Actually composing a song?

mjr

mjr

ADD -- blessing and curse
I usually write lyrics and simple guitar chords for my songs.

However, I'm trying to "branch out" and learn more about the music behind the lyrics.

This is probably more of a music theory question (or set of questions), but I'm asking anyhow...

Let's say that I've written a song where there's a C chord.

Now, let's say I want to put a bass line along the section of the song where I'm playing the C chord. An open C chord on guitar is C, E, G, C, E

So, if I were doing a bass line, what notes would I play? Would I be restricted to anything within the C chord? Or could I play anything within the song's key, or what?

Same thing with lead guitar.

Yeah, I know these are dumb questions. But I am trying to improve myself.
 
Try these for starters

A country type tune would probably run a
C G C G on the downbeats

A hard driving acoustic rock tune might use
CCCB CCCB on the down and off beats.

There's lots more but this is a start. Have fun. Dave
 
...

well, if youre "In C" at the moment... your bass line could take its note melody from the C-scale youre in at the moment...

or, at times, it could be in E or even G... for a change. All while your main guitar melody is in C

or you could "mode" your bass line occasionally....


or, consider making (just for fun) the guitar main melody a note melody too... and simultaneously be working on the bass line note melody... that might lead to a large number of possible variations...

you can switch the bass and guitar line for effect, you can run them backwards, you can "mode" one or the other, you can run either of them in IV or V (here, E or G...) at times...

... or any combination of the above...


its not like you cant still record a "chord strum line" just like always, as well...
 
SEDstar said:
well, if youre "In C" at the moment... your bass line could take its note melody from the C-scale youre in at the moment...

or, at times, it could be in E or even G... for a change. All while your main guitar melody is in C

or you could "mode" your bass line occasionally....


or, consider making (just for fun) the guitar main melody a note melody too... and simultaneously be working on the bass line note melody... that might lead to a large number of possible variations...

you can switch the bass and guitar line for effect, you can run them backwards, you can "mode" one or the other, you can run either of them in IV or V (here, E or G...) at times...

... or any combination of the above...


its not like you cant still record a "chord strum line" just like always, as well...
Click to expand...

Lol. What?
 
our guitarist: The chords for the verse are D, A and C

Me on bass: Just play and I'll doodle till I get something that fits
 
Record your chord progression, pick up a bass and start jamming with it. Whatever sounds good....is good.
 
I stand by my original

mjr said:
....
Let's say that I've written a song where there's a C chord.

Now, let's say I want to put a bass line along the section of the song where I'm playing the C chord. ....
Click to expand...

"A country type tune would probably run a
C G C G on the downbeats

A hard driving acoustic rock tune might use
CCCB CCCB on the down and off beats.

There's lots more but this is a start. Have fun. Dave"
 
up-fiddler said:

"A country type tune would probably run a
C G C G on the downbeats

A hard driving acoustic rock tune might use
CCCB CCCB on the down and off beats.

There's lots more but this is a start. Have fun. Dave"
Click to expand...

This is the initial path I'm probably going to take.
 
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