange my dance songs when I demo them as if I was doing a record for an ’80s rock band. Many of the songs in this category like “Shape of a Heart” by The Backstreet Boys are like Journey, sideways. I then take it and add current sounds, effects, and rhythm patterns to make sure it keeps up with what is currently on the radio. A great song is a great song — it’s mainly the arrangement that changes from genre to genre.

—Kurt Howell, Nashville writer/producer and member of Southern Pacific

Adult contemporary

The Carpenters of the 1970s, with songs like “We’ve Only Just Begun” (written by songsmiths Paul Williams and Roger Nichols originally as a jingle for a savings and loan company), Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, and the music of Bread helped define the genre known as adult contemporary (AC) — ballad heavy with varying degrees of rock influence intended for a more adult audience. This style, sometimes referred to as soft rock, takes its adjectives from being easy on the ears and not particularly controversial — either lyrically or musically — and that’s not a musical slight. Sometimes the lighter side of rock is exactly what you need to help unwind and sooth your jangled soul. It’s a genre short on story songs and long on first-person observations on the trials of life and love. Today it has found expression in such adult contemporary and hot AC (the more modern, hipper, and slightly edgier version of the adult contemporary genre) acts like the following:

Five For Fighting: Actually the creation of one man, John Ondrasek (the name was derived from the five-minute penalty for fighting in a hockey game), this piano-heavy music with its textures of acoustic 12-string guitar, upright bass, viola, B3 organ, and other pleasing sounds that certain unusual or unexpected instruments make goes easy on the ears and tough on the soul.

Lifehouse: Originally a “praise and worship” group at their church, this group relies on gruff, raspy vocals to offset its “soft core” instrumentation — and the guitars, even when distorted, are smooth and pleasant sounding. The drums are never overbearing.

Train: Although often a hard-rocking unit, Train’s most popular songs, “Meet Virginia” and its Grammy-winning 2002 smash “Drops of Jupiter,” are really hot adult contemporary due to their emphasis on acoustic guitar, piano, and real strings — they crossed over into the mainstream from the alternative charts.

In terms of arranging, guitars are heavily layered and fairly polite (as opposed to the raunchy distortion of the rock genres, such as hard rock and heavy metal). Keyboards and strings are a staple, and vocals are on the smooth side and often doubled. Drums are not bombastic, and they are used mainly to keep the groove as opposed to creating sonic effects.

Since the 2000s, adult contemporary (AC) radio plays mainstream music that now includes hip-hop and hard rock, as well as youthful-oriented R&B, pop, and rhythmic dance tracks — even though this format typically is intended for a more adult-oriented market. Artists primarily played on AC (or it’s subgenres of hot AC and soft AC) include Elton John, Celine Dion, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, and Dave Matthews Band.

The genre known as adult contemporary is as much a function of treatment as it is of substance. The soft-rock Monkees hit “I’m a Believer” from the ’60s (written by the soft rock king himself, Neil Diamond), was given a raunchy reworking by pop-rock czars, Smashmouth. Catapulted back onto the airwaves by its inclusion in the animated motion picture Shrek, it proves not only the staying power of a great song, but how it can be “painted to suit” the modern palette of tastes.

When producing a demo of your latest song, you may want to try multiple versions. If your song started its life as a soft rocker, try a radical treatment putting it fiercely into the hard rock or alternative category. Likewise, if you started out hard, you can tone it down to a softer version.

R&B, urban, hip-hop, and rap

All these genres are united by one word: soul. This is music that touches the heart at the gut level, reaches inside of you, and twists. This music seems to touch on something through shared expression (or oppression) that brings its emotions explosively to the surface.

Although songs of R&B, urban, and hip-hop have carved out (and are frequently classified in) a genre unto themselves, there is still a tremendous crossover appeal into the realm of pop music (and for that matter within these three). Determining where to draw the line between classifying the two genre groupings can become a bit hazy — as urban contemporary hits (another mainstream radio format) have dominated the U.S. pop charts since the ’90s, and urban contemporary refers to music that is a crossover of rap and contemporary R&B as seen in examples such as “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce and Jay-Z (written by Beyonce Knowles, Rich Harrison, Shawn Carter, and Eugene Record) and “I’m Real” by Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule (written by Jennifer Lopez, Troy Oliver, Cory Rooney, and L.E.S.).

Rhythm and blues — R&B

This genre, derived from work songs and field chants, became commercialized in the ’50s by artists such as Jackie Wilson, Ray Charles, and Solomon Burke. They paved the way for rhythm and blues artists of the ’60s like Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, Martha and the Vandellas, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and The Temptations, then later by contemporary R&B artists of the ’80s like Michael Jackson, Prince, Luther Vandross, and Mariah Carey. These acts, in turn, passed the baton to Usher, Boyz II Men, Alicia Keyes, Joss Stone, and John Legend in the present day. R&B is generally heavy on the backbeat (the second and fourth beats of the musical measure). The vocalists of R&B songs often approach a melody in an interpretive or soulful manner, often straying from the written melody. Check out Stevie Wonder’s soulful reworking of “For Once in My Life” (originally written by Ronald Miller and Orlando Murden), the standard made popular by Tony Bennett, and the R&B remake of the George Gershwin classic (co-written by DuBose Heyward) “Summertime,” written by Billy Stewart. With these two songs you can clearly see the line where pop stops and R&B begins.

Urban

This seems to be the genre (although it’s actually more descriptive as a radio format than a genre) that many in dance-pop gravitate to. It reflects the sound of the city: the fads, lingo, styles, habits, priorities, and sensibilities of the young, hip, and tuned-in generation. Destiny’s Child, Ja Rule, Michael Jackson, Pink, Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez, and Ginuwine typify the direction many of the dance-pop acts such as Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, and ’N Sync moved towards within their music — looking for that sound and image to give them street credibility with their hipper-by-the-day audience.

A hallmark of this style is an extremely simple chord structure (often just one or two chords) with a simple, often two- or three-note melody that varies a bit from section to section for delineation. The grooves themselves are actually quite basic as well (light years from the complex counter-rhythms of dance-pop and Latin). The kick drum (bass drum) samples used in the rhythm beds are big and bassy — think of the low-end sound that threatens to shake your muffler loose when that certain car pulls up next to you at the stoplight.

Lyrical themes in urban music are all over the map, but they are united by the casual slang lingo of the urban streets and a defiance that almost always burns through (“What Have You Done For Me Lately,” written by James Harris III, Terry Lewis, and Janet Jackson).

If you aspire to write for the urban market, get to know the genre. Hang out at the clubs. Listen to the right stations and keep your ear to the street in terms of what is being said and how it’s being expressed. This genre is all about street credibility — if your song lacks it, it will never get cut.

Never assume you are writing urban just because you have developed a good groove for your song. Urban is all about attitude, and if it ain’t got that, then maybe you should switch gears or just give it up!

Hip-hop and rap

In the beginning, rap was associated with break-dancing — amazing dance movements achieved by only the limber and soul-filled rhythm enthusiasts. The word rap originated from a ’60s slang word for conversation, for example “my wife was on the phone rapping all day with her friends.” The music consists of chanted, often improvised, street poetry — complemented by samples of well-known recordings, usually from the disco, funk, or rock genre.

In the late ’70s, hip-hop was born from rap — a genre that tears down recognizable sounds and songs and rebuilds them as entirely new, unpredictable songs. Whereas rap is mostly spoken word, hip-hop is mostly sung lyrics. Rap is more aggressively rhythmic, whereas hip-hop is based more on sensuous, hypnotic grooves. Though the beats of hip-hop and rap might sound the same to an untrained ear, there are a number of different levels to add rhythmic contrast to even the simplest song. Rap originally started with DJs playing drum loops and scratching (the rhythmic sound of the phonograph needle going against the groove) the records while rapping to rhythms. As the form evolved, the techniques used by rappers became quite varied in style — some were more extreme and complex using instruments such as hard-rock guitars, while others smoothed out the rough edges and emphasized the lyrics.

In the OutKast debut release, 1994’s SouthernplayalisticadillacMusik ushered in a new period of hip-hop — southern style. 2000’s Stankonia received universal acclaim and garnered the duo a handful of Grammy nominations. With a tip of their hat to the funk of Parliament and Funkadelic, OutKast’s thought-provoking lyrics, clever phrasings, and incredible fashion statements vaulted them to the forefront of the hip-hop scene.

Rap music has been criticized as a boastful promotion of violence and negative attitudes towards women, whereas others admire it as an imaginative manipulation of cultural idioms and credit many rappers with a heightened social and political awareness. Hip-hop features as many women as men (take a good listen to Fergie, Mary J. Blige, Lil Kim, Missy Elliot, and Queen Latifah), and it appeals to a broad range of ages, races, and social strata. A great example of someone who fuses hip-hop and rap together is Common, an artist who truly captures the authenticity and social commentary of hip-hop. His content is politically and culturally charged with African-American social issues, and he is a multi-Grammy Award winner to boot.

If hip-hop or rap is your calling, take a look at the lyrics and listen to the current songs that are hitting the charts. See if you can identify just what separates the styles of some of the more popular artists such as Snoop Dogg, Eminem, The Notorious B.I.G., Outkast, 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, Gnarls Barkley, Kanye West, and Jay-Z.

When writing in other genres such as rock, R&B, and dance-pop, get creative and start experimenting by injecting rap sections and hip-hop rhythms into your arrangements. Listen to how Shaggy blends traditional smooth soul and reggae with rap (“It Wasn’t Me,” written by Orville Burrell, RikRok, Shaun Pizzonia, and Braun Thompson), and how Kid Rock mixes rap with rock ’n’ roll (“Bawitdaba” written by R. J. Ritchie, Matt Shafer, and Jason Krause).

Country

This broad and popular genre prides itself in being the heartbeat of the working class. Its common messages and plain language (“Write it like you talk it” is a popular saying among country songwriters) have been the benchmark of a form that started in the rural south and spread like a wildfire to all points north, east, and west. Nashville, Tennessee, has been this genre’s launching pad since the ’30s and is now Music City to practically all types of music. We break this category down into two primary types:

Traditional country, which includes hillbilly, country and western, and bluegrass music

Pop country, also known as alternative country, which is where pop rock arranging meets the more traditional style of country

If you live and breathe traditional country and it feels as comfortable as a broken-in pair of cowboy boots, then by all means, follow that old dusty road, no matter where you hail from. But if you don’t really feel natural or are just trying to “cash in,” you’d better know that no one can spot a wooden nickel quicker than country folk.

Traditional country

If you want to write country songs, it’s good to know your roots — the flowers of today come from seeds of yesterday. The following segments will fill you in on the parts (or seeds) that can help you create your country song. Find some of the songs by the people or groups we mention, and pick them apart to see what made them so successful.

Traditional country’s appeal lies in its simplicity. It can be clever and intelligent, but it never aims over the head of the common man — nor does it talk down to him.

Traditional country music originally came from the Appalachian Mountains where people sang and played fiddles (violins), guitars, autoharps, and banjos. During the ’60s, Johnny Cash became a superstar, followed by Willie Nelson; and George Jones is considered to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, traditional country singer around. One of the most popular traditional country artists today is singer-songwriter Alan Jackson. In 2002, he won three Academy of Country Music awards including Top Male Vocalist of the year, and his song “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” won Song of the Year and Single of the Year.

Alan Jackson brought in a new producer and sound to his ’06 release, “Like Red on a Rose,” which was unsettling to some of his fans — many whom believed he was abandoning his traditional past and aiming toward a more mainstream pop sound (despite the fact that it was labeled country music or bluegrass). Needless to say, Jackson quickly went back to his country roots for his next studio album, “Good Time.”

There are two types of traditional country:

Country and western: Western music came about when country musicians, many from Oklahoma and Texas, started using western themes (cowboys, life on the range, horses and cattle, and, of course, the girl who waits back home) in their music and began wearing colorful western clothes. The biggest stars were Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. Country music grew dramatically in the ’40s. To market both country and western music in the same genre, the record industry came up with the name “country and western” to include both genres.

Bluegrass: This type of music is acoustic (meaning they use no electronically amplified instruments). Typical instruments used are the upright bass fiddle, acoustic guitar, Dobro (the metal-bodied guitar-like instrument usually played with a metal or glass slide), banjo, fiddle (violin), and mandolin (the small-bodied instrument composed of four pairs of strings). With a continued up-shift in popularity of bluegrass music, you may want to consider songwriting in that genre. To become successful, it’s necessary to immerse yourself in the music, especially in its roots. There are fine anthology CD sets available from Bill Monroe and the Stanley Brothers, and that’s a good place to start. Then familiarize yourself with recent artists, especially Allison Krauss who finds herself regularly on the country charts, Ricky Skaggs, ex-Stanley brother Ralph Stanley, and the “new grass” sensation Nickel Creek — three talented songwriters-performers from California.

The bluegrass soundtrack for the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou won the Best Album of the Year Grammy award in 2002, to the shock, surprise, and delight of many in the industry.

Pop country (or alternative country)

Pop country is a wayward cousin of country that came to visit for the weekend and somehow became a permanent member of the household. In doing so, some of the rough edges of country were knocked off and substituted with some of the slick chord changes and production values of pop and rock.

Pop country is quite a different genre than traditional country. In traditional country, the songs are simple, using three-chords, and deal with real-world issues. Pop country songs, on the other hand, are often simple pop songs with a country feel and usually use more chords than the typical three-chord traditional song (like using the 2, 6 and 3 chords more frequently and even other more tantalizing chords such as the diminished, half-diminished, and sustained fourth chords). The hit song “Amazed” (written by Marv Green, Chris Lindsey, and Aimee Mayo; performed by Lonestar), which crossed over into the pop charts, actually uses three separate keys: one for the verses, one for the pre-chorus, and another for the chorus.

The fact is that there is little difference in the structure of many pop country ballads and those sung by boy-band groups such as the Backstreet Boys and ’N Sync. The songs “I Can Love You Like That” (written by Steve Diamond, Maribeth Derry, and Jennifer Kimball) and “I Swear” (written by Gary Baker and Frank Myers) were both #1 country hits for John Michael Montgomery as well as hits on the Top 40 when they were sung by the group All-4-One. The song “(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You” (written by Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers) was recorded not only by ’N Sync (reaching #8 on the pop charts) but also by the country group Alabama (featuring ’N Sync), which hit the country charts as well.

When you’re writing for the alternative country marketplace, remember that songs with a negative theme will have trouble finding a home. Also, blatant “lost my baby and I’m gonna drown my sorrows in Jack Daniels” weepers go in and out of style — refer to today’s music charts for reference.

Coming to Nashville for the first time to collaborate back in 1996 was kind of scary. Nobody seemed to care about my rock-and-roll resume. I was asked by one prominent publisher if I really thought I could write country. I answered honestly that I wasn’t sure, but I told him I could write a good, simple song from the heart and that’s really what country is all about anyway. Well, I guess I passed his pop quiz because he hooked me up with one of his top country writers who I continue to write with to this day — Mr. John (“Third Rock from the Sun”) Greenebaum.

—Jim Peterik, writer of 18 Billboard Top 10 hits

Arrangement-wise, many stylistic elements have been added in country’s quest to cross over to the general populace. In the mix, there are now rock electric guitars (more distorted and hotter in the blend) and nontraditional elements like strings (Chet Atkins turned the country world on its head when he started adding string sections to country songs in the ’50s), synthesizers, and even drum loops like the ones found on urban tracks. You can even hear the gimmick of misusing the pitch correcting devices to create the robotic vocal effect heard on Cher’s hit, “Believe” (written by P. Barry, M. Gray, B. Higgins, S. McLennan, T. Powell, and S. Torch). Certain elements from traditional country are often added to put in the “down home” elements listeners are accustomed to hearing, such as fiddle and pedal steel (that’s the unit that sits on four legs in front of the player and is picked with finger picks, chorded with a steel bar, and pitch-shifted by manipulating levers with the player’s knees — it supplies the “crying guitar” sound you hear on many country songs). Also incorporated are the banjo, Dobro (the steel-bellied guitars you see on the cover of the Brothers in Arms album by those English hillbillies, Dire Straits), and harmonica.

Sometimes a song can straddle more than a single genre by changing the arrangement, instrumentation, and vocal style. Producers can sometimes change a song from pop to alternative country with the addition of certain key Nashville instruments like pedal steel and fiddle. “I Swear” (written by Gary Baker and Frank Myers) was not only an R&B hit for All-4-One, but a country hit for John Michael Montgomery as well.

Seeking a Road Less Travelled: Other Notable Genres

When it comes to musical genres, one thing is for certain — there are a zillion of them in existence when you take into account all of the subgenres and fusion genre hybrids (really there are — just do a Wikipedia search if you don’t believe us). Not only is it sometimes hard to get a clear handle on the entire scope of the subject of genres, but there is also much debate as to which, or how many, genres many artists and songs fall into (take a look at Amy Winehouse, for example). All that aside, there are several more genre groups we’d like to mention here, even though they perhaps currently fall outside the umbrella of the commercially recognized mainstream. Genres such as smooth jazz, new age, and reggae certainly have an audience — we’ll save that discussion for another time — however, there are several more (significant ones) we would like to highlight in this section.

Christian

The Christian genre, like many others, is based on authenticity. Just as a true country aficionado can spot an insincere attempt at down-home songwriting, and the hip urban crowd can see a poser from down the block, writing in the Christian field requires true commitment and belief in Jesus Christ.

There’s a well-documented story circulating about the rock artist who released a Christian-slanted song to Christian radio. When the programmers went to his website, as directed, they found foul language and un-Christian attitudes. That was all that was needed to put the kibosh on his Christian crossover ambitions.

—Jim Peterik, writer of 18 Billboard Top 10 hits

This rapidly expanding genre covers practically all styles of music from soft rock to heavy metal. Groups like Creed (who during the new millennium were one of America’s top-selling acts in any category and actually won a Grammy in a non-Christian category), Jars of Clay, Lifehouse, Switchfoot, and P.O.D. are part of the movement in Christian music where a spiritual message has entered the mainstream and is being programmed by not exclusively Christian radio as well as by Christian-only stations. (The group Stryper paved the way for metal music in the Christian genre, and Amy Grant was the first Christian act to make a major impact on the general pop charts.) Joining the more traditional Christian acts like Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, and Bill and Gloria Gaither on the contemporary Christian charts, this new breed of artist is helping to spread “the Word” to a broad marketplace.

It’s not always necessary to use the words “Jesus” or “Christ” in every song in order for it to be Christian. The message and spirit of your song is the most important element.

A trend towards more “positivity” is being heard on the radio. Contrasting the doom and gloom of the grunge era, a new message of hope is taking shape from Christian groups like P.O.D. and Audio Adreneline. Other acts, such as Lifehouse and Creed (though not marketed as Christian) began spreading good values and positive, life-affirming messages — the audience is often getting “the word” in between the lines.

Blessid Union of Souls used fairly subtle Christian themes in many of their songs — by using the word “love will find the way” rather than “God will find a way,” songwriter Eliot Sloan was able to get across the message without making it sound too preachy.

If you’re a singer-songwriter breaking through to the Christian world from rock, there may be some resistance and skepticism about letting you in. Just as the country world is hesitant to let “just anyone” be a part of country, the Christian market wants a high degree of proof that the artist is truly committed and walks the path of the Lord.

Gospel

Today’s contemporary gospel music combines jazz, R&B, and hip-hop with words of praise and worship. Some of today’s top gospel singers are Yolanda Adams, Mary Mary, CeCe and Bebe Winans, Trin-I-Tee 5:7, Hezekiah Walker, and Kirk Franklin.

Like most other genres, the borders of gospel music have been blurring in recent years to embrace more nontraditional musical styles. For every Shirley Caesar (more traditional), there is a Yolanda Adams (hip-hop gospel). Acts like Donnie McClurkin and Mary Mary are holding the gospel torch high while blazing new trails.

Stylistically, southern gospel has remained truer to its roots than any other genre of music excepting bluegrass. A tradition of family groups continues today with such groups as the McKameys and the Singing Cookes (both of which are Appalachian Mountain–style groups) and The Crabb Family. Groups such as the Isaacs Family and Jeff and Sheri Easter represent the bluegrass gospel tradition.

Music (the lyrics and the melodies) in all of the genres has a profound effect on our emotions. Many people believe that listening to songs about Jesus Christ is healthy for the spirit, and oftentimes, certain Christian and gospel songs, especially when performed live in church or in concert, can take people into a state beyond description — where the audience shouts with joy, feeling goose bumps all over while tears roll down their faces. Take a look at the lyrics of the following song, and imagine being in a crowd of people filled with the spirit:

“From the Depths of My Heart” written by Ben and Sonya Isaacs

It hasn’t been a bed of roses since I’ve started on my way

And Lord you know I’m not complaining

There’s just something I should say

For I’ve reached desperation and I’ve stumbled since my start

I’ve grown weary through the years, now I’m crying bitter tears

From the depths of my heart.

Chorus

From the depths of my heart, Lord, I’m calling out to you

For I need you here to lead me, I’ve done all that I can do

Lord I’m trying to do my part to see that others make it through

And though I know I don’t deserve you

Still I’m trying hard to serve you from the depths of my heart.

It’s not a prayer just from the lips, it goes much deeper than words

It’s not a worthless expression, I just need to be heard

For Lord, I need to reach your throne, I know exactly what I’ll do

I’ll just fall down on my knees, I know you will hear the pleas

From the depths of my heart

Words and music by Ben and Sonya Isaacs © Isaacs Family Publishing (BMI)

If you’re interested in writing for this genre, there’s an excellent resource called the Singing News magazine that can point you in the right direction. The monthly magazine features tour schedules of (and articles about) all the major artists.

Blues and folk

Blues and folk music are considered by some to be the original soul music because they exist to document the trials and heartbreaks of the human condition. This was music created not for commercial gain. The music was created by people who needed to tell their story and vent their souls through simple and heartfelt songs.

Blues pioneers like Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Memphis Minnie inspired Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Big Mama Thornton (who performed the original version of the Presley smash “Hound Dog,” which was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller), and T-Bone Walker, who lit the path for later blues greats like B.B. (Blues Boy) King, Buddy Guy, Albert King, Freddie King, Etta James, and Elmore James. They, in turn, inspired a new generation of blues journeymen starting with Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Robert Cray, and extending to current blues upstarts like Jonny Lang, Anthony Gomes, Shannon Curfman, and Kenny Wayne Sheppard.

For the ultimate guide to the blues, check out Blues For Dummies (published by Wiley Publishing, Inc.). You’ll love Cub Koda and Lonnie Brook’s insight and humor.

As a songwriter, there are always plenty of blues and folk artists looking for good, simple, and honest material. Blues is one genre where it’s okay to bitch and moan. But as you listen to the great blues songs, you realize that it can also be very vibrant and uplifting. For every song about a lost love, you’ll find one about a found love. Often it’s the juxtaposition of the jumping blues shuffle beat that energizes an otherwise mournful lyric.

Writing for the folk market is mainly a matter of colorfully documenting events and telling a good story, as was done by the folk pioneers of America like Huddie Ledbetter (known as Leadbelly), Woddy Guthrie, and Pete Seeger. Remember to keep the chord changes simple and the language fairly plain.

Every genre has specific ways of expression. In the blues and folk categories, avoid flowery and overly poetic phrases. Speak to the heart of the matter and tell the story clearly and honestly. Listen to the early albums of Robert Cray for a textbook example of how to weave a great story around an immediately recognizable hook (“Smoking Gun,” written by David Amy, Robert Cray, and Richard Cousins) in the context of a blues song.

Jazz

Songwriting in this genre is perhaps one of the most influential styles for many reasons. Not only does it hold unforgettable artists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, but Jazz also holds in its theoretical makeup the birth of blues, gospel, rock ’n’ roll, and rhythm and blues. Jazz in essence created a bridge between classical forms and contemporary songwriting. The songs “I Got Rhythm” and “Embraceable You” (written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin) are two songs from the Broadway musical Girl Crazy that did just that.

With the chord progression referred to as “rhythm changes,” “I Got Rhythm” set the tone for bebop music and other jazz forms — with a 1, 6, 2, 5 chord progression — and was expressed in a way that pioneered jazz songwriting. This was a critical time in western music history. Our conception of all contemporary styles would be completely different without jazz pioneers such as Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennet, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughn, and others.

Practice Makes Perfect

For the fun of it, experiment by trying your hand at several different styles of music, following the guidelines set up in this chapter. Keep in mind what you’re most passionate about, and focus on what genre you’re most comfortable with because this is most likely where your best material will be created. In the case of sports, there are not many athletes who can compete at a very high level in more than one sport (you can probably count them on one of your hands). The same goes for songwriting — very few songwriters can write hit songs in all genres. Do what you can to find your passion and direction, and let that be your ticket to the level of gold and platinum status.