Does Your Work Have A Sonic Signature?

Does Your Work Have A Sonic Signature?

The concept of “sonic signature” is something more often applied to bands, singer-songwriters, and producers, but it’s a worthwhile thing to consider even if you are not a performing or recording artist.

A sonic signature is the sound that makes music instantly recognizable and memorable. It could be as simple as the type or style of guitar you might play, or the timbre of your voice, or as complex as the use of layers of parts or sophisticated harmonies. Some instantly recognizable examples might be the Beach Boys’ harmonies, Brad Paisley’s guitar, or Leonard Cohen’s gruff baritone.

These are all performing artists, but they do all perform original material….and the SOUND of their work is as much a part of what makes them who they are as the lyrical and melodic content of their songs.

As a songwriter, you might be faced with a choice in a given situation…..do you write what YOU hear as an artist yourself, or do you write to match the sound of an artist you want to pitch to? From the perspective of craft, it’s a useful skill to be able to write songs that can fit different artists in different styles…..think of it as a work-for-hire situation in which you are aiming to fit the specifications requested by another. The fact that the “hire” part of this thought is speculative is not essential to my point… you make creative decisions based upon the target of the song pitch. This approach can work…..Smokey Robinson has said that he wrote “My Girl” for Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin (better known as the Temptations) to sing. But Smokey was an in-house writer and artist at Motown in the 60’s and had an inside track that most of us can’t access quite so easily. Unknown or lesser-known writers without such connections need something else to distinguish ourselves. Strong songcraft, killer hooks, and memorable melodies are all important elements of our toolbox….but what about the SOUND?

We hear on a regular basis here in Nashville that “it’s all about the song”, and while that’s true in the sense that a great song opens doors, it might be helpful to broaden our sense of what makes the song great. Imagine “Sweet Home Alabama” without that opening guitar hook, or the aforementioned “My Girl” without its own distinctive intro. The Beatles’ songs stand up on their own in a thousand rearrangements, but what caught the world’s ear in the first place was how they sounded: the blend of their voices and the chime of the guitars. None of these examples I’m mentioning are difficult to emulate, in fact they are very simple….but they reflect the simple fact that listeners respond to sound as much as they do to identifiable characters and a straightforward message. (Pop music wouldn’t exist as it does today if this were not the case. Explain the inscrutability of an REM or Radiohead lyric, to name two HUGELY successful rock bands whose songs are oblique and completely non-linear).

Granted, we’re talking about writing for a different market. All factors need to be considered….but among that list of goals, add “sonic signature” to the things you strive to achieve in your work. You don’t need to be a great singer (see Leonard Cohen above) or great guitarist (the intros to “Sweet Home” and “My Girl” are often two of the first things I teach beginning guitar students). In fact, your limitations can become strengths in that they can also shape your style. B.B King has been known to say that he plays so tastefully because his fingers can’t move very fast. Strive to improve but don’t let your limitations be a roadblock….rather, allow your limitations to help you define a style, which will evolve along with you.