Some years back I heard songwriter/music publisher Eric Beall talk about the value of uptempo songs, particularly in live performance. He pointed out (I’m paraphrasing) that an artist can have a lot of slow- or mid-tempo songs on a recording but that even artists who are known for ballads can in their live set only do so many without putting listeners to sleep (there are exceptions, but not many). 

As I recall, he directed his points mostly to songwriters who are specifically trying to write for artists other than themselves. But almost everyone needs uptempo songs – he’s a music publisher as well as a songwriter, so he knows.

What I took away was that, all other things being equal, an uptempo song has more practical value in the marketplace than a ballad… and also that, to most writers, slower songs seem to come more naturally than faster songs. So writing uptempo songs may require more of a conscious effort. In the last few years I’ve seen the truth of that in my own writing and performances.

Fourteen years ago I started a new band to perform my songs. We’ve been performing in NYC clubs about every month or two since then. I write pretty steadily, and I always do newly written songs at every gig, so we’ve probably got over 150 of my songs in our ‘book’.

In a void, all the songs are created equal. But when I’m putting together our set lists, I’d say an uptempo song is worth at least twice as much to me as a ballad or midtempo song (not intrinsically, but for its utility in the set), as well as having a better chance of remaining in the set and not being replaced by a newer song.

As a result, now when I write, I’m all over something that is potentially rousing; I’ll give it a higher ‘finishing’ priority – I need the energy in the set (and on my albums). I need the contrast. Of course a song can be extremely rousing without being fast… but I do think our bodies respond to tempos and without variety in that area (and also with songs’ keys) listeners tend to become complacent (sleepy).

To come full circle, this makes me like most other artists, the ones Eric was talking about – more in need of uptempo songs than midtempos or ballads.

As long as we’re discussing tempos, one other point. I, and I think most songwriters, have a few ‘comfort zone’ tempos. That is, we tend to write most of our songs in a few tempo areas in which we’re already comfortable. I’ve noticed this with a lot of writers I’ve produced, coached, and played with over the years.

It’s something I’m now very conscious of in my own writing. I try to be aware of the big picture – am I writing another song at a tempo and groove where I’ve already got a bunch of songs?  If so, that doesn’t stop me from writing the song if I think it’s worthwhile. I just try to stay aware of not repeating myself too much, of finding feels and tempos that I haven’t already explored extensively. And, over the years, my tempos have become more varied.

One way I’ve found to break out of the comfort zones is to pattern a new song after a song that I really like (by another artist) that is NOT in one of my comfort zone tempos or feels. It’s fun too.

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