Members kurtykoo Posted April 13, 2014 Members Share Posted April 13, 2014 Hi, So I have been writing many interesting prog rock riffs lately, but am having some challenge in bringing them all together and turning them into something cohesive. Of course I am not super interested in structure, but there has to be some continuity. Any tips on writing transition riffs or building just enough structure to let the riffs do their interesting thing, yet still end up seeming like a full song? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oldgitplayer Posted April 13, 2014 Members Share Posted April 13, 2014 Are you asking about writing an instrumental or a song with a lyric? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kurtykoo Posted April 13, 2014 Author Members Share Posted April 13, 2014 Instrumental. Like, at the moment I have many disparate riffs that could seemingly all be in their own songs. However, there is enough commonality between them that I think it is possible to integrate them all into a song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LCK Posted April 13, 2014 Members Share Posted April 13, 2014 Instrumental. Like' date=' at the moment I have many disparate riffs that could seemingly all be in their own songs. However, there is enough commonality between them that I think it is possible to integrate them all into a song.[/quote'] Go for it. Let's hear what develops! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oldgitplayer Posted April 13, 2014 Members Share Posted April 13, 2014 Yes - I would need to hear what you are wanting to do because I don't understand exactly.I think of riffs as something that tie together or underscore a melodic passage. The melodic passage being the primary element.But maybe you have an alternative vision............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rsadasiv Posted April 13, 2014 Members Share Posted April 13, 2014 I just got done playing the Abbey Road medley so I've been thinking about this type of connective material. A lot of it has to be based on key transitions - work on fills that get you from one chord center to another - parallel motion (4ths for example) where you can bend the tonality till you get to where you need to be. Chromaticism is your friend - often a straight chromatic walk from one key to another is just what you need. If you have different textures/instrumentation in the adjacent sections you can have the two lead instruments trade/alternate bars/phrases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted April 20, 2014 Members Share Posted April 20, 2014 Start with the tune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Folder Posted April 21, 2014 Members Share Posted April 21, 2014 Of course I am not super interested in structure, but there has to be some continuity. You have to have some musical structure otherwise it's just a bunch of disjointed sounds. Composing is all about experimenting. Try piecing different parts together in different orders. Try the bridge section as the verse section. Maybe a riff from a different song could make a transitional section for another song. Think about keys and modes and how they relate to each other and don't be afraid to change things. Also keep it somewhat simple. Have the courage to edit yourself. It's sometimes hard to throw out parts that you spend a lot of time and energy working on, but you have to be able to stand back and look at the big picture as a whole, and if something is not working , chunk it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted April 21, 2014 Members Share Posted April 21, 2014 I just got done playing the Abbey Road medley so I've been thinking about this type of connective material. A lot of it has to be based on key transitions - work on fills that get you from one chord center to another - parallel motion (4ths for example) where you can bend the tonality till you get to where you need to be. Chromaticism is your friend - often a straight chromatic walk from one key to another is just what you need. If you have different textures/instrumentation in the adjacent sections you can have the two lead instruments trade/alternate bars/phrases. I was going to say, First, get everything in the right key... (not necessarily the same key, mind you)... But Ram has a better, more sophisticated answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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