Novelty and nostalgia
Balancing the new with the familiar
In the early days of Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlists, its engineering team discovered accidentally that by including some tracks in the lists that users had heard before improved listener engagement.
“…a bug that occasionally let semi-familiar content through ended up staying in, since it turns out having one or two things you recognize seems to build trust in the playlist”1
Also, today’s music charts heavily feature older or ‘catalog’ music. This trend can be attributed to the ‘music used to be better’ sentiment and nostalgia, or to the case that streaming algorithms and social media make it easier for both younger and older generations to discover/rediscover music across the decades2.
And in the movie world, it’s not your imagination that there is a steady procession of remakes and sequels coming out of Hollywood studios. Rehashing tried and true storylines and familiar characters is a less risky bet than investing millions into an unknown screenplay.
Though the recent success of the films Backrooms and Obsession, started by former YouTubers on a fraction of the budget of big-name movie makers, demonstrates how a new approach can emerge when the status quo becomes too stale.
Optimising enjoyment
Psychology studies show that people enjoy a combination of predictability with fresh experiences from the creative arts. So, for example, on a weary weeknight you might opt for a familiar program or rerun, whereas on the weekend seek something more novel and exciting.
Similarly, listening to some favourite music from the past can be the musical equivalent of ‘comfort food’, but we can also be pleasantly surprised by hearing a new or more unconventional track, or a remix or reimagining of an earlier song. These unexpected ‘breakthrough’ experiences can then become favourites.
In fact, studies have shown that repeated exposure to a new piece of music increases liking even without conscious awareness, or as we say, a song ‘grows on you’.3
Generally, the relationship between familiarity and newness follows a trajectory that researchers call the Wundt curve4. We are bored by music that is too simple or predictable but are often turned off, at least initially, by music that is very complex or unfamiliar—it’s the moderate ‘Goldilocks zone’ that resonates best.
The sweet spot of learning
A similar pattern applies to acquiring new skills. For example, after reaching a basic level of proficiency when learning a musical instrument, it’s fun initially to play the songs you know while avoiding more challenging pieces.
However, this soon becomes repetitive and boring, and you crave doing something more challenging. This is where introducing a moderate level of difficulty or stress activates your learning ‘sweet spot’ which accelerates your learning progress.
But to really turbo charge your learning, a more laser-focused systematic approach, deliberate practice5, is needed within this sweet spot. (To be most effective this technique needs to feel uncomfortable, just on the edge of your ability). For example, on guitar this might include pinpointing micro chunks of your playing that are causing issues, slowing down the tempo significantly and recording your sessions for self-evaluation.
Adding sparkle to your songwriting
If you find yourself defaulting to the same chord progressions and have lyrics that are too generic, then bringing in unexpected elements can spice up your songwriting and make it more memorable.
One straightforward way to do this is using borrowed chords such as switching a minor chord for a major chord or vice versa. For example, in Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy listen to what happens in the bridge when the song changes from A minor (when played with capo 3) to A major.
The Beatles were masters at these types of changes. Listen to In my life which is in the key of A major: in the verse the chords go from D major to D minor, and then to A major. The pattern gives a stepping down, or voice leading effect as you hear the F# note in the D chord to F in D minor and then E in the A chord.
Sometimes one chord can make all the difference, the ‘Hendrix chord’ (E7#9) being a standout example. This extended dominant 7th chord was used earlier, a D7#9, in the Beatles’ Taxman. The chord gets its distinctive bluesy, gritty appeal from having both a major third and a minor third.
Another instance of how a single chord is surprising but ‘just works’ is Neil Young’s folksy rock song Long may you run in D major which adds a shot of colour with an unexpected Bb#11 chord.
A more complex example of songwriting prowess is the Beach Boys’ masterful tune, God Only Knows which was groundbreaking in its time. The song is harmonically ambiguous, matching the uncertainty of the lyrics, is peppered with inverted chords and uses several orchestral instruments though in a restrained way.
Looking at lyrics, try experimenting with using specific or sensory details from your own experience, rather than vague statements, so you paint a picture for the listener. Here are a couple of examples to illustrate:
My happiness, Powderfinger
I see your shadow on the street now
I hear you push through the rusty gate
Click of your heels on the concrete
Waiting for a knock coming way too late
The boys of summer, Don Henley
Nobody on the road
Nobody on the beach
I feel it in the air
The summer’s out of reach
Another technique songwriting experts suggest is to not think of your lyrics as rhyming poetry. It can be better to write in a more conversational way with lines of different length, and the ends of lines don’t always have to rhyme perfectly. Using a loose rhyme or even words that don’t rhyme at all can be fine, as the melody, rhythm and performance also work to carry your song.
Images made with Canva AI
https://engineering.atspotify.com/2015/11/what-made-discover-weekly-one-of-our-most-successful-feature-launches-to-date
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/music/music-industry-news/old-music-coming-back-luminate-study-1236612110/
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2017.00147/full
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-Wundt-curve-illustrating-the-relationship-between-arousal-potential-and-hedonic_fig1_393710575
https://fs.blog/deliberate-practice-guide/