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Thread: Songwriting Habits

  1. Songwriting Habits

    I didn't want to takeover the visualization of music thread, so ill try it here. What are everyones songwriting habits? I carry a voice recorder around with me now (yes I am that much of a jackass), although it really hasn't caught to many good melodies, good song ideas though.

    I always came up with a chord progression i liked, and tried to move with that, I figure that is the standard way. I heard that bowie would more often start with the melody lines, and I'm still working on that.

    A wierd thing I just learned is that I create far better melodys when I do not use words, just a repeated sound, I guess it frees up more of my brain? Usually I would recite rubbish that rhymed and use that to create tempo and whatnot, but the melody lines themselves would always come out uninspired.

    Anyone got any wierd things that help them write?
    Check out Mr. Businessman
    He bought some wild, wild life
    On the way to the stock exchange
    He got some wild, wild life

  2. as stated in the other thread, I visualise the music and then work off that. Its really hard to describe the visualisations, its kind of like if the following was done very expressively by an abstract painter interpretting the music:



    (it gets really rad about 1:30 in)

  3. #3
    I try to keep a note book of lyric and/or song ideas.

  4. For me, the lyrics, melody and background music tends to come all at the same time. It's almost as if I just turned on the radio in my head and I catch the song at whatever point the idea flows from, whether that be the verse or chorus or wherever. I take it from there and finish what I hear.

    That's the way it happens most of the time, but sometimes I start with just a phrase that I just hear out of nowhere. The phrase has one line of lyrics, and a melody as well as chords underneath. Then I just develop the song from there.

    Since I'm the type that puts the music before the lyric, I find it MUCH easier to have music first and come up with lyrics that match the music than the other way around. Once someone gave me lyrics and I was able to put music to it afterwards, but I didn't find it too easy. It just seems too unnatural to me.

  5. I get a riff I like and repeat it over and over and over until it's meaning becomes clear.
    Boo, Hiss.

  6. Usually I forgot to record a melody line onto my cellphone when one comes in my head, but if I can't remember it the next day it probably wasnt any good to begin with.

  7. All spur of the moment. Usually wakes me out of bed.

  8. Wow that bach piece was so good I overcooked my spagetti.

    Question for Son and Hub, was it always like this or did it develop as you progressed as a songwriter?

    I just started visuallizing music last night, its somewhat similar to what arjue posted, but i see chords on different levels than the melody for some reason. But that just started, I couldn't sleep for 3 hours, i just had shit pouring through my head.

    Edit: GOD DAMN that bach song is amazing. I had never really listened to it. Counterpoint blows my mind.
    Last edited by Anthony; 12 Jul 2007 at 04:24 PM.
    Check out Mr. Businessman
    He bought some wild, wild life
    On the way to the stock exchange
    He got some wild, wild life

  9. Once you open the gates the shit just flows all the time. You be writing songs about goin to the bathroom and shit.

  10. It's easy to write individual parts that sound great by themselves; the true art to songwriting is learning how to find the unity between different voices and learning to arrange the flow of those voices so that they speak with coherence and fluidity for however long the song lasts.

    If you're looking for examples of how to make music that does more than simply mimic itself in three or four different voices, Bach is about as good as anything that you'll find.

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