Is it really YOUR song?

Gear_Junky

Gear_Junky

New member
I'm fairly new to songwriting, but not to poetry and I've been playing guitars and basses for about 4 years now. I also play drums.

Anyway, very often, when a song sounds "good" to me, it also sounds "familiar" and I begin to wonder whether I unintentionally just went with somebodyelse's melody. Has anybody else noticed that with their songs?

Also, I often find myself trying to sing to a chord progression. I realize, a song should start with a melody and then chords are just a frame of the picture, but it's hard to apply that practically (for me). Very often I wonder how many cool songs there are, based on just 3-4 chords, simple progressions, but really nice melodies. Now, how do I do that?! :) Thanks.
 
dat's not just dem!

Most rock songs are like that. Even if they're in different keys, the changes are still the same. I believe that too, you don't have to compose a classical cadence to write a good tune (well, actually I-IV-V is a classical cadence too, but I mean more complicated things). Only I'm having trouble coming up with melodies first. Just thought we'd discuss it.
 
I very rarely write a melody first. Usually I will find an
interesting chord progression and go from there, nothing wrong with that. I usually write lyrics last, after the chord progression I will incorportate the melody line I devise and write the lyrics to that. If I write lyrics first
the mood they set usually dictate the type of song it will be. I rarely write 1 4 5 progressions and the ones that I have written were dictated by lyrics being written first.
 
Yes, there are only 12 notes, "there is nothing new under the sun".(Ecc. Bible) You really cant help it and there is nothing wrong with it. As long as it doesnt remind you of
a band you hate your doing allright.
 
I usually get the melody in my head first.
The first thing I'll do is record that melody note for note on the guitar. Sometimes the lyrical idea is just a minute behind it, because the melody will actually give me a feel for what type of subject I will sing about.

Then I bury myself in the room for the next 5 hours (;

DJ
 
I think I know a bit of what Gear Junky's feeling. I used to write songs but lately find myself moving away from that and into purely instrumental stuff. Why? For exactly the reason Gear Junky speaks of - that familiarity factor. Whether we like it or not we all compose music within the confines of some tradition, even if the tradition is relatively recent like say, grunge-rock. It's hard to find that balance point between something sounding 'familiar' and yet 'unique' unto itself.

The familiarity thing became so bad for me that I felt trapped by it - no matter what I wrote, I felt I was retreading on territory that other people have been through. Let's face it - there's a ton of music out there and we can't help but do things that have been done before. My move to instrumental music gives me a bit more freedom to experiment and is a good shock to the system. At the moment I don't miss 'regular' songwriting but that doesn't mean I won't take it up again.

Anyways, good luck, and I sure hope there isn't anyone out there who's hit the kind of mental 'block' that I have.
 
What seems to help is when I have an idea - like a "spine" of a song. It could just be a title or a phrase, a hook, that makes sense, and then writing becomes easier. It was the same way with poetry. I wrote several songs like that. Even if I don't have all the verses yet, it's still a song already, even if it takes a year to finish it. However, when I don't have such an idea, I can't seem to just sit down, "be inspired" and write something on the fly. Guess it all starts with an idea, a plot, I guess for me I have to know what I wanna write about.
 
"Rock will NEVER die!"

"Well, that's where you're wrong, [Ned]. Studies prove that Rock has already lost most of it's audience..."

(I love the New Kids In The Hall.)

It's all Jazz or samples from now on, kids. (Or rap, which will eat itself after the point is reached when no-one is "bettah" the the next). Buckle Up!
 
I have a friend, who's a very talented songwriter, arranger. He's been doing it, forming bands, recording, for over 10 years. I don't know if he's likely to "make it", but I'm helping him record his album and I know he won't stop recording, even if it's on his little 4 track. I know I will listen to such "underground" artists, as long as I like the songs. A true artist will usually know he or she's good and won't give up. And there will always be people that like true music, true poetry and true song.

Recordings don't burn ;)
 
Best way to avoid sounding borrowed is to listen to more varied stuff. Everyone is influenced by what they've already heard, but the people who sound original are just combining more varied influences.

Bands like Soundgarden, Elvis Costello, Radiohead, Rheostatics, Faith No More, Voivod, and Tool helped shape my ideas of music encouraging me to experiment with different time signatures, varied bar lengths, "abnormal" arrangements, Minor Harmonic and Diminished scales, and more exotic chords.

Jeff
 
i usually get my melody at least started from going through chord progressions.i start hearing a melody that just sort of starts words comming.later if i think the music sounds like something someone else did,i work more on the music.i have heard before that it's all been writen before but it dosen't stop me from trying,and as far as rock and roll goes good music dosen't age and crap will always be crap.i have no fear of rock becoming nonexistant.
 
Theres only two kinds of music, good and bad, in all genres.
Some might say country and western but not so. I remember growing up in the 60's and listening to the British Invasion and Little Richard, Chuck, Fats etc. and seeing my
parents watch the Lawrence Welk show and wondering how in the hell could they watch and listen to such a corny show, but now when I see some reruns I realize that some of it was pretty good, actually most. Thats what 40 years of playing and singing will do to ya I guess unless your stuck in a one track mind?
 
never forget modulation

one of the best ways i remember for getting away from be trapped by 3-4 chords is modulation and the best sample i announce u for listening to is QUEEN's works.freddie mercurey was one of the best songwriters who did modulation in addition to using multyrythms.
be locky
respina
 
Someone else may have already mentioned this, but didn't Mick Jagger say that all of the great songs have already been written?
I think it's damn near impossible to be 100% original 'cause on the subconscious level, something that you've heard is bound to have an impact on what you're working on. I just "Do what I do" and see how it works out. I'm not put off because I may be using the same chord progression of some obscure band's even more obscure B side of their only hit. :)
 
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