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Songs To Sleep By

© Cindy Lee Haddock

SONGS TO SLEEP BY

All of us have written songs that leave listeners looking at their watches and wondering when it would all be over, but have you ever considered writing a song to actually put people to sleep? Relaxation music is actually a pretty big market, and it is something any musician with a CD burner at home can put out without the aid of a publisher and make a few dollars on the side. Here are a few ideas to get you making your first at least local hit disc.

WHAT RELAXES YOU?

What sorts of songs do you like to listen to when you go to sleep? What sorts of sounds do the same? I have a few relaxation CDs I picked up at the local big-box stores of things like running water, rain and wolf songs that can put me out within minutes, but then I've been known to nod off during "Get the Led Out" and at one Christian metal concert when the lead guitarist got too long-winded on his soloing, so it will be different for lots of folks. Play with chord progressions on your favorite instrument or just the computer next time you are really irritated over something, and see which ones make you feel your hackles lower and shoulders drop, and write those down for future reference. Play a few scales and modes and see which ones are more sleepy-sounding to you. Think of sound effects, too-things like your aquarium, a cat's purr, train wheels over a track, wind blowing through the trees in your yard, or others that touch you as being drowsy in feel. See if you can make samples of these so you can use them without the need of getting permission if you decide to publish and save time and trouble. It's amazing how sensitive most computer microphones are, and you may be able to quickly get some .wav files just sitting at home on a rainy afternoon.

NOW HAVE SOME FUN

Try taking those little sound bites you've come up with, and playing them just like you would a drum loop to help you come up with some fun accompanying music. What do you hear? Some folks actually place things like thunder, frog croaks, wolf howls and the rhythm of a loop of running creek noise and putting them together into a working rhythm track as if they were actual instruments, and trying to not only find the actual key they are playing in, but adjusting the tone of other patches to match. Try playing with guitar, synthesizers, percussion instruments, woodwinds, strings or whatever you feel fits and just jam with your "background." Try to think of those chord progressions, modes and scales that worked for you earlier. If you find yourself getting heavy-lidded, that's even better. Take a break, and start over later when you are more awake, and see if this exercise makes you all woozy again. If nothing else, your little writing exercise may be a new method to use when you get home all keyed up from a gig and need to get some sleep. If you like to write lyrics, perhaps a quiet poem whispered or spoken in hushed levels over these sounds, or just some quiet vocalizations can lull your listeners. Play with these ideas, and try to just come up with the most soothing sounds you can produce.

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