Write a song featuring a drone | Songwriting Club

Let’s talk about drones!

Not drones as in the robots in the sky, but rather the concept of repeating a single musical idea throughout an entire piece of music. Drones are also referred to as a pedal point, a term that’s used more commonly in orchestral arrangements. Having a drone playing throughout most or all of your track can add a really interesting element that evolves based on what’s going on around it.

On that note, let’s dive into this week’s Songwriting Club prompt: write a song that features a drone.

Here’s what I came up with:

In the video above, I walk through how I approached writing this demo — hopefully it can inspire some ideas for you too! If you’re digging the sounds used in the track, check out this Collection to get your hands on them. Although it’s not a requirement, if you used a sound you found on Splice Sounds, let us know! If you want to use Splice Sounds in your song but don’t have an account, get your first month free with the code songwriting.

If you’re feeling proud of your tune or you’re looking for some feedback, upload it to the Splice community, SoundCloud, YouTube, Bandcamp, etc., and toss the link in the comments below. Before you share, just make sure you’re following these guidelines:

  1. Make sure your track aligns with the prompt – it should be something that you’ve specifically written in response to this blog post.
  2. No promotional posts – no links to contests, social media pages, etc.
  3. Comment on at least one other person’s song before you go – even if it seems small to you, your praise or critique can make a transformative impact on someone else’s craft.
  4. Give a quick summary of your goals for your song – asking for feedback on specific aspects (ex. the lyrics, chord progression, etc.) is also recommended!

Check back in for your next prompt on March 20th. We can’t wait to hear what you create!

March 6, 2020

Katie Smith Katie is an Artist Marketing Manager at Splice and a singer / songwriter under the moniker Lewis Lane.