What’s Your Song’s Focus? Find Out with The Campfire Test!
Imagine you’re sitting around a campfire with a bunch of your friends. The sun is setting, and someone hands you a guitar. As you go through your list of songs trying to choose something to play, you’re also asking yourself the question “Which one of these songs can I play and sing at the same time?”. Well, songwriters have a similar test, and it’s one we’ve decided to call the Campfire Test.
This article is a summarised transcript of our video “Why Every Songwriter Needs the Campfire Test”. Click here to watch the video for more details, explanations and examples.
What is the Campfire Test?
In short, the Campfire Test refers to the process of you as a songwriter asking yourself the imaginary question “Can this song be played acoustically around a campfire?”. Through doing this, you’ll be able to identify which elements of your song stand out the most. More importantly, it allows you to separate songwriting from production.
For some genres, the two aspects go hand-in-hand. However, there are times when separating the two is necessary, and allows us to ask important questions, such as:
- Is this song in the best form?
- Are the chord choices appropriate?
- Is the melody memorable?
- Are the lyrics saying what I want to say?
Ensure you have a plan to finish every song you start with our free Song Map Template PDF here:
Examples of Songs Which Pass the Campfire Test
Bob Dylan is a great example of an artist whose entire catalogue can pass the Campfire Test. This is mainly due to the fact that he performs as a solo artist. So, we’re used to hearing his songs arranged with just guitar, vocals, and maybe a bit of harmonica. Similarly, Elton John’s entire catalogue also works well acoustically since he performs with just piano and vocals.
However, this doesn’t mean that songs performed by bands are excluded from passing the Campfire Test. It’s often about how the song is arranged. For example, “Karma Police” by Radiohead can be performed with only driving rhythmic chords on a guitar and vocals.
On the other hand, the selling point of “Bloom” by Radiohead is the mesmerizing mix of synths, sonic textures, and effects. If you strip all of that away to just chords and vocals, you’d be stripping away the essence of the song itself. Hence, it wouldn’t be considered a song that passes the Campfire Test.
How to Use the Campfire Test?
In saying this, you shouldn’t use the Campfire Test as a rigid rule when writing your songs. Instead, ask yourself, “What happens when I apply the Campfire Test to my song?”. This allows you to learn which elements in your song are doing the heavy lifting, and therefore what you need to pay more attention to.
For example, if your song is meant to be a laid-back acoustic ballad, you would want to ensure that it holds up to the Campfire Test. You’d have to pay extra attention to the melody, rhythm, and chord choices. It’s important for us to be aware of this because songwriters often fall into the trap of thinking too far ahead. We think about production even during the songwriting process.
As a result, we end up relying on production as a band-aid. Instead of fixing things in the songwriting process, we think things like “It will sound better once drums are added”. By using the Campfire Test, we eliminate that mindset, ensuring that the core of our song stands strong.
The Hierarchy of Elements in a Song
One might be inclined to think that the less elements a song contains, the more likely it is to pass the Campfire Test. However, this isn’t true. A song’s ability to pass the Campfire Test depends on how well the strong elements of the song can stand by themselves.
For instance, “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and Finneas Eilish can pass the Campfire Test even though it features heavy amounts of production. This is due to the production elements supporting the song itself rather than the other way around.
“Come Together” by The Beatles can be played by going between the catchy bass line and chords. Another song which is highly recognisable by bass alone is “My Girl” by Smokey Robinson/ Delta White. Even “Sweet Child of Mine” by Guns N’ Roses can pass the Campfire Test. This highlights one of the key principals of the Campfire Test, which is that as long as you have strong chords, melody and lyrics, you’ll be able to play the song in any key, style, tempo or genre.
Conclusion: What’s Your Song’s Focus? Find Out with The Campfire Test!
So, the next time you’re writing your song, be sure to ask yourself the question “Will this song pass the Campfire Test?”. Then, based on your answer, decide whether your production choices are actually necessary in your song or if you’re just using them as a band-aid to cover up imperfections in your song’s core elements.
If you would like more details, explanations and examples, then be sure to check out the video now.
