Ending a Song

martin · Post by **martin** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 1:19 pm

How do you guys end a song? What is your favourite way of ending a song? Do you fade out while the main theme is repeating? Transpose the coda and then fade out? Fade effects in and make a spaceship sound? Put a CHA CHA CHA thing at the end like at the end of Stevie Wonder's "I just called to say I love you"? A jazzy ending? an ending with a clowny chord? Abruptly end in the middle of the last part? An ending like at the end of "Autobahn"? (wyooow)?

The Unknown · Post by **The Unknown** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 2:40 pm

To be honest, I have used a number of those you mention. My philosophy is simple: Just do it the way that feels best. Afterall, there is no right or wrong way to end a song, is there?

GregAE · Post by **GregAE** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 9:30 am

Martin -

What kind of song are you asking about? You could listen to similar songs and see if it inspires you to go a certain way on the ending. Other than that, I totally agree with Unknown - do it the way that feels best to you.

martin · Post by **martin** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 1:18 pm

Thanks for your replies!
Most of the time I play spacey music with sequences bubbling away. At the end of most of these songs, I enjoy fading out the main melody and the drone, and fade in a very slow repeating beep sound which is repeated, always the one note (a moog blip), which has some reverb on it. then the beeping just stops and the reverb spills out.
It's fun, and I don't think anybody else does it this way.

Paul W · Post by **Paul W** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 9:06 am

There's are always the plain old authentic or plagal cadence, and their many variations...