Quick overview of modes and how and when to use them   The Ionian mode – Also known as the major scale. The dorian mode – Built on the second degree of the major scale, used over a minor family chord such as min6 or min13. A common chord progression would be a ii – V chord progression. The phrygian mode – Built on the third degree of the major scale, although minor by description, this mode is often used Continue

A company ‘ScoreAHit’  have come up with a system for working out which songs are more likely to ‘make it’ in the charts, and also to identify the features which make up the perfect hit. Does a hit have to be: Energetic? Danceable? A certain Tempo or Duration? Do these optimal features change through time? They have a unique  Hit Equation page to reach a conclusion  and a Live Predictions page to see their own predictions for this week’s UK chart!! They even Continue

 At Songbay we often receive specific scenario/film briefs from producers looking to source music. Here’s one such example: “There are several characters (people) all trying to reach a destination within the same time frame, we need the music to mirror this”. What musical devices could we use to tackle this brief? We could: Use  polyphonic texture to portray the complex nature of the setting. (***Can you write in Polyphonic style*****??).  Use Polyrhythms to further support the sense of multi speed/time travel. If you have a firm grasp Continue

We have had a highly successful first week of Beta testing our web service. The inevitable glitches have revealed themselves, so will be continuing in Beta mode for the next seven days. We will let you know as soon as we are happy. In the meantime, we continue to be very busy letting everyone know about the location of high quality original songs!  Please  have your best songs and artwork ready for submission to the Songbay Music Licensing library. Best Wishes, Continue

It is impossible to define good music and bad music. Quality is such a personal choice that it often appears to defy logic or traditional ‘good musical taste’. This is certainly the case where music licensing is concerned. ‘Good’ really means ‘most suitable’ for a specific context. There have been occasions when we have recommended music which we’ve considered to be strong melodically and harmonically only for the client to choose something that in our opinion seemed pretty average. Sometimes Continue

Power of Pentatonic Scale –http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gjreHt0tRI Musical artist Bobby McFerrin directs his audience in a demonstration of the power of the pentatonic scale at the event “Notes Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus” from the 2009 World Science Festival. Utterly Inspirational! Songbayteam

It may seem utterly obvious, but the importance of melody can sometimes be overlooked-great grooves, clever chord sequences and glossy production can  culminate in just that: a great groove, some chords and glossy production! From a music licensing perspective, it tends to be the melody that sells; writers who can compose great melodies are of most interest to film producers. The chords and rhythm set the mood, but its the tune that allows the viewer to relate to the product Continue

The Songbay ‘Latest News Blog’ is here, just ahead of our full web service, (still in Beta testing for another week). We will be using this blog to discuss  topics of interest to all music Industry professionals looking to sell, buy or license original music. We will be focusing heavily on songwriting, production and arrangement issues as well as the latest news and opportunities from Songbay. Best Wishes, The Songbayteam