Posts tagged Independent Music

Jingles have been around for nearly a century and are still one of the most effective ways to communicate to consumers. What makes them advantageous is their use of music to grab people’s attention. It has been known for a long time that the language of music is much more effective than traditional spoken dialogue. Writing a jingle is simple. In fact, I even wrote the Jingle for Audimated.com (email support@audimated and ask for a sneak peek). It is very similar to writing a traditional pop song, but it is easier because you are already given a message around which to write your song. Whatever company, business, or client you work with will have a distinct message in mind, assuming they are a good company and that they want to reach their consumers. It is your job to put this into a song. The creative art of doing this is what jingle writing is all about.

First and foremost, the company’s message always comes first. It is the most important aspect of your jingle. Be sure that you and your client have a very clear communication and understanding of what exactly that message is, because if you give them a finished jingle that communicates the wrong message, they will certainly never hire you again.

Once that message is clear, you are ready to start writing. Write from the most important content to the least important. We already know that the message is the most important thing in the song, and what do we use to portray the message? Lyrics. These are of utter importance in jingle writing because they are the only things that truly communicate a message. To start your lyric writing, come up with a slogan. A slogan is a short, catchy phrase that you think best represents your client’s message in as few words as possible. Sometimes your client will give you a slogan, but if that is not the case you will have to come up with something you think your client will like. The more times you mention the name of the company the better because that’s what you want the consumer to hear.

Once you have your slogan, sing it. Don’t be afraid and don’t think about it. If you’re not a singer just sing it with whatever voice you have, or just hear the slogan as a random melody in your head. The first melody on which you sing the slogan should in most cases be the one you use for you jingle. This melody will most likely be the most simple and natural and that’s generally what appeals to the most people. If it doesn’t work out for you this way first try, repeat the process until your melody meets these criteria. Once you have your melodic slogan, it will function as a backbone throughout the rest of the writing process.

The next step is a little more complicated. You must be capable of playing chords on an instrument and be somewhat musically inclined. Develop a harmonic chord progression for your melody. Every melody has an implied chord progression that, if played beneath it, can make the melody sound really good. Pick up your instrument, and start playing chords under the melody that are in its same key. Eventually you will come up with something that fits your melody. It is usually helpful if the chord you are playing at a given time contains the note from the melody in it. This will guarantee that the chord your playing goes with your melody. Be experimental with the rhythms and articulations with which you play the chords because these will give spice to your chord progression. Once you finish this process, and you think you’ve developed something that sounds good, this will be the main section, or “chorus” of your jingle. There are usually a few other sections that jingles have, including a beginning and an ending, that make them complete.

You now have the majority of the work done, and the rest is just touching up to make it complete. There are a number of ways to open up your jingle that can be effective. You should make the decision of how to do this based upon the time constraints given to you by your client. Obviously, if your jingle has to be short you may want it to contain the chorus and nothing more. But if you have time to fill, you should be sure to include an introductory section and an ending section. The introduction should be short, sweet, and lead you into your chorus. A common technique is introducing the song with an instrumental version of the chorus with no lyrics. This prepares the listener for the chorus without actually giving them the lyrical part. That way when they hear the actual chorus they will be familiar with its sound, making your chorus more effective. The key point here is to make sure you introduce the song with something relevant. The same goes for the ending. But be sure to taper off the energy level to make it clear that the jingle is coming to a close. Often times it is best to simply end the jingle with the slogan, sometimes repeated, because this is what you want the listener to remember. Remember, the more frequently you say the name of the company, the better.

Now you are finished with your jingle. If you have followed these instructions thoroughly, your jingle should impress your client. But don’t stop there, keep writing jingles and building your skill set. The more jingles you’ve written the better each one will be. This is a skill that most people don’t have and that is why you are being hired, and it is also part of what makes jingle writing special. Good luck!

Quinn Carson

Quinn@audimated.com