Songwriting with a band

[Eye_Of_The_Liger]

So my g/f and I were hanging out with a friend of hers and her husband a month ago. Her husband is a guitar player, and while the two of us were talking we got on the subject of songwriting. He told me that the best way to come up with new songs as a band was to start by establishing a good beat on the drums, and then have the bass player play a bass part that fits into that groove, and then build the song up from there (guitar parts, melody, etc.).

 

It made perfect sense, especially when I noticed how unfocused and just generally annoying the songwriting process was starting to be with my band. We would all keep coming up with ideas for all these parts, and we barely even had the most fundamental parts of the song established. It was sort of like the three of us were trying to build a house, with the drummer just trying to build a good foundation to start with, meanwhile the bass player is already trying to lay down the tiles for the first floor and I'm too busy not wasting any time with the drywall!

 

So I had a talk with the other two members, and I told them that next time we come up with new {censored}, we have to start out by putting primary emphasis on the groove, which means the drummer and the bass player have to get locked in first, and then I can come up with a rhythm guitar part that fits with what they're playing. And then we work from there.

 

Needless to say, band practice tonight was better than it has been in a while.

 

Just thought I'd share that.

[milisha]

Yeah, I have been reading a book on songwriting. It said if you want danceable / moshable tracks, then start with the rhythm department, and build up from there. If you want songs with lots of hooks, then start with a melody line, and work your way down. It noted that if you start with harmonies (guitar parts), then your melody / rhythm sections are more constrained. Unfortunately for me as a guitarist, that's the most natural way for me to write songs.

 

The book recommends mixing things up too - it helps keep your sound 'fresh'.

 

I think with the 'chaos' that you've been having, maybe you had no approach at all, and it was just a free-for-all?