Write and produce your own EDM song.

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ASSIGNMENT
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Your assignment is to write an EDM song with either a single chord (Modal) or a simple repetitive chord progression (Chordal) in the style of your favorite artist/band/song, and to create a rough track to demonstrate it.

You’re free to choose the sub-genre of your choice, or to just write “wild” without any specific preconception or reference track.

As a good starting point I recommend a basic lyrical idea including your title and chorus. But ultimately, everything is up to you and you can let the process guide you at any step of the way instead of controlling the process. This is about your self-expression, and the beautiful thing about art is that truly anything goes.

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PROCESS
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Name your favorite artist/band and song as your stylistic reference and inspiration (optional).
Name your favorite artist/band and song as your stylistic reference and inspiration (optional).
Decide on your song’s tempo and vibe.
Create a basic groove in the tempo of your choice. I recommend 120 - 135 bpm for the most common dance tempos.
Write a simple lyric that deals with basic emotions and speaks your truth. You may limit yourself to a balanced meter and symmetrical rhyme scheme. You don’t need many words in EDM, and writing Verse lyrics is optional; alternatively you can do an instrumental Verse with a Synth Hook (some DAW experience is useful for this approach).
Decide on your approach: Chordal (repetitive chord progression) or Modal (single chord).

a) If Chordal, create a repetitive chord progression pattern.
b) If Modal, start crafting an original groove and synth hook (DAW experience required for this approach).

Craft your Chorus melody, singing the lyric in natural phrasing as if speaking on pitch. The Chorus usually contains the title of your song.
Write the other sections. The challenge here is to create contrast between the sections (between the Chorus and Verse or instrumental Verse/Synth Hook), keeping in mind the discussed various concepts of contrast I’ll discuss in the sections on Melody, and Production.
Record your vocals, and mix down a rough track as a basic demonstration of the song (perfection not required).

Whatever comes first to jumpstart your creativity - whether it’s the groove, the title or full lyric, melody idea or a riff - is up to you. The above order is a suggestion to get the process rolling, but often creativity is a back-and-forth process between the different stages, not a fixed process like a cooking recipe. Starting with a title and basic lyrical idea is probably the easiest way to start a song; then you can let the other parts be inspired by your words.

This project will give you experience in writing within the stylistic confines of a genre that thrives on certain aspects of the music being static. The game is about finding ways of creating interest and contrast with the means available. Limitations will be your best friend.

One limitation I encourage right away is a time limitation: A self-imposed deadline. If as artists we don’t have deadlines, we can always fiddle around more and more and nothing gets finished. Finishing your song within a specific amount of time is part of the process.

Most of all, always allow the process to be playful and enjoyable. Out of that and the personal truth in your lyric, creative gratification will be assured, and that’s ultimately what’s it’s all about.

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DELIVERABLE
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Share your completed EDM song in our class Project Gallery.

A completed project should include a basic recording with a rough vocal that demonstrates the melody, words and chord progression or modal production elements. You can create your recording on a tablet (various iPad apps are available to create grooves and other instrumental elements which you can then export and import into another workstation that allows you to record vocals on top of it). Remember, the tools matter less for this assignment, and don’t strive for production perfection.

Once you have mixed the elements of your song (groove, bass, synths, vocals), export it to an audio file.

Upload the audio file (mp3 @ 256 Kbps preferred), and/or post a SoundCloud link. The advantage of SoundCloud is that it allows all of us in the class to post comments within the song, but unfortunately it streams at a low-quality 128 Kbps so for potential mix suggestions I would much prefer the higher bitrate you can upload here.
Post your lyric (optional, but useful if you would like to receive feedback).

Note: For demonstrating your song, a fully realized release-ready production is not required as record production is not within the scope of this class. However, music is often a team sport, so you are encouraged to eventually produce a polished version of your song in collaboration with producers or audio engineers if help is needed.

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RESOURCES
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5. Song Form:

Common Song Sections

Verse: narrative, usually busier melodic phrases (EDM can have only 1 or none)
Pre-Chorus: (optional) climb to set up Chorus, often used in lieu of double-Verse
Chorus: usually contains title; emotional payoff; current trend to before Verse 1
Post-Chorus: instrumental or Vocal FX, Synth Hook, can hammer home Title
Breakdown / Drop / Bridge / Middle 8: relief before the final Double-Chorus and Outro; often high-point in EDM; typically instrumental or with only title/hook sung
Intro: 4 or 8 bars to establish tempo and mood, often atmospheric before beat starts or just beat with chord progression
Outro: end on fading over repeated Choruses or a Vamp, or sink back into same moody atmospherics as Intro
Interlude: (optional): 24 bar groove without vocals, usually after Chorus 1
Tacet Bar(s) or Beat(s): (optional) suspended bar(s) or extra beats stuck between two sections where most of music stops; used for dramatic effect to fool listeners expectation

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7. Chorus Design:

I have identified eight most commonly used Chorus designs, as defined by how often and in what position they use the title (usually the main lyrical hook a song). As with everything I explain, there are no dogmatic rules, only tools, and the below Chorus designs serve as guidelines or inspirations to try out different ideas until you find the one that works best. When your Chorus sticks with you so much that you cannot get it out of your own head anymore singing it all day long, then you know you’ve arrived at something catchy the world may also want to sing along with.

As always, I invite you to break the conventions and also try unique designs. The below standard design types give you great points of departure for such further explorations. For example, you could break the typical four-phrase symmetry by trying a non-balanced approach, such as having three lyric lines, one of them longer (wordier) or more stretched out (sustained) than the others. Also, you may experiment with various rhyme schemes.

The Chorus is the heart of your song, whether EDM or any other genre, so do spend some extra time crafting it, making sure you have explored many potential ways of finding the “stickiest”, catchiest one!

8 Standard Chorus Types

T T T T
T T
T — T —
— T — T
— T T T
T — — T
T — — —
— — — T

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8. Bass:

Two Types of Basslines

Functional Bassline: Usually used in Chordal Approach (chord progressions). Repetitive rhythmical pattern that follows the chord progression root notes pretty strictly (in Trance often off-beat 8th or double-16th notes); can be embellished with passing notes
Melodic Bass: Usually used in modal approach (no chord progression). Often riff-like and very catchy. A vocal often sings parallel to the melody for the main hooks (Chorus, title).

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Sheryl Collins Roberson

Writer, Artist, Reader

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