Feedback on Chords...

J

JohnH.

New member
In the past two days, I made a set of chords on a piano. I am trying to write a pining love ballad and I think I have a good frame to start with (verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus), but I don't know what to do next. Should I come up with a melody? Should I come up with lyrics? Other instruments?

Also how does it sound?

Many thanks :)
 

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Not able to listen right now, but the bottom line is: melody + lyrics = song.

It's usually a waste of time to keep tracking and polishing before you have finished the song.
 
If all you have so far is a chord progression, you probably want melody and lyrics next.

(Were you planning to build a recording around this piano take? If so, I would not recommend it. The piano doesn't sound great, there are a bunch of clicks throughout, and the performance is kind of stilted. You can definitely get a better take.)
 
Robus: Good advice. I don't plan to be polishing up this bad take!

VomitHatSteve: I will NOT be using this take for a recording. I recorded the thing on a cell phone! I was just trying to format the chords into something that was "in tempo" and could therefore be fooled around with in my DAW.

My point is, I couldn't come up with anything for a melody, and what I am really asking is what are your techniques? Should I come up with a melody with nonsense words and add lyrics later? Or should I come up with lyrics first and fit them to a melody?

Thanks for the replies.
 
What you should do is whatever is going to get results. Some people come up with the lyrics first, others with the melody. You can use nonsense words to hold the melody together, but you can pick it out on a piano (or something else) and add it to what you have.

Maybe you could add a bit of a rhythm track . . . something to mark time between the chords, put it in a loop and just hum along to it until a melody emerges and stabilizes.
 
Is there any reason you're obligated to finish THIS song RIGHT NOW? Sometimes the best thing you can do is put it down for awhile. Work on something else, a different song etc. Can't tell you how many times I've hit a wall with something and just put it down and a couple months, sometimes even years later the perfect part just pops out.
 
Hey JohnH,

I actually really like the sound of your piano... in a weird, imperfect, James Blake kind of way. ;)
I agree with the above: Your next step is the melody. Hum around or use nonsensical words to find a nice melody,
then slowly shape it into a clear line when you add the lyrics.


Hope this helps :)
 
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Thanks everyone for the replies. I will take a look at the information I have been given, and get back to all of you soon... :)
 
I'll interject and say that creating the entire structure and finalizing it before a melody, or any vocal part at all, is completed will invite problems. Let the melody and phrasing direct where to go next. Can it be done? well, of course. Are you blocking yourself from taking the tune where the melody might want it to go? Definitely.

For example, a big ending to a chorus that has a dramatic ending vocal line might call for an instrumental break instead of directly to the bridge or next verse. Don't overlook that the vocal melody may be the single most important factor in your song. Don't finalize everything before you even know what it is.
 
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