Features

Tech Sessions #9

Hook Them In
We've all heard the words 'so where is the hook?' right? When you get your tracks to the point of where you're pitching them to management, a&r or whomever, that becomes a phrase that you will hear over and over and over again.

The truth is that some execs in this business, but definitely not all, do not have an ear for music to where they can hear an instrumental track and be able to discern the sometimes subtle changes between the intro, the verse, the b-section, the almighty hook and the outro.

You will definitely meet these people and at times it's very easy to fall into the defeatist mind set of "well fuck them, they don't know what they just missed out on." Many mistake that for swagger and confidence when in many cases its really you just excusing yourself from getting better at track definition.

We personally prefer to play tracks for people who do not have a musical ear. Why? Because those ears are much closer to the ears of the average people on the street who think a b-section is a geometry angle they forgot about.

Point is that if you can impress these people then you have a much better shot at making a real record and, depending on what happens when the artist gets down, even getting a potential single out of it; although that is a very hard mountain to climb if you are not a "name" situation.

So again it all comes back to the hook more times than not. Now, I'm not one to tell anybody how to switch up their process. So let's not focus on the content of your musical hook but how it comes across.

Assuming that the track in question is again an instrumental that you are pitching to someone for placement, ask yourself the following types of questions:

1) What makes the hook stand out?
2) Do I need to layer the main lead melody in the hook to separate it from the verse?
3) Would minor changes in the rhythm track help the hook to feel more dynamic?

You get the idea. On a final note, one thing that really helps me personally is writing hooks and sometimes complete songs to our tracks. That in itself is an instant way to know if you're in the right space. Because if you can't rap or sing to it (regardless of your skill level in either) then who can?

Glover is one half of the Atlanta, GA based production squad The Audio Assassins which are founding members of The Elements. You can find them both at Audioassassins.com and theelementsinc.com

Message Glover with your insight on hooks and what factors make them stand out for you!