My “Pancake” Approach to Songwriting

The fam requested I make pumpkin pancakes this morning.

As I was getting ready to flip ‘em, my three-year-old, Harrison, asked me to add some blueberries and chocolate chips.

I said no – it’s already pumpkin-flavored!

But then my wife said, “Sure! Why not?”

She, of course, was right.

I had no idea if pumpkin and blueberries and chocolate chips would taste good together or not. So why assume a negative result just because of an unconventional pairing?

Long story short: playing by the rules is boring and predictable…

Take a look and a listen at Stanky Loops Volume 1 and 2. The music theory doesn’t always “add up,” and that’s okay. Sure, you can analyze the chords and reverse engineer the progressions, but if you get too caught up in the numbers, you run the risk of losing touch with how the music actually sounds.

A “sound-focused” (and experimental) approach is essential for songwriting. Sounds like common sense, but I’ve heard way too many compositions by aspiring writers that sound like they fell out of a music theory textbook.

Don’t get me wrong, you can (and should) learn theory and play by the rules to sound good. But you can also break them to sound great. Knowing when and how is the fulcrum of art.

Mastering how to musically veer off course does not happen overnight. But when it comes to composing, you can speed up the process by starting with good quality chords, melodies, rhythms, and phrasing.

I’m proud to say that my loop-pack, Stanky Loops Volumes 1 and 2 will give you the head start you need for making music that’s harmonically advanced yet buttery smooth. Rhythmically complex yet right in the pocket.

I could go on, but you might as well just have a listen :)

https://go.jeffschneidermusic.com/stanky-loops

Jeff