Good flow, but a screeching halt


Cryptic Excretions
Attorney at Law
Joined: 01/31/04
Posts: 3,055
Cryptic Excretions
Attorney at Law
Joined: 01/31/04
Posts: 3,055
10/04/2004 12:37 pm
Ok, my songwriting is good, but only so far. I can get the ball rolling but after X amount of time in writing a song I come up with absolutely nothing. I primarily compose off the guitar (be it acoustic or electric). I've got a bass and drum machine to work with and some programs here and there to help along the way. I just can't seem to find what flows best next. Being the progressive fan that I am I can't see just calling that the end of the song and sticking with a minute and whatever for the time... hell, I've got lyrics for a lot of the stuff I have in mind and the amount of lyrics and style of them calls for a longer song as is. I get the ball rolling, but the momentum is the issue. Anything I can do to help my flow and consistancy?
The Gods Made Heavy Metal, And They Saw That It Was Good
They Said To Play It Louder Than Hell, We Promised That We Would

Hulk Smash!!

Whatever you do, don't eat limes. A friend of mine ate a lime once and BAM!! Two years later. Herpes.
# 1
Kevin Taylor
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 03/05/00
Posts: 4,722
Kevin Taylor
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 03/05/00
Posts: 4,722
10/04/2004 1:17 pm
Like somebody said elsewhere, you need to learn the structure of songwriting. Best bet is to buy or borrow a book on songwriting to learn how the hitmakers do it. Get a rhyming dictionary and thesaurus.
Get it so that you have multitracking ability on your computer (128 tracks for instance) so that you don't have any limitations. Get some VSTi instruments and a good multi-effects unit for your guitar.
Lay down a three minute drum pattern divided up into verses, chorus's and a bridge. Rather than using a drum machine at first, try using some royalty free drum loops. Match several of them together to create a stereo drum track.
The loops will give you more ideas to bounce around. Later if you want you can either totally replace or beef up the loops with the drum machine. Once you have the drums down, just play whatever comes naturally to you on guitar keeping in mind the structure you're going for (verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, chorus) Lay down a temporary bass pattern and a couple more guitar tracks just temporarily for now.
Then find some time where you can be totally alone with nobody listening and sing your butt off with nonsense words... anything that fits the song. Do ten tracks of different ideas.
Now put the song away for a few days.
Come back to it with fresh ears and match real lyrics up to your nonsense ones. At this point you can usually tell if the song's working or not.
Replace the guitar tracks, come up with a proper bass pattern. Use a VST synth to lay down some strings or something and voila, a song.
If you want an average song, spend a couple of days at it.
If you want a great song, keep working on it for months or even years until you've perfected it.
Repeat the above steps about 1000 times until it comes naturally to you.
I ain't guaranteeing it'll work but if you do it constantly every day, after about a decade or two you can put a half decent song together.
# 2
iamthe_eggman
Grizzled Spellchecker
Joined: 05/09/00
Posts: 2,233
iamthe_eggman
Grizzled Spellchecker
Joined: 05/09/00
Posts: 2,233
10/04/2004 1:31 pm
Originally Posted by: schmangeI ain't guaranteeing it'll work but if you do it constantly every day, after about a decade or two you can put a half decent song together.


Another reassuring reply from Uncle Schmange!
... and that's all I have to say about that.

[U]ALL[/U] generalizations are [U]WRONG[/U]

[/sarcasm]
# 3
Jolly McJollyson
Chick Magnet
Joined: 09/07/03
Posts: 5,457
Jolly McJollyson
Chick Magnet
Joined: 09/07/03
Posts: 5,457
10/04/2004 2:19 pm
Originally Posted by: iamthe_eggmanAnother reassuring reply from Uncle Schmange!

Is he that creepy uncle who owns about five hundred cats and lives in the woods?
I want the bomb
I want the P-funk!

My band is better than yours...
# 4
atomicfroman
Registered User
Joined: 06/19/04
Posts: 8
atomicfroman
Registered User
Joined: 06/19/04
Posts: 8
10/13/2004 4:10 am
No one owns a cat... The cat owns you...

Just ask.
Coding my way to the next BSOD!
# 5
Hamberg
Registered User
Joined: 01/19/05
Posts: 343
Hamberg
Registered User
Joined: 01/19/05
Posts: 343
01/19/2005 4:02 am
I have the same gear as you and the same problem dog. I get one part that kicks ass and can't come up with anything for it. I've got 1000 ideas and 5 songs and only 2 cool songs. I write almost everyday. Lately I've been searching the internet for music theory that will apply to an idea that I have. I usually never find what im looking for, but the theory has helped me come up with even better ideas.
Bass guitar is the answer to everything
# 6

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