>> "I wonder how this affects the writing of songs."
It depends on why you're writing the song I guess. If you're writing a pop song you want to get to the top of the charts following that formula is probably essentially (although it obviously doesn't guarantee success). Just listen to some of the top pop songs - they clearly have a formula. The problem is that when everything follows the formula you can't listen to much of it because it gets boring.
I'd say if you're writing a song you want to last, something that will potentially go down as a classic, forget about formulas a write what you think sounds good.
"The problem is that when everything follows the formula you can't listen to much of it because it gets boring."
This is why I can't stand pop music, and can't understand why it's so .... popular. I've already heard the C-major scale in 4/4 time, layered with false emotion by a 20 year old who's seen it all.
That's the exact reason that most pop music is marketed at teenagers. For them, it's the first time they've heard it (relatively speaking). As you get older, you've heard all the 4/4 C-major stuff you can stand. Even if you're not particularly musical, you will still subconciously recognise that pop songs are repetitive and fairly unoriginal after a while. But it's an easy sale for the record labels, so that why they do it.
That doesn't mean that there doesn't occasionally come along a good song or two. It's still perfectly possible to write a 4/4 song in C and have it be interesting/fun/good to listen to. Unfortunately you'll have to wade through a whole load of crap in the pop charts before you find it ;)
Speaking only for myself, I'm a jazz lover and musician, but yet I enjoy a good pop tune when hear it. But I don't listen to anything enough to get sick of it.
It depends on why you're writing the song I guess. If you're writing a pop song you want to get to the top of the charts following that formula is probably essentially (although it obviously doesn't guarantee success). Just listen to some of the top pop songs - they clearly have a formula. The problem is that when everything follows the formula you can't listen to much of it because it gets boring.
I'd say if you're writing a song you want to last, something that will potentially go down as a classic, forget about formulas a write what you think sounds good.