Song writting

Rawb

When ya get tired of doing exersizes and playing tunes you like. Does everyone venture into their own compos'.

And if you do; and you have this riff or melody, Does it come easy? Does it just take a life of its own or do you run into several different ways to take it? Then anguish on which is the better direction or take to go with? Can't find a bridge or decide if the chorus should be the main an vica versa etc....

just wondering what others deal with or if it is the norm. Or most likely I am just retarded

guitar3456

Typically, I start out with an idea or riff then move from there. The harder part is arranging lyrically what I want or what can work. Many times it may be two or three songs that get parts from each to make the idea work better. So, yes I start with riffs and go from there. Usually I hear a hook of a chorus or title in my head.. then it's building the rest of the song... and that's where the frustrations happen most. Finding something that suits the hook or chorus and creating that working medley, bridge and what not.

I think for guitarists it's different since we are hearing something more musical than we are lyrical.. same can happen to Kb players. Vocalists seem to present a lyric and then the musicians build from there.. It's kind of like R&D... the lyricist engineers the tune and the musicians are the tech team that build it to see if the design works or not.. feedback on what to change etc.

shredd

OK. Song writing tips from Mr. Prolific here. :roll:

Like g said, it seems that for us musician types, a song often starts with a riff, hook, chord prog'n, etc. You build around it so it has the sound/feel you want.
Myself, I've also occasionally written a song to vent or express something that was pent up. I have 341 songs in the can about how much it sux that Shania won't come over for hot tub frolicking. (j/k...)
Also as g said, the lyrics are the reallllly hard part. I'd like to think if I could write a set of lyrics that're worth a dam, I could arrange them into the song. That's a melodic offort.

partch

I usally start with a song Idea, or already have Lyrics say from a friend of mine that writes Poems songs & such. Next I try to get the melody Idea He may have a basic idea of how the song should go, so I try to stay true to that melody. Once I have the Key picked & a rough Idea of the melody & basic rythem chords structure of the song, I record a rough take of that much as to know song length & were verse chorus bridge solos etc.. fall

Now for me the Hardest part comes writting a drum track using middi loops etc & trying to make it seem somewhat real & alive not mechanical & drum machineish. Once I have that track completed panned equ'ed etc.. i take all tracks from there built from that the standard the drums the timming. all the rest of the tracks generally come eazier after that. anyhow that's kind of my process.

iliace

I just start singing, without thinking about it. Whatever comes out. Doesn't have to be on pitch, no words, just syllables. I try to imitate what the guitar will sound like.

Then, I do it on guitar. From there, other parts come. That's usually the way.

The other way we write with my current group that does originals, is the singers present a melodic concept and/or describe the feel of the song, and we come up with the music based on that.

judaskiss

Excersizes maybe thats my problem I don't do enough. Its funny you ask because I sat down couple days ago to write a new song-musically. I couldn't get a good riff going at all. Somedays are like that. I think I write my best stuff when I just let it come to me and let out of my fingers.

Yesterday, for instance, I only had about 45 minutes to play. So I was going to work on whatever I had already in the pipeline to get it closer to finished--then next thing I know, I'm coming up with new Riffs and didn't even touch the songs I had already started. So, now I have 2 new riffs to work with next time I sit down. Always have your recorder ready, if your like me, you'll forget what you did when you come back.

Trying to figure out how to put it all together... some songs, just have couple parts and BAM its there. Others, I may change order or certain rhythm, add a part. I try not to anguish over any song too much(it might show in song) leave it and come back--whether for 10 minutes, a day, a week or whatever. Not all of us can be Paul McCartney, but even he anguishes sometimes...doesn't he?

Words are what usually stump me--I 99.9% write music first. Im with Partch on drum part. I haven' worked with a drummer in a few years so thats the challenging part for me. Sometimes its easier just to write to the drums, I've done that several times.

Anyway, didnt mean to make this so long, let it all come to you--its supposed to be fun, an outlet, stress reliever. If ain't happening that day...so what? It will tomorrow, and you know it.

Rock On

philflood

Some sort of magic happens, and from this either a hook or an idea for song emerges. Then I brainstorm terms that go with that idea. After I have about half a page, I can take some of that and put it into lines. This usually result in an idea about some kind of verse developing. From there, I pick up the guitar and work out the melody and then see what chords fit and I can write the rest of the song. I try not to originally develop a melody line or a chord progression with the guitar in hand. Rather, I write it first in my head, and then use the guitar to find it. Or not.

jamminmj

Songs come to me in a varity of ways. Sometimes it'll be a lyric or a riff.
Sometimes it might be a life situation be it good or bad. Sometimes I sit and write the whole lyric in as little as 5 minutes and other times it's taken me maybe months. Same with the music arrangement. I have a song that was inspired by someone I knew who overdosed. It took me about 15 minutes to pen the lyric and about 2 hours to do the arrangement and make a rough demo of it. I didn't have the ending which was only a couple of measures. I did the whole thing and let it sit for about 2 years.
Then one day I muted the guitar tracks to jam with it and got to the end and played the ending riff first time through. There it was just like magic.
Song finished. So it just depends, with me they come when they come and I can't force it out of myself. I always record my noodlings and have a large collection of riffs recorded and every once in awhile I go back and listen to them and ocassionaly if I'm in that sort of mood that matches that riff I will get a whole song or arrangement from it. I have another song that was a musical arrangement I had done that again was about 2 years old. Someone at work was being an idiot and I thought of a lyric hook that just happened to fit the main guitar hook of this song. I wrote the lyric in about 45 minutes. So just be open to all around you as there is also more than just the music itself that will inspire you.

Rawb

LoL thanks everyone. Guess if it was easy, weed all have a atleast one hit single out there :shock:

shredd

\Rawb\ wrote:

LoL thanks everyone. Guess if it was easy, weed all have a atleast one hit single out there :shock:

I don't care about record sales. I just want Shania to call me back. 8)

Rawb

\shredd\ wrote:

\Rawb\ wrote:

LoL thanks everyone. Guess if it was easy, weed all have a atleast one hit single out there :shock:

I don't care about record sales. I just want Shania to call me back. 8)

AW ha! There in lies the problem! Evidently Shania does. :P

shredd

\Rawb\ wrote:

\shredd\ wrote:

I don't care about record sales. I just want Shania to call me back. 8)

AW ha! There in lies the problem! Evidently Shania does. :P

So THAT'S why she ignores me!!! :?