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damn why can't I write rock music?


Li10

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I can write what should be on an acoustic guitar - intricate melodic lines that make up songs.

 

But I want to write rock music! And not where all they use are power chords!

 

I'm having trouble writing melodies with a rock feel... it's annoying me.

 

I'm trying to write rock like Radiohead rock music. You know.... it's not like, rock, but it's rocky.... if you know what I mean. And chords! I just can't seem to make them sound like alternative rock/rock.

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I can write what should be on an acoustic guitar - intricate melodic lines that make up songs.


But I want to write rock music! And not where all they use are power chords!


I'm having trouble writing melodies with a rock feel... it's annoying me.


I'm trying to write rock like Radiohead rock music. You know.... it's not like, rock, but it's rocky.... if you know what I mean. And chords! I just can't seem to make them sound like alternative rock/rock.

 

 

By citing Radiohead, and by also having JG as your post image, I'm going to assume you like and listen to Radiohead A LOT. And if that's true, I've seen it happen to other people who get so caught up on Radiohead, they cannot focus on anything else. And then their music sounds forced, or sounds EXACTLY like Radiohead.

 

Keep in mind Radiohead don't rock out on all their songs. Everyone has been influenced by the Beatles -- make sure you give them a fair listen. If you really want to rock, listen to Metallica and AC/DC for a month. If you want Alt, listen to Nirvana and Alice in Chains. Radiohead were inspired by The Smiths and Pink Floyd and German krautrock band 'Can' among many others.

 

One trick I've learned in my own venture is that an acoustic song can end up sounding like a rock song if you add a rock rhythm section -- try playing your song over a drum machine with a rock beat. Play around with the rhythms and drum patterns until it feels right. But, I think most songs could be arranged in a rock pattern. Try writing from scratch with a drum machine pounding out a rock pattern. But really...don't listen to Radiohead for a while if you're stuck. They are good for a reason, and you should probably develop a bit simpler of a music foundation first before really trying to compare your music to theirs.

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Rock is over-rated. Just write what comes natural.

 

Is there any such thing as a "rock" melody? I'm not too familiar with Radiohead, but nothing I remember heaing from them ever rocked. I think it has more to do with the instrumentation you put under it. It's possible to give a decidedly non-rock song a rock arrangement. Try sticking a distorted guitar or two under the stuff you're doing already. Or as JSmalley suggested, try writing a song to a drum machine with a rock backbeat.

 

It's only rock 'n roll. It ain't rocket science. (Insert cliche here).

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A lot of what makes rock the way it is is that the melody is pretty loose. Usually its in the vocals, with important parts mirrored/emulated on guitar (example, Can't you hear me Knockin?); other than that, though, there usually isn't a strict melody. The vocals are constantly evolving as the song progresses, always straying a little bit from what you expect.

 

Also, riffs are extremely important. Writing a riff first, then chording it up later, will make things go more like what you are thinking of.

 

YMMV, but its just something to think about after all. Everyone rocks in their own way.

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Any melody can be considered a rock melody these days. Try changing up your normal style, if you're not happy with it. One way to sound more "edgy" is to delay (or eliminate) the "resolution" that comes at the end of a musical phrase. That can take a bit of the sing-song quality away. Try writing a song in the key of C that doesn't end on C, or something like that.

 

But what do I know? :blah:

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Of course, rock means such different things to different people.

 

To some it means the Stones... to others it means Radiohead. To others it means the latest emo flavor.

 

Clearly, there's a wide gulf there.

 

 

 

I'd say listen -- but listen to a lot of stuff.

 

One thing I hear a lot is people who sound show-stoppingly like another artist. Not that you think it's necessarily them -- but it's just that unknown Artist A sounds so much like very well known Artist Z that Artist A seems like he'll be stuck forever in the shadow of the well klnown band.

 

Imitation is one of the most important ways we learn -- but it can also be a trap you can fall into without even realizing.

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every time i try and 'contriving' a song or a song style, it comes out {censored}ty. not once have i written something with 'i want it to be like this' in mind. usually, though, the hook or the groove will remind me of something and i'll follow, but that's only after i have a developed idea that came out of my own head. now, does it wear my influences on its sleeve? hells yes, but i never sit down and TRY to come up with someone else's work. ....and i feel a bit like a failure every time it happens inadvertantly.

 

despite its simplicity, i think the best advice in this whole thread came from tamoore. just write and let it come out.

 

good luck, relax, and have a great experience with everything you write.

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Drums for inspiration? Like study heavy drums. Emphasised beats and clashing cymbals? Try chord partials. Instead of bar chords try using jsut a few, stick to minor scales and play with more attitude..listen to some ACDC and adapt.:idk: I have similar problem with metal, it is like the easy listening of metal. Part of it is the gear, part just not not playing enough of it. I prefer to plink on a acoustic or play bluesy folky style stuff, it just seems easier. Same with electronic music, it is like a pale sickly version.:(

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Learn to play good rock songs. I'm talking about the true dinosaur {censored}. Not stuff like Radiohead. I'm talking Guns 'n Roses, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple.... If you spend a couple of months learning songs from bands like that, you'll get into the vibe after a while.

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Those bands sound hard because their guitar sound is really heavy and the singers have really rough voices. I've heard a demo from the Guns 'n Roses song "Back off bitch", which is a really hard song on the album. But in the demo they had this slightly overdriven sound, kinda like the sound in "born to be wild", and Rose didn't do the high and hard screaming he is known of. It sounded more like a rock 'n Roll song instead of a hard rock song, even though they used pretty much the exact same chords as the album version. None the less, those bands i named there are a good starting point for anyone.

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