Dramatic Music Sound Effect – guitar bands and music accents
Using musical accents in your Song. Music accents can produce a dramatic effect. Musical accents are notes or chords that are played very often off the beat sometimes producing odd rhythms. This odd rhythm or accent gives the music a different feel or groove. In written music notation accent can look like this <
Listen to the end of the Snow Patrol song ‘Open Your Eyes’. The repetive quaver figured guitar seems to continue endlessly. But there is a subtle and gradual build up of sound with instruments and rhythms reaching a crescendo in the Coda (end or tail piece). This crescendo in the Coda is heightened by the off beat accents which are emphasized by the drums.
Think of trying to introduce odd accents into your four in the bar songs. Try it only for the verse or alternatively only for the the chorus or as in Snow Patrol’s case at the end of the song to bring their hypnotic song to a great conclusion.
Snow Patrol also think very orchestrally in this song – so you may have to put your conductor’s hat on (even if you are a guitar player) if you want to produce a big sound. If you’ve got a good drummer then get them to help you sort out unusual musical accents – if you have a good drummer this is often more in their department. It might need lots of practise to pull off dramatic music sound effects using accents, but the results can be very worth while.
Keep experimenting – ‘always look for a new way of saying something old’.
If your interested in Music Arranging and learning more about the art of putting music together successfully there are some good books on the subject. For example ‘Arranging Music for the Real World’ by Vince Corozine. Arranging in the Digital world by Corey Allen. Also there’s the Complete Idiots Guide to Arranging by Michael Miller. These are good starting points.