Why We Like Songwriting Formulas Posted on May 12, 2016 by Gary Ewer It’s probably a product of the age in which we live, but once we’ve invented or created an item, our mind moves quickly to how we can mass produce that item for maximum profit. Songwriting isn’t much different, and that’s probably why songwriters talk a lot about formulas . In songwriting, a formula is a system or procedure that can produce good songs. It is the musical equivalent of mass production of an item, like perhaps a car. The main difference, of course, is that mass-producing a car successfully means that you’ve created thousands or millions of vehicles that all look exactly the same, while a songwriting formula results in (hopefully) unique songs. The benefit of formulas is that they give the audience something that’s been successful before, and will hopefully be successful again. The problem with formulas is that even though the songs must be uni...
