When Emperor Joseph II first heard Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera The Abduction from the Seraglio in 1782, he famously told the composer: “Too many notes, my dear Mozart”. It was a criticism shared by many people at the time—even amongst Mozart’s admirers. He had such a fertile melodic mind, and his head was so full of catchy tunes, that he could not resist cramming them all into his music.
Today, new writers often make the same mistake. Their tunes may not be in the same league as Mozart, of course, but they try to squeeze too much into their melodies in order to demonstrate their talent and impress people.
Too many notes can be a problem if you want other artists to be able to sing your songs. So be careful not to make your melodies so busy that there are no resting spaces or pauses in which the poor singer can draw a breath!
For singers, good breath management skills are essential if they want to sound great and maintain the quality of their vocal performance every time. If you don’t allow the singer enough space to breathe, it can have a negative impact on his or her vocal quality—and the song may be rejected as a result.
It is important to structure the musical phrases in your song in such a way that the singer can take a breath without it sounding awkward—like breathing naturally be- tween sentences when you’re talking. Notes held for more than a few beats should ideally be followed by a rest long enough to allow a breath. You should also leave some breathing space after a string of fast, short notes.
It is also essential to leave enough spaces (lyrically and melodically) to allow artists to express themselves and interpret the song in their own way.
The best way to check the ‘breath ability’ of your song is to print out the lyrics, read them out loud against a metronome or a click track, and mark all of the points at which you find yourself taking a breath in normal speech. Then make sure the notes you’re asking the vocalist to sing correspond with these natural pauses. Many experienced songwriters believe it is the gaps and pauses left between the notes that actually help to make the overall melody sound interesting and catchy.
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