Members pinkzep52 Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 So considering this is the effects forum, I'm sure most people here do lots and lots of noodling. For you, when does an improvised riff become potential for a written song? Given the simplicity of some of riffs in some of the most respected songs, how do you sort through the riffs that have potential (as most people who noodle alot find) vs the ones that actually end up going somewhere? What qualities make you realize "thats the one!"? What do you look for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fender&EHX4ever Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 I like the question In my experience, songs can begin with just about anything... a riff, a word pair, a chord progression, a beat, a concept, a sound... whatever. But building a song is rarely a process that occurs in a quick and linear manner for me. I might come up with a great riff and have no idea what to do with it, so I'll sit on it indefinitely until it fits somewhere. Maybe 2 years later I'll come up with a lyrical verse and basic chord progression. Then several months later again I might realize that the riff works nicely with the verse. That's how my creative process works. My basic philosophy is don't force anything, and don't throw any ideas away. Eventually the puzzle will come together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Frankenstrat86 Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 +1 but I will also take an evening and work out a tune or section if I have a vague or specific idea. It's all about again not rushing and not forcing things to a point of frustration Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members IRG Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 I like this question too, and don't often participate in song writing stuff, because I don't feel I have much to offer. But I have a couple of riffs and chord progressions I've been working on lately that I really like, and I kinda hope it falls into some sort of song, eventually. Need to start recording these moments somehow too, before I forget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BHz_econo Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 I - V - vi - IV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Computicus Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 I noodle until something pops out, then build on that and combine it with other unused ideas. Running it through different pedal combinations is also fun. I don't bother with progressions or structure (verse, chorus, bridge, etc.) because that's how i do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Frankenstrat86 Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 Originally Posted by BHz_econo I - V - vi - IV Poppy sob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PKTrono Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 riffs specfically? when i can't stop playing it, i hit record. my setup involves logic being open and the track being armed whenever i play at all, so it's easy to try things out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members macadood Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 i actually was just looking through some old computer files just yesterday and found some old quick clips i did of some random riffs and chord progressions i came up with a while ago. still like em today! should throw them all into one song Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AxAxSxS Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 noodle doodle (drummer foins in)doodle noodle (bassist joins in)Jam on it a bitWe all change together to something new.BAM! song potential Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members iamthearm Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 Originally Posted by Fender&EHX4ever I like the question In my experience, songs can begin with just about anything... a riff, a word pair, a chord progression, a beat, a concept, a sound... whatever. But building a song is rarely a process that occurs in a quick and linear manner for me. I might come up with a great riff and have no idea what to do with it, so I'll sit on it indefinitely until it fits somewhere. Maybe 2 years later I'll come up with a lyrical verse and basic chord progression. Then several months later again I might realize that the riff works nicely with the verse. That's how my creative process works. My basic philosophy is don't force anything, and don't throw any ideas away. Eventually the puzzle will come together. this is pretty close to how i feel. i do, however, think the best songs i've ever written/been a part of writing, just pour out all at once. there'e always editing and finessing, but a good song on its own usually just manifests itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members captions87 Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 Trust me....you just know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jonnygreentrees Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 It's hard to pinpoint, come up with a lot of riffs that don't go anywhere then sometimes the most simple idea turns into a song Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mchad Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 This is why I need a looper. Noodle, discover, persist or discard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dr.Picklebottom Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 yeah, a looper is a great tool. hearing a melody/ song played back is a good way to hear it better. when im playing it live and listening i seem to hear it differently than i hear it being played back to me. ill scrap riffs that i thought were good sometimes after hearing it played back and vice versa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t_e_l_e Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 Originally Posted by AxAxSxS noodle doodle (drummer foins in) doodle noodle (bassist joins in) Jam on it a bit We all change together to something new. BAM! song potential +1 no matter who starts, if the others join in, there is some potential then if it evolves right away there is even more potential if we can still remember next rehearsal what we played and can do it again, it might be a candidate for a new song and then a long hard road starts, making out of this idea/jam/riff/chord progression a real song, which can last months, a lot of jams over the same idea, maybe some lyrics fit or can be found, some thought about structuring and arrangement will come and ultimately there will be a new song if we can't remember what we played last time, it was not worth keeping yes a lot of ideas get lost on this road, but for the most there will be another one and strangle with something where the others have troubles to "join in" is waste of time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Poltergeist Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 you know you're sitting on a serious riff when your testicles become numb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hugbot Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 I write pretty much primarily on PC so its pretty apparent. If you come back the next morning and it still sounds good, its a keeper. lots of stuff that sounded good at the time doesent later.Also, I find when writing I tend to hit a "break point" sometimes, where a song starts off as one thing but then often it turns into something that's potentially better, and at that point you got to kill the original. Not every idea you work on has to be a keeper, sometimes its just there to get the ball rolling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cirrus Posted December 19, 2012 Members Share Posted December 19, 2012 Well, for me it's when I'm playing a riff and it inspires me to start singing something. Once I've got a melody that goes along with it, there's a song'a'brewin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Danhedonia Posted December 21, 2012 Members Share Posted December 21, 2012 Lots of good posts. To the OP: I know a riff is songworthy when it sticks in my mind. I'll be taking a shower, or sitting in an airport, or etc., and the riff comes into my mind. One thing that really helps with the process is trying real hard to listen to oneself as if it isn't YOU playing; do I like this? I make music that I would like to listen to. It can become difficult to hear the gap between one's imagining of a song and the reality sometimes.I am also a proponent of songwriting as a process/exercise - just as I completely agree with EHX&Fender that songs come from all kinds of musical sources, I also think you can develop tunes by applying lessons learned from grizzled pros, like transposing the 3rd verse up a half-step, dropping to half time on a bridge, etc. Those might sound like "cheap tricks" (God, I love that band) but they WORK, and if your riff or song idea gets run through them, it can help take the song in a different direction and suggest all kinds of new ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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