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Tips on ending songs?


raggety

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if your song ends with the chorus repeated a couple of times, why not stay on the last D chord for twice as long as you would normally and then land on G for the final big ending?

or you could stay on the Cmaj7 chord for longer and on the last time, play the D chord for the last 2 beats (instead of the Cmaj7 chord) and land on G

bit tricky to be definite, cos i'm not sure how long you're playing each chord for...

sim

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I think ending is more of a feeling thing. Subjectively feel out the impression you get when you hit that last chord. If it does what you want it to do then keep it.

The most common ending is of course the first or last chord in the progression you were last playing...the 1 of the new bar as the ending but ending before that works too sometimes. Those are what I usually try first before feeling out something else.

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Rhythm and texture have more to do with endings than the harmony. You can end a piece on any chord you want to, so long as you set it up right.

With rhyhm, you can hold the chords longer at the end (whole notes, half notes) rather than continuously strumming them (typically eighth or sixteenth notes).

With texture, you can have certain people in the band drop out, or you can play chords that are thinner (less notes), or in some situations do the exact opposite: keep building up and just abruptly stop.

Another common tool to use is repetition. Try repeating the last chord or two, or last lyric, or add a quick riff to the end and repeat it a few times (three is always the magic number, from jokes to music, our brains seem to be geared to hear repetitions of three).

Dig out some tunes you like listening to and figure out how they end the song, and take notes.

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Originally posted by Poparad

Rhythm and texture have more to do with endings than the harmony. You can end a piece on any chord you want to, so long as you set it up right.


With rhyhm, you can hold the chords longer at the end (whole notes, half notes) rather than continuously strumming them (typically eighth or sixteenth notes).


With texture, you can have certain people in the band drop out, or you can play chords that are thinner (less notes), or in some situations do the exact opposite: keep building up and just abruptly stop.


Another common tool to use is repetition. Try repeating the last chord or two, or last lyric, or add a quick riff to the end and repeat it a few times (three is always the magic number, from jokes to music, our brains seem to be geared to hear repetitions of three).


Dig out some tunes you like listening to and figure out how they end the song, and take notes.



This man knows his {censored}...listen to him.

It's funny because you articulated things that I do but apparently wasn't even aware of...Like i'll change my melody slightly leading into the ending such that it feels more 'concluding' than the standard melody it originated. :cool:

And the rhythm I'll often adjust...there's the standard slow-down to a final chord DUNNnnnnnn...and the good ol' DUN DUNNNnnnnnnnn ....ok that doesn't really translate in text :(

I started teaching this girl drums (I used to play) and I've given her concluding fills to do and I noticed that most of them are either a 1/16th, an 1/8th or 3/16th notes behind the start of the next bar/measure to make the "dun dun". The triplet or two behind works too if you've got that kind of a vibe going. I wonder if it's genre/style dependant :confused:

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I like the reps of three too. (Footnote Cumberland Blues)

For solo stuff where it is just your voice and a guitar, even though I am constantly using barre chords while playing, I always like to end with an open chord, so that I can then remove whatever fingers are still involved and the guitar will still be ringing if and when I put it down to take a break.

Other stuff is to go to a riff that repeats over and over and play it a little more quietly each time, like songs on albums used to end. This is especially nice if you are improvising at the end because as the volume recedes, your melodies become more intimate in their isolation.

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On your last chord, play it like it's the last chord.
Listen to Because. It finishes on a diminished chord. It's obviously a bit of a gimmick, but it works. You want it to resolve, and in not doing so the song ifnishes nicely. A lot of jazz standards are written to be repeated so finishing can be hard, so often the last turnaround is repeated. Or just get repeat the chorus endlessly as you use a big volume knob to fade out. That's the best way to finish.

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