subtractor
New member
How do YOU write a song? Any tips?
joro
The Pie Guy
Hmmmmmmmm.....
Well...........
If I am writing lyrics first, I establish the mood by conjuring up the spirits of late and great songwriters.
Once I have established contact with them, (Croce, Chapin, Morrison et al.) I draw blood from my left arm in order to have the appropriate shade of red while scribing (I am right handed.)
This helps to cut-down on errors (I don't want to waste any....ya know?) Once "inspired" to write, I chose the appropriate substrate. For instance, a love song would be written on the inside of a label of a can of Hormel chili (makes absolute sense n'est pas?)
For music, I start by bashing my head against a hard, rough textured surface to the desired beat I am looking for. This establishes what I call the "Throb "TM method. Once established, I have a constant beat to follow (I could buy a metronome....but, why bother.)
Others on theses boards have made reference to using illicit substances to augment the creative process.
Can you believe it? Why? When there are simpler, more natural ways of establishing the mood.
Oh well, to each his own. I suppose everyone is different.
Well...........
If I am writing lyrics first, I establish the mood by conjuring up the spirits of late and great songwriters.
Once I have established contact with them, (Croce, Chapin, Morrison et al.) I draw blood from my left arm in order to have the appropriate shade of red while scribing (I am right handed.)
This helps to cut-down on errors (I don't want to waste any....ya know?) Once "inspired" to write, I chose the appropriate substrate. For instance, a love song would be written on the inside of a label of a can of Hormel chili (makes absolute sense n'est pas?)
For music, I start by bashing my head against a hard, rough textured surface to the desired beat I am looking for. This establishes what I call the "Throb "TM method. Once established, I have a constant beat to follow (I could buy a metronome....but, why bother.)
Others on theses boards have made reference to using illicit substances to augment the creative process.
Can you believe it? Why? When there are simpler, more natural ways of establishing the mood.
Oh well, to each his own. I suppose everyone is different.
M
Melody Lane
New member
songwriting
What type of songs are you interested in writing? Most importantly I think you should start with how you want the song to sound and then go from there. Some people though, get a few lyrics in their head and determine the tune afterwards.
I am just 26 and I have allready written close to 35 songs. Mostly southern gospel/country songs. Some wedding/love songs too. Keep trying you'll get it sooner or later.
What type of songs are you interested in writing? Most importantly I think you should start with how you want the song to sound and then go from there. Some people though, get a few lyrics in their head and determine the tune afterwards.
I am just 26 and I have allready written close to 35 songs. Mostly southern gospel/country songs. Some wedding/love songs too. Keep trying you'll get it sooner or later.
Buffalo Bob
New member
"How do YOU write a song? Any tips?"
The only "tip" that I think is worthwhile is "write a lot of songs". After a while (depending on talent/dedication) you will develop a sense of what works and what doesn't. You will go through stages. At first, you will think everything you write is the inspired work of a true genius. Your friends and your mom will be impressed, and the guys at the Open Mic will say you were great.
Three years later, those same songs will make you cringe! You won't believe that you actually wrote that drivel!
If you're just starting out, your stuff will be very self-indulgent. Everything will be seen through your eyes; your pain, angst, joy, BlahBlah. Eventually, you will mature into a writer, but only if you can conquer your ego. Then, the songs will write themselves.
Bob
The only "tip" that I think is worthwhile is "write a lot of songs". After a while (depending on talent/dedication) you will develop a sense of what works and what doesn't. You will go through stages. At first, you will think everything you write is the inspired work of a true genius. Your friends and your mom will be impressed, and the guys at the Open Mic will say you were great.
Three years later, those same songs will make you cringe! You won't believe that you actually wrote that drivel!
If you're just starting out, your stuff will be very self-indulgent. Everything will be seen through your eyes; your pain, angst, joy, BlahBlah. Eventually, you will mature into a writer, but only if you can conquer your ego. Then, the songs will write themselves.
Bob
jamal buchet
New member
i agree with buff-bob...i have BOXES of (ahem)..songs......thta i have written and evryonce in agreat while i will find a little guitar lick or chord progression that inspires me....and then i go back and pillage thru all my stuff till i glue and paste somethin together....thats it!..simple huh?..and trust me..EVERYTHING i have ever written is grammy worthy...EVERYTHING.......
now start writting....right now(no pun intended)...
jamal
now start writting....right now(no pun intended)...
jamal
subtractor
New member
Good replies. I especially like joro's technique.
Buffalo Bob
New member
Yeah, but Joro only writes head-banging music.
subtractor
New member
Ahhh. Is that where that comes from?
E
Emeric
New member
I think I've replied to this type of question before. But being somewhat mentally challenged, I'll do it again.
I usually start with the instruments. A guitar progression, or a riff.
From there, proceed to add a 'melody' either on guitar, or a vocal template.
Write the first verse, then leave the song to simmer for 6 months.
Come back, try and write the second verse, give up in frustration and write another song.
Repeat.
Skip the Coda
The odd time I break out of the loop and finish the song. Easiest way to do this is just do it. It's easy to get hung up on this and that.
I never work on 1 song to completion, usually 10 -20 songs active in various states. This is not a good method. It puts you in the endless loop (for me anyway). Bounce back and forth between them.
I write things down on one of those paper spiral things. More than one, and I can never find the one I'm looking for when needed.
Anyway. That's my method.
http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35686&highlight=how+write+a+song
I usually start with the instruments. A guitar progression, or a riff.
From there, proceed to add a 'melody' either on guitar, or a vocal template.
Write the first verse, then leave the song to simmer for 6 months.
Come back, try and write the second verse, give up in frustration and write another song.
Repeat.
Skip the Coda
The odd time I break out of the loop and finish the song. Easiest way to do this is just do it. It's easy to get hung up on this and that.
I never work on 1 song to completion, usually 10 -20 songs active in various states. This is not a good method. It puts you in the endless loop (for me anyway). Bounce back and forth between them.
I write things down on one of those paper spiral things. More than one, and I can never find the one I'm looking for when needed.
Anyway. That's my method.
http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35686&highlight=how+write+a+song
E
Emeric
New member
Excellent and very unique approach Joro!
joro
The Pie Guy
Not true Bob......mostly Polkas....Buffalo Bob said:
...I thought you guys knew that???
Anybody got a good link for Accordian tablature??
Thanks for the compliments guys.....as long as it works....ya know?
Joe
P
Peter D
New member
Being from Phoenix, you've already proven yourself to be crazy enough to write songs, so now it's just a matter of turning everything you see around you into music and lyrics. I know people who wait around for the muse to hit them, but usually a scorpion or a picture of Governor Hull's recent face-lift gets them first. Take your instrument of choice and work at it like you would any other job. Practice makes songs.
E
Ed Driscoll
New member
There's all sorts of ways to write a song:
1. Take a handful of chord changes or riffs and try to plot them into some sort of structure, then write lyrics and a melody that fit that mood.
2. Try to imitate the tone or style of a song that you like, without copying it exactly.
3. Assuming you have decent editing skills, record a rough demo of parts, and then edit those parts into something that sounds coherent, and then re-record the song based on that structure.
4. (This works nicely with #3) Once you have a basic demo, make some notes about what would make it better: double a chorus or two? Put in a breakdown section? Reharmonize some of the chords on the verse? Play the final chorus up a tone, or shift it into a minor key? And then re-record that tune.
5. Brian Eno once said that any random collison of events can sound meaningful and planned if listened to sufficient times--so don't worry, especially on your initial efforts, about parts fitting together--just start writing and recording.
6. When you finish a song, write a song that's a complete opposite to it, or in a similar style to it. Analyse what works, what doesn't, what you like, what you don't, and then incorporate those ideas into your next tune.
Hope some of these ideas help.
Ed
1. Take a handful of chord changes or riffs and try to plot them into some sort of structure, then write lyrics and a melody that fit that mood.
2. Try to imitate the tone or style of a song that you like, without copying it exactly.
3. Assuming you have decent editing skills, record a rough demo of parts, and then edit those parts into something that sounds coherent, and then re-record the song based on that structure.
4. (This works nicely with #3) Once you have a basic demo, make some notes about what would make it better: double a chorus or two? Put in a breakdown section? Reharmonize some of the chords on the verse? Play the final chorus up a tone, or shift it into a minor key? And then re-record that tune.
5. Brian Eno once said that any random collison of events can sound meaningful and planned if listened to sufficient times--so don't worry, especially on your initial efforts, about parts fitting together--just start writing and recording.
6. When you finish a song, write a song that's a complete opposite to it, or in a similar style to it. Analyse what works, what doesn't, what you like, what you don't, and then incorporate those ideas into your next tune.
Hope some of these ideas help.
Ed
Last edited:
Qwerty
New member
And a diminished chord is a very cute little trick for making one riff "sit" better against the next riff.
Cool trick indeed.
Ciao,
Q.
Cool trick indeed.
Ciao,
Q.
N
Naghorvik_Soran
New member
The last song i wrote, i got a dart board in between the target spaces i wrote things like Chorus, Verse, Bridge, Intro, Outro, Build up, Drain Out, End, (there were more finite discriptians of each term i had created but we wont get into it here) i then threw darts miscolanously at the board to determine song order the end result...
Chorus
intro
drain out
verse
verse
end
sounds odd eh? think how interesting a challenge it will be to make it sound good
Chorus
intro
drain out
verse
verse
end
sounds odd eh? think how interesting a challenge it will be to make it sound good
jamal buchet
New member
Naghorvik_Soran said:
are you serious...???...why would you make it any harder than it ALREADY IS???....maybe try ....cutting some words out of a magazine......like get a bunch..a handfull....then throwthem into the air on front of a oscillating fan.....and see what come up?...
...now im not trying to be a jerk or anything...just seems like a WHOLE lot more work to me...but then..maybe your a prolific songwriter..and the whole process(as is)..is too elementary ...
good luck with this,
please PLEASE post what you came up with.....
and ill be waiting here to eat these words..
jamal
E
Ed Driscoll
New member
Jamal,
I've never tried it, but it's a technique called (not surprisingly) "cut ups", popularized by William Burroughs several decades ago to get a more random feel for his novels.
Ed
As you may know (judging by your "cutting words of a magazine" phrase), David Bowie and Brian Eno used just this method to get some randomness into their lyrics during Bowie's Low/Lodger/Heroes period.
I've never tried it, but it's a technique called (not surprisingly) "cut ups", popularized by William Burroughs several decades ago to get a more random feel for his novels.
Ed
jamal buchet
New member
Ed Driscoll said:
ed:...i did not know this...lol..really i was trying to be sorta funny...buuuuut now that i have been set straight...lol...just seemed like putting on a full scuba suit to run a marathon???....lotta added work..to something that isnt exactly easy to begin with....but hey ...if you pick words out of your alpha-bits and make it work great ....after all who am i really..?
(scouring any and all media for new ideas)..
jamal
M
M.Brane
New member
miscolanously
Is that a word?
Is that a word?
TexRoadkill
Audio Bum
Free Bird has already been written. What's the point in any new songs?