How and why you should use reference songs to collaborate.
There's a skill every collaborative musician needs. It's not picking flight of the bumble bee at 300bpm, singing Mariah Carey whistle tones or turning a fart into the world's punchiest snare drum.
It's the simple, but often neglected ability to communicate your taste.
A couple years back, I wrote a sad, acoustic folk song for a client. They gave me creative license for the topic, so I wrote a heart wrenching allegory based on my toughest personal experiences, through finger picked acoustic guitar, tender melody and metaphorical lyrics.
I knew in my naive little heart that my client would love it. I mean, they asked for Sad, Acoustic Folk. I was their guy. Acoustic guitar? Check! Raised on Billy Joel and Sixto Rodriguez, plus a lifelong emo phase? Check! Unresolved trauma and self worth issues, let's go! Shit, I've probably bought Sufjan Steven's like 3 coffees, the amount of times I’ve streamed Carrie and Lowell…
My client responded with: "Hey dude. Thanks 4 ur hard work, but this isn't what I asked for at all. Why is it so depressing? This sounds like weird suicidal country. I wanted sad acoustic folk, like The Lumineers. This isn't it man. Pls can we cancel the order."
My gut reaction was that he had no idea what sad, acoustic folk meant. Justin Vernon could sing Re: Stacks with Adrianne Lenker playing guitar and Andy Shauf on clarinet. My client would ask them to play Ophelia, or some other stomp clap nonsense. I felt so angry. He didn't get it. He didn't get me.
Thankfully, I held off on the passive aggressive message I'd typed, went for a walk, and realised where I'd messed up.
I assumed I knew what sad, acoustic folk meant. My context was Fleetwood Mac, Bon Iver, and Mount Eerie.
But for my client? A break up song blending Mumford and Sons, The Lumineers and maybe a little Coldplay.
He failed to effectively express his taste. I failed to clarify. We failed to communicate.
By the end of this article you’ll understand how and why you should use reference songs, the ultimate tool for musical collaboration.
What is a reference song?
It's a song that expresses your taste or creative vision, paired with notes. Which can be general - "I like the aggressive vibe in this song." Or specific - "That bASS tone at 2:36 f#^$ing slaps."
The problem collaborators face
My client wanted a “sad, acoustic folk song.”
- But sad like Bon Iver’s “Roslyn”, or Mount Eerie’s “A Crow Looked at me”?
- Acoustic like Jason Isbell strumming “Elephant”, or Tallest Man On Earth finger picking ”Love is All”?
- Folk like Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car”, or Mumford and Sons’s “Little Lion Man”?
You see the problem? Words aren’t enough to describe the music in your head, because your context for each word is different to mine.
Think of a dog.
Rottweiler or a Pomeranian? Cute and fluffy, or a rabid monster?
Does cute mean a pug with bulging eyes and tongue that hangs out? A chihuahua? A border collie, bull terrier? Which is cuter?
It all depends on your personal context.
But if you see this sweet little guy:
You know exactly what I’m talking about.
Why reference tracks are the solution
A picture’s worth a thousand words? A reference track is the musical equivalent.
Your taste is obvious to you. You're in a lighthouse with night vision goggles. Your collaborator’s in a rubber dingy, braving the opaque darkness of your mind, praying they don't wash up against a giant squid or iceberg.
You can call out phrases like "sad acoustic folk", "iceberg ahead", "Norwegian black metal saxophone solo", "SHAAARK!!!", etc. Or you could fire up the lamp so they can see for themselves. That's what reference tracks do.
They also show us where our tastes intersect and help us figure out if we're a good creative fit. Send me Pheobe Bridgers’s - Moon Song, and I might cut my freelance fee in half. Send me Tones and I - Dance Monkey, and I'll suggest another songwriter. (after cleaning the vomit off my keyboard and taking my foot out the monitor)
Nobody has identical taste. The magic of collaboration is how 2+ creator’s styles and influences collide to form something new. But to write music we both/all enjoy, we need some common ground. If we have polar opposite views on what makes a good song, let's find out ASAP.
How to use Reference Tracks
1) Listen to music.
2) Save your favourite songs to a “references” playlist. I like digital notes with embedded YouTube links because:
- You can write notes directly under the reference track.
- It’s all text, so you can share your ideas with a simple copy/paste.
- YouTube links don’t require your collaborator to sign up before listening.
3) Write down whatever you find inspiring/noteworthy about your reference tracks. Keep your notes organised with bullet points, and time stamp whenever possible to give examples for what you're talking about.
Here’s one of my reference notes:
4) Share relevant reference tracks/notes with collaborators. Cut out songs or notes that aren’t relevant to the project at hand. For the sake of clarity, only explain your goals for this colab, and save the extras for another day. 2 to 3 songs is the sweet spot, with as many notes as you need.
Final Thoughts
You know what music you want to make. But it’s your ability to articulate your taste that gets it done.
Reference tracks help build, refine and communicate your creative vision. Make it a habit, and you'll soon have a treasure trove of references. Like a personal index for your taste.