Members PhishGordo Posted October 9, 2004 Members Share Posted October 9, 2004 i'm not in a band at the moment and wanted to be prepared with something when the time comes. i'm a complete novice when it comes to writing. i Figured i might as well start now. i feel like the next step in getting better at either of the instruments i play (guitar,bass) is being more creative and getting into writing. Where do i start? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NewSc2 Posted October 9, 2004 Members Share Posted October 9, 2004 Read books and practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TheDirtPoet Posted October 10, 2004 Members Share Posted October 10, 2004 What I do when I want to write a song is I always, always come up with the verse riff, then from that I can usually "hear" a chorus. From that, I bring out an old tape recorder and I just sing over the verse/chorus riff for twenty minutes. Most of its crap, but usually I get one or two lines that just seem to "fit" then I write them down and go from there. For inspiration wise... I annoy all my friends with the progression and I ask them what they "see" in their head. Doesn't matter... anything. Sometimes that works for inspiration. Hope this helps. -Dirt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members geetar_sue Posted October 12, 2004 Members Share Posted October 12, 2004 what actually helps me write songs, is listening to other songs. think about your emotions flowing throughout your body and express them in a musical form. first just write it without thinking about notes, then add the notes later. it works quite well for me. the only problem i have is writing the notes, because i'm a beginner. i just finished 8 weeks of lessons.good luck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mhr74 Posted October 17, 2004 Members Share Posted October 17, 2004 Trying to write a compliment part to a part you like is always a good place to start. What role in a song would your written part be?: verse? chorus? bridge? intro? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bass_n_drums Posted October 17, 2004 Members Share Posted October 17, 2004 i'm an idiot when it comes to writing lyrics. My brain is on stand still while my pen is in my hand waiting to write more than a couple of words or a sentence. I certainly need to practice writing everyday which i hate...lol. I'm doing it because of default. I've had many singers come and go during auditions and their lyrics are either ok or it sucks. They seem to just sing what they wrote for the sake of it instead of blending in the emotion and melody with their words...not to say that they don't sing with emotion but, the words doesn't go with the melody. I started out playing bass and writing riffs, then along came other parts to the song and then structuring it to verse/chorus and etc. Then i picked up the guitar by default cause i got tired of auditioning too many crapping guitar players outhere....so then my guitar songs started to really unfold and take shape. Unfortunatley with no singer, lyrics or melody for the song. It was good for nothing....so another situation came about.. i became the singer by default again and it was a real ball breaker. Taking lessons has certainly helped me out but, still working on it and taking lessons a we speak. Then the aspeck of writing lyrics to the melodies....Ughhhh!! My biggest weakness thus far but i don't have a choice...if i'am to be a singer then i must learn how to write lyrics for the music i have produced. For me the riff, structuring, arranging, chord progression, melody and feel are alot easier than writing lyrics....lol. It sucks! Oh another thing i must mention is recording...another pain in the ass to deal with. It's a real challenge to do just about everything but, if you are serious about your music. This is the price you will have to be but in the long run it will be worth it! For me the riff comes first, then the melody and then would be the words. But, i'm only ad libbing to get feel down. After recording it to make sure i don't forget, I then would listen and write while trying to take some kinda life experience that has happened to me and try to write ideas down. Another thing what i would do is look at the lyrics from the CD's in my collection and get some ideas how they write. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members geetar_sue Posted October 18, 2004 Members Share Posted October 18, 2004 thanks, this is very helpful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the.aw.hells Posted October 25, 2004 Members Share Posted October 25, 2004 In addition to the above, I think it is important that you not get too attached to your songs and lyrics at first. I write alot, but about 95 percent of what comes out I scrap. But I'll salvage a line or two here and there and try to work them into something new if I think they are worth it. Anyhow, I think that I can be lazy sometimes when it comes to re-writing, which is really the bread and butter of songwriting. Instead of taking the time to rework something that is salvageable, I just keep singing it as-is because I get excited about having written a new tune (every time, I get excited...). In the end, however, I end up with something only marginally acceptable because I got too attached. Anyhow, here's something I'm going to try, and I suggest that you try it too. Write a riff or a chord progression, and force yourself to write a different set of lyrics to it every night for a week or so. Spend about 30 minutes writing, and just force yourself to do it. Then use a simple tape recorder of your computer microphone to record yourself singing it. Wait a week or so and listen to all of them, deciding which bits you like and which bits you don't like. Ask a friend for their opinion too. Then either keep some of your work or throw it all away and start over. Just don't get attached. If you keep writing and keep giving yourself honest criticism through some quasi-objective methodology (like the compare-and-contrast method described above), eventually you will find a flow and a style that suits you. More importantly, you will become better at anticipating and writing what you want to hear. Of course, you should listen to lost of music too and play with people you think are more talented than you are... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members geetar_sue Posted October 25, 2004 Members Share Posted October 25, 2004 thank you so much!! i just need to sit down and do it...lately i've been lazy because of school work, but i'm gonna get on it asap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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