[RPHughes91]

Anyone possibly help me out? i have a college project where im choosing to study motown music and write my own, ive had some advice of a webstie to look into some songs but i want to start writing

wondered if any advice for writing a song that has that "motown" sound

[Ramshackles]

Listen to a lot of the hits....
There are certain characteristics that recur on a lot of the songs - the classic bass line/bouncy drum beat on 'You Can't Hurry Love', guitars usually just playing on the off-beat (with snare hits), tambourine on the back beat too, and that really thick, prominent, melodic and often over-driven bass sound. That bass pretty much informed Paul Mccartneys bass style..
Vocals often recorded very 'hot' so that they distort slightly when they reached for those amazing high notes...also makes it sound like there is a lot of energy in the song. (Reach out is a great example of the 'hot' vocal)
Vocal style and melodies originated in Gospel singing, so call and response techniques used a lot (Please Mr Postman, lots of the Four Tops stuff).
Exuberant vocals/riffing was avoided. You dont hear any mariah carey/christina aguilera/whitney houston style theatrics..
In the same way, arrangements were simple. Often just a piano/guitar through the verse and perhaps some pop brass/strings in the chorus. Songs were driven by the bass and all hooks reliant on vocals...

Most of the songs dealt with love aswell...

Thats classic Motown. Otis Redding, to an extent (Dock of the bay), and then Marvin Gaye with 'Whats Going On' opened up a more artistic path...

Of course, it all hinges on having an amazing soulful singer...

[estreet]

I think the problem with writing in any ''style' is that the less steeped in it you are the more you will jump to it's most obvious clichés. So, I think it depends whether you want a song that will convince the not-too-fussy that it's Motownish or one that will convince people who actually like Motown. I also suspect that if you loved Motown you probably wouldn't be asking the question.

Yep, if you are not too serious about it then listen to a few hits and pillage some drum beats and basslines. If you need to take it more seriously than that then listen more closely and steep yourself in it. Anyway, if you aren't a Motown lover I'd ask: why not? Fabulous music, great, great songs - and great recordings too.

I think the classic Motown beat is not so much 'Can't Hurry Love' as the Bat bat badum badum one, lol.

[chrislong170273]

listen to the Supremes, Jackson 5, Martha Reeves

"Heatwave", "Where Did Our Love Go"

Simple, repetetive, glossy, nice soulful vocals, backing vocals
A trick is to repeat the refrain by the backing vocalists at the end of the song whilst the lead contines to improvise. This occured in Motown as well as the grittier Stax material
that off beat rhythm in Heatwave is very typical
The snare drum on every beat is common, as in Where did our love go
(incidentally, listen also to Black and White Town by Doves to hear the same riff in a modern indi song, described by one reviewer as indisutrial motown haha)

[domj]

The Funk Brothers, look them up.

[ras52]

YouTube is your friend: search for Motown Drums to hear people demonstrating typical drum patterns, Motown Guitar for the guitar, etc.  I did this when I was trying to get a Motown-y feel on a demo... waddyamean it's cheating?! 

I can also recommend the book on Motown's house bass player, James Jamerson: "Standing in the Shadows of Motown".  As you'd expect it's mostly about the bass, but also describes how the other instruments were typically used.

Have fun!
Richard