Chunks of songs lying around...

[Alan Hickey]

Hello everyone,

I like to write a lot of music. I usually can't help myself but try out tons of different genre's and with the software these days, you don't have to be able to play every instrument to pull it off!

Anyway, a problem I find a lot with writing music, is I write a 20-30 second part, and then realise I can't do anything with it! I either have no idea where the song should go from there, or I just don't think it sounds good with anything else.

What does work for me, is often I come back to these 'chunks' of songs, and throw them in to another idea I have, and it comes off well.

How many of you write songs in one go, or with the whole piece in mind, and how many of you put different parts of songs together (obviously changing the key, tempo, structure slightly to fit)?

I'm the same, I record everything I've done that I liked, every little riff, and then give it a time, date and chords used title and save it to external HD.

I have the philosophy that it piqued my interest when I was messing about on guitar or piano, so there's a good chance it might for other people. Then when I'm struggling for ideas I come back to them.

 

[easlern]

Me, I write lyrics first, all in one sitting or they don't get done. Later I go through and jam with the lyrics until I settle on a chord progression I can write down. The lyrics binge is critical- I can't think of a single instance when I've been able to return to lyrics and pick up where I left off. They just lose their continuity, the muse has moved on, whatever. . .

 

[Bradleyboy]

Hello everyone,
How many of you write songs in one go, or with the whole piece in mind, and how many of you put different parts of songs together (obviously changing the key, tempo, structure slightly to fit)?

To me a song should never be done, and writing a song in one go doesn't allow you to show the true potential of the song. One of my bands jams for 3 hours twice a week and we are always writing new songs. some songs get "finished" in a couple of weeks, others can take up to a couple of months to get "finished." I use quotes because we continually find ways to improve the song as time goes on, and that results in the songs slightly changing from time to time.

Sometimes it is possible to add two different parts together that weren't initially meant to be together. If it sounds great, then do it. If it sounds good, then either try to slightly tweak it to sound great, or scrap the idea. Don't try to combine parts together if they don't truly fit with each other.