Cellphone ringtones - What does it take to make a catchy tune?
The word 'jingle' says it all. Something short, something fresh, something that puts a hook on the listener and makes them remember it. Something that also makes the recall the visuals that they saw with it.
Something that makes them 'want' what they visualize; make them want it so badly that they will not hesitate to pay for it.
In gross terms, that is pretty much the goal of a 'jingle' tune.
Jingles in general have to be catchy and appealing. You do not look for classicism in a jingle. You dont look for depth in a jingle.
Not everyone is successful in making jingles. The ability to make catchy tunes doesnt come to all.Mozart's tunes were catchy. The same cannot be said of those of all of his contemporaries.
Jingles were far and few inbetween prior to the advent of television. The only place you could get to hear them were radio advertisements or in commercials screened in movie halls or cinema theaters. With the advent of visual mass media, marketing and 'commercials' became inseparable.
Jingle laden commercials dominate 'breaks' that last almost a third of the length of any popular television program. With the advent of the internet, you see these commercials popping up on youtube and other places all over the web.
The next generation of technology is now in our palm. Every application is finding a place in the world of handhelds. One hears their cellphone ring at least a half a dozen times everyday.
One is not limited to the harsh chime of the ancient phones that you now only see in black and white movies.
Why not have a ringtone of your choice? A nice jingle that brightens up your spirit when the phone rings! Particularly when hundreds of them are available free of cost on the internet?
By the way, the one that I have heard most in India is the beloved 'Airtel' theme, a simple, yet catchy tune that has hooked millions. The creator, none other than India's beloved AR Rahman whose music at its very core is at once catchy and hummable.
About the author
Kanniks Kannikeswaran
www.kanniks.com