writing process,playingwise and writingwise

I

istyle

New member
i still have problem in writing process
at first i started composing notes in encore which has very good view for score i still use it
at that period i wasn't good at playing piano and keys
3-4 yrs passed i develop a better chop and now i always play something to compose a song but most endup have weak arrangement not like those old days arranging with encore
trying to import those playing back into encore to rearrange doesn'rt make it feel right
i like to hear other people approach to arranging,composing
thnx
 
This will not be an answer you are looking for and nor will it help you really. I write when I feel like writing.

I can't wake up in the morning and go to a piano or guitar and start writing. When people talk about inspiration you kind of want to hit them and tell them to shut the fuck up; what does inspiration mean anyway?

But at the end of the day I'm undisciplined (sp-and can't spell). I don't think about it. I get writers block when I'm under pressure for the simple reason that I'm under pressure to write and I just can't produce anything I'm pleased with.

I also have a short attention span, so goodbye............
 
take notes...

Nothing ever comes to me all at once.

I have to write things down. Which means that I have a
mass of lyriclets and songlets that somehow get fused
or blurred into one song.

Rhythms are neat- like combinations of words, or sounds
from everyday life. I carry a microcassette recorder and
I tape things I can't write down.

Then I dream...

Faithmonster
 
When I have problems writing, my wife invites a bunch of 'ho's over. That straightens my ass out.
 
Outside of those very rare instances when some theme seems to pop up out of nowhere.. Usually my writings start with a group of notes in a mode or scale.. Then I take those notes and add or remove notes outside of the convention so that it doesn't sound scalar or common to me... Once I've got a riff that I like and won't tire from after repitition then I may add illiteration and chords around it to get some sort of structure started.. Although this alone can take me several hours, days, or weeks.. this is usually the easiest part of the process..

Trying to fit other pieces to the puzzle can be very trying for me.. I am extremely picky and will not settle for parts that weaken the original theme I created.. If I can't get anything here.. I stop and work on something else.. (I've always got something else going.. whether it's other songs or recording).. The same goes with the structure.. I've gotten sick of the common progressions and will always try new avenues to make it sound less redundant.. Again.. if I'm not happy with it.. I move on to other projects and try again later..Once I have a skeleton of the song I'll work on writing the other parts: usually drums or bass parts.. I take a backward approach to lyrics: I'll scat sing to get the vocal melody and once I have that I try to fit words that have both meaning and sound good when sung to the music.. Writing lyrics first never works for me.. I save all the solos and fills for last.. in fact, sometimes I won't even have the solos developed until I'm actually recording the song..

This is a typical approach for me.. but it varies: sometimes I'll find a great drum groove or I'll discover something in a particular sound or alternate guitar tuning..

and since I strive for high quality songwriting, it can take me a very long time to complete a song..

Cy
 
Im with you Cyrokk. Ive spent more than a year on a song (an epic 8 min song)....

Depending on the genre youre writing in, I would recommend dif approaches. As alot of my stuff is along existential, philosophical lines....man vs society man vs himself, etc... the lyrics are critical to the song. So I start with the lyrics and work out some basic vocal melodies and possible chord schemes against an unusually timed beat (in 4/4). The advantage of this is that it inspires better phrasing than the typical 2/4 snare beat. (I think songwriters who are developed drummers have a huuuuuge advantage over those that arent bec they are so intimately familiar with time. I credit my studying drums for several years as having the most siginificant impact on my songwriting.) Knowing time well is critical in developing unique phrasing. Which brings me to my next point: If you sketch out a song with a tentative beat and vocals and some harmonies and nothing else...you hear the essence of the song. If the song is strong at this point then it will be strong after everything is recorded. If its not then more likely than not it wont be strong in the end.

As for writing when there is no inspiration..once Ive gotten a sketch of the song with vocals and drums. I dont write much new material. I try dif melodies on a song already sketched out- keeping the timing the same and almost mechanically varying the notes in key phrases until something happens. (Its very important to keep in mind the gist of the lyrics at this point bec there are always more melodic possibilities than the lyrics allow). I then do the same with the timing keeping the notes the same and just work till something happens. Something does eventually.

Alternatively: If youre short on melodic ideas, pull out anything by prokofiev, mahler, schumann or poulanc for inspiration. Ive found rock riffs, dancey chorsues, verses, all kinds of bridges, grooves, etc (we're not talking note for note plagarism....just a direction to go in.)
 
I'm looking for new ways to write songs--so this is a great thread...let it breathe.

My standard way to write is to start with my guitar and play with chords, or guitar melodies, and develop song parts (verses, chorus, prechorus, bridge, whatever). Then, once I've got song parts all strung together, I start thinking about lyrics and melody.

Recently, I've been starting with different instruments, like piano, or like a drum loop. I wish I had a bass...I'd like to try writing with a bass. Need to get me one of those. Anyway, I've noticed that when I start with a different instrument, it can send me in a fresh direction.

I'm like you, Cyrokk--The one thing I've never started with is lyrics... that's the hardest part for me and I always do it last....usually, on my back porch with a bottle of wine. And I do the scat singing thing, too... my wife laughs at me, because she listens to my rough cuts and she hears me making up words as I go along, about things that are sitting around the apartment.

Pete
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top