A topliner is a songwriter who composes the melody and
lyrics for a song over a pre-existing instrumental track.
What Exactly Is a Topliner?
A topliner, also known as a topline writer, is a
professional songwriter who writes the melody and lyrics to a pre-made beat
track. Topliners are given a recorded track with no singing and are asked to
write a melody to fit the premade track. Toplining has grown in popularity in
the music industry, particularly in pop, hip-hop, and electronic dance music.
Many of the biggest chart-topping songs have been written by Topliners.
What Is the Difference Between a Topliner and a Songwriter?
A topliner differs from a songwriter in that a songwriter
writes both the music and the lyrics of a song, whereas a topliner receives a
premade instrumental track and writes the lyrics and their melody over it.
Singer-songwriters who write their own songs will often develop the music and
lyrics in tandem, or will begin with the lyrics. A topliner is working with a
music producer on a project. Topliners always begin with the recorded track and
work their lyrics into it.
How Does Toplining Work Today?
Topliners write the majority of pop songs, EDM, hip-hop, and
R&B music today. Music producers or instrumentalists start the process by
creating interesting and dynamic beats, often using sophisticated computer
technology. Producers then send their tracks to topliners, who use them to
write songs for them.
When a topliner accepts the job, they will listen to the
track and come up with melodic ideas and lyrics that they believe fit the
track. The topliner records their song over the track and returns it to the
producer. The song's authorship is given to the topliner. Producers may request
a songwriting credit as a cowriter in some cases, but this is not the industry
standard.
How to Practice Toplining
Here are some pointers to help you practice toplining your
own songs:
Look for interesting beats. Recognizing a good backing beat
when you hear one is an important part of being a good topliner. Search online
for instrumental tracks and train your ear to detect tracks that have the
potential to become popular songs.
Make your own music. Another way to practice lyric writing
is to create your own topline backing tracks. You can create a beat with a
chord progression and loop it over if you have music production software. Then
practice writing lyrics for your own song.
Write over instrumental tracks. Once you've found some
interesting instrumental tracks, try writing your own lyrics and melody to go
with them. Match your song to the mood and atmosphere of the track, whether
it's upbeat and empowering or moody and reflective.
Make a recording of your tracks. Even if you're not a great
singer, try recording your track so you can listen to it and see if it's
working. Otherwise, hire a singer to help you record your song so you can
listen to it later.
Edit. Beginner topliners may overwrite their songs, filling
every last bit of track with vocal melody. Listen to your track again and see
where you can make changes to allow the track to stand on its own.
Tips for Professionally Pursuing Toplining
Here are a few pointers to help you launch your toplining
career in the music industry:
Purchase recording equipment. Topline songwriters require
high-quality recording equipment in order to present their songs to producers.
To record your track at the highest quality, you should invest in professional
microphones, amps, and speakers in addition to a laptop with professional music
editing software.
Practice lyric writing. Before putting yourself out there,
you should practice to see if you have what it takes to topline a great song.
Develop your skills by recording a slew of catchy demo tracks to show to
potential producers.
Study song structure. Study the song structures of the
best songs in your chosen genre of music. Listen for and learn from what makes
them so catchy and successful.
Create an online presence. Create an online presence for
yourself by creating a professional website and social media accounts. There
are also leading online markets that can connect you with producers directly.
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