Brian Eno Quotes

I am moved more by melodies, song structure, and evocative textures.

Ever since 'Hail to the King,' we've been more cognizant of our chord progressions, our key changes, drama in songs, a lot of dynamics - we've really added a lot of that in there.

When I listen to my favorite songwriters, they have such simple melodies and chords. I occasionally manage to stop at the right time, but all too often I keep on going until I have way too many notes and words. But that's just what I do.

Most people don't really need to hear a six-minute guitar solo that modulates between five keys and time signatures. What they want is a good song.

I liken movies to playing a piano: Sometimes you're playing the chords and different notes with unresolved cadences and playing all major chords that are all over the place, and you're enjoying yourself with a great, simple melody.

That is what intrigues me; songwriting and song structure and expression.

I've always written songs the same way. You learn different tricks - you learn craft, you learn structure, all that - as you go.

If the chords change a lot over the course of a song, it's better to stay within the same melodic structure.

I like to always do my best to make music catchy, so I think a very catchy melody is cool.

So when I started writing my own stuff, it was with a lot of combinations and time changes and power.

And I like messing around in the engine room of music. Seeing what happens in the rhythm section area.

Yes, basically, like you said, I'll work out a chord pattern and work out the lyrics over that.

I don't enjoy songwriting.

You make sure that there's a structure that's interesting for them to play on top of, then do temp versions and try it on the film. By the time the players come to the recording session, I've found what works. So I'm not wasting their time.

We start a lot with melodies and instrumentation and trying to figure out good melodies for verses and choruses. We get to lyrics sometimes second, so we'll start humming a melody, finding something, and see where the music takes you as far as lyrics are and what you want to say and go from there.

I like songs that have lots of different parts in them, an intro, an outro and a bridge.

Well, the first day we went through three songs, very basically.

Sometimes a piece of music in the score isn't effective. When a score is too well finished with too many elements, sometimes it's too much.

Melody is king, and don't you ever forget it. Lyrics appear to be out front, but they're not; they're just an accompanying factor. If they're good, you're really in good shape. Lyrics are written to be rewritten.

Only a tiny portion of music history involves a singer and a lyric. Songs in music are generally thought to be a minor form.

If anyone asks me about songwriting, I guess I'd say that you just gotta do it.

I want the score to have a really big voice.

You have to have that organizational principle behind the song.

If you write songs you have an idea how they're going to sound.

I hear these melodies. I hear horn lines and string lines. That's what's fun about recording with an orchestra.