It's the first chord I learned and I still fret it very unusual. To me, it's just so easy to do the thumb over the top and mute the A. Old habits die hard!
Thumb on the 3rd fret and muting the A is how i've been playing an open G chord for over 50 years now. I think it sounds way better than playing the b. And you can change to open C major, F9, and more while leaving the Gs ringing, which in my opinion makes it the best way to play the G.
I feel like the more we try to sound original the more we're fighting ourselves from finding the muse. Just let it out how it wants to come out, at least that what works for many as well as myself.
It's you! Yep, It's like suspension of belief on movies, you watch it you enjoy it. Same for music, doesn't matter. You like it? GREAT. I think Ed Sheeran plays like 4 chords for all his songs and says every pop song can be replayed that way, or something.
This ruined a LOT of music in the 60’s as well as a lot of modern indie music for me. They are so terrified of blending in that they produce something unresolved and unlistenable
I've stopped myself from creating just for the fear of not being orginal, honestly this video was just the thing I need to pull me out of my slump, thanks man
Same. I’m always surprised by how good my band actually sounds when we’re just joking around, uninhibited by feeling like we need to be original or clever. Wish I had the confidence to write something simple without feeling like I should really do something more complicated with it.
Yeah, Absolultly. since writing my og comment I have managed to make a few dumb songs and learn some songs other people have made so I'm actually doing ok (: Have a great day or night internet people (: @@coyoteblue4027
I've been playing guitar for nearly 50 years and I know I should be better, but I'll never forget get a college friend of mine who told me when I started playing guitar and was always insecure when I was asked to play in front of people, he said, "Pete, you strum an E chord like nobody I've ever heard!!". That, apparently insignificant complement, was enough to keep me playing until today, nearly 45 years later. Playing guitar has literary been my saving grace through hard times, along with my faith in my Lord Jesus. God bless you Bryce!!
this blew my mind as an aspiring songwriter because for the longest time, ive looked up to songwriters like Johnny Marr from The Smiths and admired how unique and original his songs seemed . Then you started playing those chords and I recognized them because there are the exact same chords used in “The Boy with the Thorn in his Side”- my favorite Smiths song.🤯 The beauty in that song is its simplicity and authenticity.
You had me the whole time. I struggle to finish a song. I was taught familiarity drives a popular song. But you cover that in the simple song structure and chords. I concur that authenticity is what makes this work. And that simple ass song you just put out was fantastic! The lyrics had that light a fire under my ass feel. Inspiring me to get my songs finished. Thank you.
The first part of the song sounded just like a typical country song I have heard on the radio over the last 30 years. Then after you sung the high notes it sounded to me like a pop song from the 90s. Even like a song I would expect to hear in a movie. Then the instrumental part sounded like a country, pop and rock song all at the same time. Then after that with the key board it sounded like multiple rock and pop songs from the 70s and 80s. Then it kind of faded out and ended and brought out memories of the 70s music and even 60s music. And this is coming from someone who only heard music like this when others were playing it on the radio. I have no idea who almost every band you mentioned was. Most people find a lot of the music I like to listen to boring and even aggravating to them. This is amazing to me, that you composed, wrote the lyrics and played every instrument in this piece. It could easily have been a hit at some point in the last fifty years.
Realy likes the way you approached this: dont start with a melody, but with a chord progression and a tempo, an build a melody on that. And then an end variation as a coda. Crash coarse song writing! And indeed doesnt sound bad at all. The secret is in a good execution. Nicely done!
Such a great song, Spencer! You're definitely right that authenticity is what separates artists apart, even if they 're using "common, unoriginal elements" in their music. Always enjoy seeing what you do with your songwriting, and I look forward to your videos! Also, you have a unique way of fretting a G major chord!
To me, the vocal melody is the most important part of a pop song. Chord progressions are repeated on countless songs but the melody is the great differentiator and what sets songs apart.
6:05 Sometimes songs with ridiculous subjects can be relatable, too, and they can be even more special than "normal" songs: once every now and then you'll get into a really specific mood, and then that song about a duck whose house is in foreclosure will hit like nothing else. And your song was pretty good. I was getting strong 90's vibes from it, like it was a song from a time lapse montage in a TV show or movie. 😅
Sounded like if every road trip song came together as one short and sweet song. I also like how a lot of the lyrics are common phrases, which underlines the unoriginality of it all
You're right that the chord progression is very unoriginal, but I still associate it to the 90's, rather than today's pop music. Even less original for the present time would have been a 1-5-6-4, like C G Am F in the key of C, or G D Em C in the key of G (and I know that 1-5-6-4 has been used for a VERY long time, but it came to a convergence point in the last 15 years, and now defines pop music).
I love how i can sing the lyrics to a bunch of different pop songs over this and it fits. I kept scrapping songs i wrote because I'd listen to it back and think "oh no I've just spent the last day writing a song that already exists!"
Wow, I recognized your thumbnail in less than a second and got hyped... Another banger song as always, Maestro! However, I've got two little things for you to consider: 1. Your production quality is top-notch! Expand on that-I would love a full tutorial on something 'not so easy/standard' from you. For instance, how to create the HARDEST Ska/Punk imaginable or anything more complex. It could work exceptionally well with your style of educating and presenting profound informations. (Making/producing videos, playing different instruments, improving singing voice, music production/mastering, or anything else you like) 2. I'll serve it cold: We need an album with your punk/ska/WhateverSpencerLoves as a 45-minute RUclips video or on Spotify where you just go ham with your love to music. I don't accept no. Jokes aside bruh, great Vid, love it!🖤
I appreciate this feedback greatly. I do want to expand and do some more complicated songs in the future to really challenge myself. And music is coming! I have 3 albums worth of material all fully recorded. I'm just working on finalizing the masters and track listings. It's coming, you have my word!
Remixing some of the most iconic music elements of music in certain styles, and putting your own mix on it, can be a great way to be original! We musicians sometimes overcomplicate the music creation process, and think that we have to create the most original music all the time, but blending elements we like together in a way that is unique to us can be a wonderful way to create music! Great video covering this topic! It's great for all musicians to know.
The crushing need to be "original" has held so many talented musicians back. Amazing lyrics and heart create a great song. The crushing need to be "original" has also created some of them most important music in history.
The amount of times I've seen people dismiss a great chord progression because it's been used before drives me nuts. It's all been done before millions of times, just put your own spin on it and people will dig it!
The old saying, "if it's not broken, don't fix it", applies here. Many of the most popular things revolve around familiarity. It's because of this very reason that so many bands find it hard to introduce new songs at concerts. Even though the audience is full of fans, they want the familiar songs. The ones they know the lyrics to, the beat, the tune, the ones they have all kinds of personal memories attached to.
Very true. I feel bad for some bands because they just can't win. If they make something too similar to their classic music people will say they're stagnant and not evolving. If they make something too different people will complain that they lost their sound. It has to be incredibly frustrating.
This video put forth the reality, that all music - in it's genre - does indeed sound the same, that rarely anything is new or unique, how that all songs' lyrics are about the same stuff. It's so true that everything is reused and repeated, because if it isn't then the music would differentiate from its genre, how if we write completely unique lyrics it won't resonate and how you can't be completely original. However the nuance of having different influences, being authentic and trying new things can maybe set you off on a new path in music. Where you will sound familiar, but be something new.
You should read Susan Rogers’ book “this is what it sounds like”, she a sound engineer with a long career (most of Prince for example), and the became a neuroscientist, the book is about how people perceive music and what factors are important. Authenticity is one of them, but absolutely not any bigger or more important than any other, it’s personal.
There was a period where I got stuck hating metalcore because SO MANY songs are built on the 4 5 6 5 4 chord progression. It's like a law or something and all I could hear was that underlying progression. 😵💫 I still struggle to ignore it, but artist authenticity, vocals, lyrics and hopefully some interesting takes in performance helps. Great upload👍
What a great reminder that we don't have to reinvent the wheel or be completely original to be true to ourselves. The real power might be in finding how we're similar to others and celebrating and showing it in our songs instead of trying to prove ourselves different :)
To be fair, your drum line is much more sophisticated than the ordinary drum beat you mentioned. And the bass line is great too. So even if you use basic chords and tempo, it's what you add around them is what matters.
That was fantastic, man. Good vocals all around. Most of the time they suffer the most on these kinds of productions. Great topic what it takes to make a hit.
I bet every songwriter has THAT one song using these chords and this bpm. It's interesting that they sound different though. Your song adds some interesting twists in the rhythm section. You have half time feeling, crash hits and snare rolls outside the usual 4 beat structure. Not everybody is able to think about that :)
Just today I came up with two melodies and I had a dilema which one of them should I create a song of. The first melody is in the key of Bbm with a time signature of 6/8, pretty slow. it represented originality. The other one is a fast song in the key of E major and while I threw some curve balls like Gb Dbm Am E it represented the more catchy one who doesn't try to be original. Honestly I leaned towards the catchy one before watching this, but your video sealed the deal. I'll tag you when I upload this to youtube, I hope you will see it and give your opinion
This is only the second of your vids that I've watched, but I think you're becoming my favorite contemporary band. Re: Rap - I think my problem is the lack of melody and harmony, which are the prime reasons I listen to music. "That's not music!" ~My aunt Clara. (I was listening to The 4 Seasons)
Thanks for watching and sharing your opinion! And while I do like the occasional rap song, I agree that melody and harmony are what makes my heart sing.
That's the goal. The slow pace of growth can be frustrating but I'm also extremely thankful for where I am. My first upload was in March of 2023, so all things considered I'm doing very well. Anything worth doing is a challenge, and I'm confident I will get there as long as I keep going!
Chord choice is all about cues for the would-he listener and people who may or may not identify themselves as part of the potential audience for your song or album or music generally. The history of music is about taking simple things Ike the g major chord and finding ways to complexify it for whatever may be the “in group” the songwriter is trying to impress or connect with. If you played some or all of these chords as diminished sevenths or flat five dominants I would instantly find this song more pleasing- but that’s only cause I want the complexity. I guess the best metaphor is coffee- most people mix their coffee with so much milk and sugar that they just require the basic “that’s coffee!” Flavor that can be found in its most basic form as a coffee jelly belly. And that group likes Folgers. Your chords and rhythms and subsequent songs are foldgers and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But most of the great artists are creating to impress other artists and they know and want to show they know the difference between Costa Rican medium roast cold brew and Kenyan espresso. It all just depends on who you’re trying to woo and wow- but please be honest with yourself and viewers that people like Taylor swift and Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran kinda have the market dominated for the foldgers basic pop chords and beats. Encourage yourself and others to deviate from the corporate plastic Frappuccino crap and take music somewhere new, no matter what you or they do, if they resist the corporate monoculture syllogisms of current pop culture they will be doing a huge favor to future generations of art/literature consumers and producers.
A lot of the things you've said only apply to those who haven't listened to a lot of music in general. I personally couldn't stand the song because of how generic it was, I need some spice in my food. It was the sonic equivalent of a slice of plain white bread by itself. I mean, for context, I was JUST listening to Mr. Bungle, so... Like, who cares if you're authentic, if you authentically have nothing to say?
Re: The lyrics. You missed a trick not using the story of a duck whose house was in foreclosure so he stole a spaceship from a cowboy to sell to the CIA as a metaphor for the choices we make in life influencing who we become.
The thing is, if you base your whole career on being unoriginal because you want to sell, you're most probably not authentic. It's a whole other can of beans when you're just a beginner who doesn't know how to do anything else. That said, by being upfront about it, and still writing actually good lyrics, and _playing the instruments_, you were FAR more authentic than most contemporary "artists" will ever be. Excellent job, and I don't say that lightly.
I had my doubts but as soon as you showed the chord progression like 7 songs came to mind lol. Tbh the song sounds like something Noel Gallagher would write on "Who Built The Moon' in particular
5:00 LOLOLOL, my family was doing karaoke, my son started to sing a Johnny Cash song. I'm an aspiring guitar player, and immediately I played some chords and started messing around with bass line. It was actually good enough that it threw off my son's singing, and he got a little irritated with me. Just as you describe, the 5ths bouncing between the two low strings.
Every time you played the guitar part, I'm like 'I know that song', but just can't place it, ... Cruel to be kind, no, ..... maybe something by Badfinger, no ..... I think the best songs already sound familiar the first time you hear them, they resonate 😁 Nice ORIGINAL song!
Man, the story of a space ship stealing - CIA dealing - foreclosure escaping duck for sure sounds like a banger, I can’t see how people would not have resonated with it.
@@songsbyspencer If you actually pulled that song off you would join the ranks of songwriters like Mac Davis, who could invent a song off the cuff asked for by his studio audience in the matter of seconds!
although good the kind of song you made is really not likely to be someone's favorite song. People enjoy familiar stuff but when it's too familiar, it'll be written off. there needs to be something special about it. when you look at the most acclaimed artists, they usually have something that sets them apart. and I know I'm not the average target audience since I love prog and artsy music but I can also enjoy a good pop song.
I always say the more digestible the song is, the more instantly likable it will be. However, that enjoyment quickly fades cause it doesn't challenge the listener. My favorite albums were albums I didn't even like the first time I heard them. It took a few listens to appreciate the weirdness, and within that is where my personal favorites come from.
people still sample music today like they have always been in genres like breakcore or vaporwave because it's a great way of reusing a piece of artwork to give it a new light. when i had my beginnings as a composer and music sequencer, i was constantly stuck within my own standards of having to make a song "interesting". i tried using all of my brainpower to imagine something new when in the end, i could never really write any real pieces of music. that is, until i realized i could ultimately just borrow somebody's groove and be done with it in under a day. from then on, music became SO much more fun to compose
I can't tell you how many times I've been inspired by someone else's song, figured out how to play it, changed a few elements, and then wrote my own song that sounded nothing like the original. It's pretty crazy how easy it is to breath new life into something by just making a few small changes.
The originally is in the lyrics. Nirvana's lyrics are nonsense, but it was a very popular band. The Beatles wrote I Am The Walrus and it's one of the biggest bands of all time.
Well, I'm constantly concerned about whether my songs will be original, whether my songs would have emotional depth due to the fact I came from Poland (some tell me I should be ashamed of being Polish), whether I will make money from them etc. Go figure.
I noticed on the Beatles album "With The Beatles" the first two songs have the exact same chords. But they are distinctly different and they both slap, so I can't complain!
A friend of mine worked on an album by one of the biggest artist in their genre, and he pointed out that every song on that album had the same chord progression. But hey, why change it if it clearly works.
You can try to invent the next big ice cream flavor, but if the majority of people like vanilla, there's nothing you can do to change that. That is the most popular ice cream flavor, by the way🍦Cool glasses, Spencer 👓👍
On the other hand, who gives a damn what the majority of people like? I don't think it's advice to try to appeal to the mainstream. I would rather say just play the music that you enjoy and speaks to you, because as long as you’re not an alien, some people will be touched by your music and it will feel sincere and authentic.
Funny, I was just thinking about the original aspect of popular music (most genre's, not just pop). I think Robert Plant once said, nothing is original.
The way you fret a G major chord is certainly original.
It's the first chord I learned and I still fret it very unusual. To me, it's just so easy to do the thumb over the top and mute the A. Old habits die hard!
That’s the way I play a G. I got it from Hendrix. Leaves other fingers to do things.
Thumb over the top two strings! Huh, I never thought about doing that. Seemed to me that the strings wouldn’t play clean, but muted…boy was I wrong!
@@williampapadopoulos8145 *bottom strings.
The thumb is playing the bottom string 3rd fret and muting the 5th string
Thumb on the 3rd fret and muting the A is how i've been playing an open G chord for over 50 years now. I think it sounds way better than playing the b. And you can change to open C major, F9, and more while leaving the Gs ringing, which in my opinion makes it the best way to play the G.
I feel like the more we try to sound original the more we're fighting ourselves from finding the muse. Just let it out how it wants to come out, at least that what works for many as well as myself.
It's you! Yep, It's like suspension of belief on movies, you watch it you enjoy it. Same for music, doesn't matter. You like it? GREAT. I think Ed Sheeran plays like 4 chords for all his songs and says every pop song can be replayed that way, or something.
Most "unique" fantasy weapons and fighting moves are incredibly impractical. The universal types you see across cultures are common because they work.
@@jacobstaten2366what’s really unique is how you put medieval weapons into context of interpreting modern music and it making sense 😂
This ruined a LOT of music in the 60’s as well as a lot of modern indie music for me. They are so terrified of blending in that they produce something unresolved and unlistenable
There are times where i find myself playing the same chords from songs 8 learned in a different key or something but extremely similar progression
I've stopped myself from creating just for the fear of not being orginal, honestly this video was just the thing I need to pull me out of my slump, thanks man
Same. I’m always surprised by how good my band actually sounds when we’re just joking around, uninhibited by feeling like we need to be original or clever. Wish I had the confidence to write something simple without feeling like I should really do something more complicated with it.
@@michaelc.1710 yeah It's funny how if you aren't worried or over thinking stuff it comes out better, Guess I just need to take a chill out a bit
Sitting down and writing a silly little 4 chord song can save your life.
Yeah, Absolultly. since writing my og comment I have managed to make a few dumb songs and learn some songs other people have made so I'm actually doing ok (: Have a great day or night internet people (: @@coyoteblue4027
I've been playing guitar for nearly 50 years and I know I should be better, but I'll never forget get a college friend of mine who told me when I started playing guitar and was always insecure when I was asked to play in front of people, he said, "Pete, you strum an E chord like nobody I've ever heard!!". That, apparently insignificant complement, was enough to keep me playing until today, nearly 45 years later. Playing guitar has literary been my saving grace through hard times, along with my faith in my Lord Jesus. God bless you Bryce!!
Casually just dropped the most hard-hitting and inspirational speech while making the most originally unoriginal song ever. Thank you!
Great song, now I want to hear the one about the duck the house the spaceship and the cowboy :)
Maybe one day!
Seriously, me too!
I authentically desire it as well... I mean, what duck DOESN'T need a spaceship, even if for a day...
@@songsbyspencer Yes, please.
Does the duck like grapes I wonder?
this blew my mind as an aspiring songwriter because for the longest time, ive looked up to songwriters like Johnny Marr from The Smiths and admired how unique and original his songs seemed . Then you started playing those chords and I recognized them because there are the exact same chords used in “The Boy with the Thorn in his Side”- my favorite Smiths song.🤯 The beauty in that song is its simplicity and authenticity.
I love the Smiths too haha 😝 ❤
I also immediately thought of the Smiths!
You had me the whole time. I struggle to finish a song. I was taught familiarity drives a popular song. But you cover that in the simple song structure and chords. I concur that authenticity is what makes this work. And that simple ass song you just put out was fantastic! The lyrics had that light a fire under my ass feel. Inspiring me to get my songs finished. Thank you.
You can do it dude! And thanks for watching!
This guy is a genius instructor. And his production skills are both visually and musically are the best on the internet for music teaching.
Thanks for the kind words and for watching. It keeps me motivated to keep on going!
True originality is not comparing to other people. It's being your true self.
The first part of the song sounded just like a typical country song I have heard on the radio over the last 30 years. Then after you sung the high notes it sounded to me like a pop song from the 90s. Even like a song I would expect to hear in a movie. Then the instrumental part sounded like a country, pop and rock song all at the same time. Then after that with the key board it sounded like multiple rock and pop songs from the 70s and 80s. Then it kind of faded out and ended and brought out memories of the 70s music and even 60s music.
And this is coming from someone who only heard music like this when others were playing it on the radio. I have no idea who almost every band you mentioned was.
Most people find a lot of the music I like to listen to boring and even aggravating to them.
This is amazing to me, that you composed, wrote the lyrics and played every instrument in this piece. It could easily have been a hit at some point in the last fifty years.
That's quite the compliment and a really appreciate your insight!
one of my musical collaborators once told me "I think it's really brave that you used such a boring chord progression." :)
I swear every time I hear a great song and I look up the chords- it's always super simple chords I use all the time.
Realy likes the way you approached this: dont start with a melody, but with a chord progression and a tempo, an build a melody on that. And then an end variation as a coda. Crash coarse song writing! And indeed doesnt sound bad at all. The secret is in a good execution. Nicely done!
I unironically want this on my Spotify playlist.
listen to pennies by the smashing pumpkins 🙏
same
Such a great song, Spencer! You're definitely right that authenticity is what separates artists apart, even if they 're using "common, unoriginal elements" in their music. Always enjoy seeing what you do with your songwriting, and I look forward to your videos!
Also, you have a unique way of fretting a G major chord!
I do fret the G major chord in a weird way. I can play it the correct way, but it's just easier for me to do it with the thumb and mute the A string!
To me, the vocal melody is the most important part of a pop song. Chord progressions are repeated on countless songs but the melody is the great differentiator and what sets songs apart.
6:05 Sometimes songs with ridiculous subjects can be relatable, too, and they can be even more special than "normal" songs: once every now and then you'll get into a really specific mood, and then that song about a duck whose house is in foreclosure will hit like nothing else.
And your song was pretty good. I was getting strong 90's vibes from it, like it was a song from a time lapse montage in a TV show or movie. 😅
Sounded like if every road trip song came together as one short and sweet song. I also like how a lot of the lyrics are common phrases, which underlines the unoriginality of it all
You're right that the chord progression is very unoriginal, but I still associate it to the 90's, rather than today's pop music. Even less original for the present time would have been a 1-5-6-4, like C G Am F in the key of C, or G D Em C in the key of G (and I know that 1-5-6-4 has been used for a VERY long time, but it came to a convergence point in the last 15 years, and now defines pop music).
Primus is one of those bands that sounded extremely unique
I love how i can sing the lyrics to a bunch of different pop songs over this and it fits.
I kept scrapping songs i wrote because I'd listen to it back and think "oh no I've just spent the last day writing a song that already exists!"
Wow, I recognized your thumbnail in less than a second and got hyped...
Another banger song as always, Maestro!
However, I've got two little things for you to consider:
1. Your production quality is top-notch! Expand on that-I would love a full tutorial on something 'not so easy/standard' from you. For instance, how to create the HARDEST Ska/Punk imaginable or anything more complex. It could work exceptionally well with your style of educating and presenting profound informations. (Making/producing videos, playing different instruments, improving singing voice, music production/mastering, or anything else you like)
2. I'll serve it cold: We need an album with your punk/ska/WhateverSpencerLoves as a 45-minute RUclips video or on Spotify where you just go ham with your love to music. I don't accept no.
Jokes aside bruh, great Vid, love it!🖤
I appreciate this feedback greatly. I do want to expand and do some more complicated songs in the future to really challenge myself.
And music is coming! I have 3 albums worth of material all fully recorded. I'm just working on finalizing the masters and track listings. It's coming, you have my word!
Remixing some of the most iconic music elements of music in certain styles, and putting your own mix on it, can be a great way to be original! We musicians sometimes overcomplicate the music creation process, and think that we have to create the most original music all the time, but blending elements we like together in a way that is unique to us can be a wonderful way to create music!
Great video covering this topic! It's great for all musicians to know.
The crushing need to be "original" has held so many talented musicians back. Amazing lyrics and heart create a great song.
The crushing need to be "original" has also created some of them most important music in history.
The amount of times I've seen people dismiss a great chord progression because it's been used before drives me nuts. It's all been done before millions of times, just put your own spin on it and people will dig it!
The old saying, "if it's not broken, don't fix it", applies here. Many of the most popular things revolve around familiarity. It's because of this very reason that so many bands find it hard to introduce new songs at concerts. Even though the audience is full of fans, they want the familiar songs. The ones they know the lyrics to, the beat, the tune, the ones they have all kinds of personal memories attached to.
Very true. I feel bad for some bands because they just can't win. If they make something too similar to their classic music people will say they're stagnant and not evolving. If they make something too different people will complain that they lost their sound. It has to be incredibly frustrating.
You definitively proved a point and that speech was too inspirational than it should've been haha
I gotta inspire my peeps!
This video put forth the reality, that all music - in it's genre - does indeed sound the same, that rarely anything is new or unique, how that all songs' lyrics are about the same stuff.
It's so true that everything is reused and repeated, because if it isn't then the music would differentiate from its genre, how if we write completely unique lyrics it won't resonate and how you can't be completely original. However the nuance of having different influences, being authentic and trying new things can maybe set you off on a new path in music. Where you will sound familiar, but be something new.
It has such an "another teen high school rock band & movie" vibe.
I actually just recently rewatched the original American Pie movies. Maybe it was in my subconscious!
I was expecting the last line to be:
“The choice is yours….
But please like and subscribe.”
Damn, I should've done that. NEXT TIME!
You should read Susan Rogers’ book “this is what it sounds like”, she a sound engineer with a long career (most of Prince for example), and the became a neuroscientist, the book is about how people perceive music and what factors are important. Authenticity is one of them, but absolutely not any bigger or more important than any other, it’s personal.
Wow, this video is SO underrated! What a great message and production value!!
This idea is, well, pretty original
I'd like to hear the lyrics for the duck problem.
I second this!
Now I really want to hear a song about that duck!
When I was writing this video I thought that duck concept actually sounded quite intriguing. Incredibly ridiculous, but intriguing!
Wow the ending left me hanging...
Unfulfilleeeeeeed! 🎤😭
There was a period where I got stuck hating metalcore because SO MANY songs are built on the 4 5 6 5 4 chord progression. It's like a law or something and all I could hear was that underlying progression. 😵💫
I still struggle to ignore it, but artist authenticity, vocals, lyrics and hopefully some interesting takes in performance helps.
Great upload👍
Thanks for the insight, and I appreciate the support!
Great song, dude! Also, you're leaving out great production, which you did here. Sort of a common sound, but you make it sound so great!
What a great reminder that we don't have to reinvent the wheel or be completely original to be true to ourselves. The real power might be in finding how we're similar to others and celebrating and showing it in our songs instead of trying to prove ourselves different :)
To be fair, your drum line is much more sophisticated than the ordinary drum beat you mentioned. And the bass line is great too. So even if you use basic chords and tempo, it's what you add around them is what matters.
Wow! Really good job!
I get stuck a lot with my music and this definitely helps. Thanks a bunch.
Glad it helped!
That was fantastic, man. Good vocals all around. Most of the time they suffer the most on these kinds of productions. Great topic what it takes to make a hit.
This sounds like an REM anthem! And I'm starting to think your are actually a genius
Your channel is the most under appreciated on youtube. You are great and all your videos are great, you have all my admiration!
That really means a lot. I'm excited to grow this thing into a full time career. Slow and steady!
Common chords, yes, but very cool how you got that dorian sound with the Am to D major at the end of the song!
Crap that sounds too original. He'll need to start over.
I bet every songwriter has THAT one song using these chords and this bpm. It's interesting that they sound different though. Your song adds some interesting twists in the rhythm section. You have half time feeling, crash hits and snare rolls outside the usual 4 beat structure. Not everybody is able to think about that :)
Just Like She Goes Heaven is one of my favourite songs, thanks for covering it 😊.
lol sure thing!
I play a G chord the same way - this is the first time I’ve seen someone else do it. Most excellent.
SO GLAD that I'm not alone. A few others were commenting about my whacky G chord technique but aye- if it sounds good it is good!
Love your channel and your analytical mind, combined with your talent and dedication...its a refreshing channel in a youtube sea of clones.
that means a lot, thank you so much!
Congrats for excellency of your work
Thank you for the kind words and support. It's greatly appreciated!
Just today I came up with two melodies and I had a dilema which one of them should I create a song of. The first melody is in the key of Bbm with a time signature of 6/8, pretty slow. it represented originality. The other one is a fast song in the key of E major and while I threw some curve balls like Gb Dbm Am E it represented the more catchy one who doesn't try to be original. Honestly I leaned towards the catchy one before watching this, but your video sealed the deal. I'll tag you when I upload this to youtube, I hope you will see it and give your opinion
This is genuinely great. A great video and a great song. Enjoyable watch.
Thank you so much! I put a lot of time and effort into my videos and comments like this inspire me to keep going.
This is only the second of your vids that I've watched, but I think you're becoming my favorite contemporary band.
Re: Rap - I think my problem is the lack of melody and harmony, which are the prime reasons I listen to music.
"That's not music!" ~My aunt Clara. (I was listening to The 4 Seasons)
Thanks for watching and sharing your opinion! And while I do like the occasional rap song, I agree that melody and harmony are what makes my heart sing.
I was skeptical of the "it turned out AMAZING" but damn dude you nailed it.
Insane video quality! You need to hit 1m subscribers fairly soon!
Thanks! I really appreciate that and I hope to get there one day!
Hmmm, I’m pretty sure I listened to this song all the time riding the bus in the mid-90s. Great video.
I definitely channelled some mid 90s brit pop on this one!
Sounds like the Wallflowers or any of those 90's alternative bands i love. Third eye blind, gin blossoms etc.
this channel has so much potential to grow. i hope it does
That's the goal. The slow pace of growth can be frustrating but I'm also extremely thankful for where I am. My first upload was in March of 2023, so all things considered I'm doing very well. Anything worth doing is a challenge, and I'm confident I will get there as long as I keep going!
Basically wrote an REM song
supremely underrated, this was really cool
Love this channel - You deserve way more subs. Great work!!
I appreciate that so much!
Ok, now write something original that I can get this out of my head.
I'm working on it!
Chord choice is all about cues for the would-he listener and people who may or may not identify themselves as part of the potential audience for your song or album or music generally.
The history of music is about taking simple things Ike the g major chord and finding ways to complexify it for whatever may be the “in group” the songwriter is trying to impress or connect with. If you played some or all of these chords as diminished sevenths or flat five dominants I would instantly find this song more pleasing- but that’s only cause I want the complexity. I guess the best metaphor is coffee- most people mix their coffee with so much milk and sugar that they just require the basic “that’s coffee!” Flavor that can be found in its most basic form as a coffee jelly belly. And that group likes Folgers. Your chords and rhythms and subsequent songs are foldgers and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But most of the great artists are creating to impress other artists and they know and want to show they know the difference between Costa Rican medium roast cold brew and Kenyan espresso. It all just depends on who you’re trying to woo and wow- but please be honest with yourself and viewers that people like Taylor swift and Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran kinda have the market dominated for the foldgers basic pop chords and beats. Encourage yourself and others to deviate from the corporate plastic Frappuccino crap and take music somewhere new, no matter what you or they do, if they resist the corporate monoculture syllogisms of current pop culture they will be doing a huge favor to future generations of art/literature consumers and producers.
A lot of the things you've said only apply to those who haven't listened to a lot of music in general. I personally couldn't stand the song because of how generic it was, I need some spice in my food. It was the sonic equivalent of a slice of plain white bread by itself. I mean, for context, I was JUST listening to Mr. Bungle, so...
Like, who cares if you're authentic, if you authentically have nothing to say?
Can you now write the most original song? Avoiding every single musical trope? That would be an interesting video to watch too 😊
That's your best song yet. Great mixing and production-on your vocals especially. Great job.
Thank you so much, Gary. I really appreciate the support!
Re: The lyrics.
You missed a trick not using the story of a duck whose house was in foreclosure so he stole a spaceship from a cowboy to sell to the CIA as a metaphor for the choices we make in life influencing who we become.
MIND=BLOWN
The thing is, if you base your whole career on being unoriginal because you want to sell, you're most probably not authentic.
It's a whole other can of beans when you're just a beginner who doesn't know how to do anything else.
That said, by being upfront about it, and still writing actually good lyrics, and _playing the instruments_, you were FAR more authentic than most contemporary "artists" will ever be.
Excellent job, and I don't say that lightly.
Taylor Swift basically built her career on this.
@@zachary963 because daddy gave her the budget to do so.
@guitaristssuck8979 and she pays lots of real musicians to write her material if you check the credits
@@docsavage8640 nothing new about it
I had my doubts but as soon as you showed the chord progression like 7 songs came to mind lol. Tbh the song sounds like something Noel Gallagher would write on "Who Built The Moon' in particular
This sounds like a song straight out of the early 2000s.
5:00 LOLOLOL, my family was doing karaoke, my son started to sing a Johnny Cash song. I'm an aspiring guitar player, and immediately I played some chords and started messing around with bass line. It was actually good enough that it threw off my son's singing, and he got a little irritated with me. Just as you describe, the 5ths bouncing between the two low strings.
You sir are truly inspirational. By this I mean that you inspire ordinary amateurs like me to keep on giving it a go ... another great video. Thanks!
Do it! I wanna hear what you make
Needed more string bending in the solo. Sounded too bland without them.
Yeah I definitely need to bend the strings more in all my solos. I'm not much of a bender, I need to man up!
Some decent points, but in your effort to write unoriginal lyrics, you succeeded. That sounded like AI, and I truly hated it.
Good job!
You deserve a lot more subscribers! At least, you won one more. Your content is fire!
I'm very grateful for your support and sub. Thank you!
Hey man,
This was really good. The song turned out great - I mean, it's derivative as hell, but I guess that was the point :)
Thanks.
Every time you played the guitar part, I'm like 'I know that song', but just can't place it, ... Cruel to be kind, no, ..... maybe something by Badfinger, no .....
I think the best songs already sound familiar the first time you hear them, they resonate 😁
Nice ORIGINAL song!
The cure, just like heaven
Sister Golden Hair.
Man, the story of a space ship stealing - CIA dealing - foreclosure escaping duck for sure sounds like a banger, I can’t see how people would not have resonated with it.
People seem to love that idea. It may just happen!
@@songsbyspencer If you actually pulled that song off you would join the ranks of songwriters like Mac Davis, who could invent a song off the cuff asked for by his studio audience in the matter of seconds!
It's so weird...I would swear I've heard this song a million times before, but obviously I haven't lmfao.
That’s it. Time to go microtonal.
still stuck on you playing the G major like that.
although good the kind of song you made is really not likely to be someone's favorite song. People enjoy familiar stuff but when it's too familiar, it'll be written off. there needs to be something special about it. when you look at the most acclaimed artists, they usually have something that sets them apart.
and I know I'm not the average target audience since I love prog and artsy music but I can also enjoy a good pop song.
I always say the more digestible the song is, the more instantly likable it will be. However, that enjoyment quickly fades cause it doesn't challenge the listener. My favorite albums were albums I didn't even like the first time I heard them. It took a few listens to appreciate the weirdness, and within that is where my personal favorites come from.
people still sample music today like they have always been in genres like breakcore or vaporwave because it's a great way of reusing a piece of artwork to give it a new light. when i had my beginnings as a composer and music sequencer, i was constantly stuck within my own standards of having to make a song "interesting". i tried using all of my brainpower to imagine something new when in the end, i could never really write any real pieces of music. that is, until i realized i could ultimately just borrow somebody's groove and be done with it in under a day. from then on, music became SO much more fun to compose
I can't tell you how many times I've been inspired by someone else's song, figured out how to play it, changed a few elements, and then wrote my own song that sounded nothing like the original. It's pretty crazy how easy it is to breath new life into something by just making a few small changes.
Brilliant presentation. Thanks :)
Glad you enjoyed it!
Better than most of what’s on the radio now.
This is one the best videos I've ever seen.
that's why so many people are sued for musical "plagiarism". every song is the same
Originality is probably impossible. The key is creativity and how elements are put together.
100%
The originally is in the lyrics. Nirvana's lyrics are nonsense, but it was a very popular band. The Beatles wrote I Am The Walrus and it's one of the biggest bands of all time.
I like how you broke this song down into super predictable parts and it turned into a foo fighters song.
Exposing the formula is what I do!
I cooked my dinner tonight while listening to this. Good choices.
Well, I'm constantly concerned about whether my songs will be original, whether my songs would have emotional depth due to the fact I came from Poland (some tell me I should be ashamed of being Polish), whether I will make money from them etc.
Go figure.
Good video. Applicable to different art genres
"Mama take this badge off of me"
This may be the happiest song I've ever heard use the word, "suicide." 😄
Never even thought of that!
Oh man I can't wait to find out!
Wow! That was great.
Thank you so much for the kind words!
I was at a coffee shop yesterday and 4 reggaeton songs in a row had the same chord progression. Even the same intro.
I noticed on the Beatles album "With The Beatles" the first two songs have the exact same chords. But they are distinctly different and they both slap, so I can't complain!
@@songsbyspencer the songs I heard were no Beatles jams, but I take your point!
A friend of mine worked on an album by one of the biggest artist in their genre, and he pointed out that every song on that album had the same chord progression. But hey, why change it if it clearly works.
You can try to invent the next big ice cream flavor, but if the majority of people like vanilla, there's nothing you can do to change that.
That is the most popular ice cream flavor, by the way🍦Cool glasses, Spencer 👓👍
On the other hand, who gives a damn what the majority of people like? I don't think it's advice to try to appeal to the mainstream. I would rather say just play the music that you enjoy and speaks to you, because as long as you’re not an alien, some people will be touched by your music and it will feel sincere and authentic.
very cool video idea btw, you are great man🙏
I could hear this being a Hootie and the Blowfish song
An example that copyright is more or less senseless and only a money making construction for publisher
Funny, I was just thinking about the original aspect of popular music (most genre's, not just pop). I think Robert Plant once said, nothing is original.
Oasis called and want their chorus back... :) Jokes aside - great song!
LOL the amount of Oasis songs that center around G, C, and D- it's like half their catalog.