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Post by Rock Kennedy on Sept 24, 2015 7:16:23 GMT -6
I enjoy the post, but I would love it if there was more discussion on crafting songs. We have some good writers that I am sure have great insight. I for one would love to get that type of perspective.
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Post by Johnkenn on Sept 24, 2015 10:26:28 GMT -6
Do you have any specific questions? I'm not trying to sound like I know much of anything, but I would be happy to share my opinions on how I approach things.
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Post by swurveman on Sept 25, 2015 7:35:54 GMT -6
My view of crafting songs is that there isn't one way. Sometimes songs come out of sitting down with an acoustic guitar or piano and hammering out the vocal melody of the song with the chords piece by piece starting with the first verse. Sometimes the song comes from an opening guitar, bass or synth riff and the mood, feel and energy of the songs vocal melody cascades from that. Sometimes the song comes out of the beat, where you can construct the drumbeat and then sing the melody over that. So, at least for me, it's variety that makes song craft so interesting. Using different tempos, keys and time signatures livens things up and stops it from being stale.
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Post by Johnkenn on Sept 25, 2015 11:39:23 GMT -6
The thing that comes to mind for me is this: How do I say something - that inevitably has already been said - in a new way. Cliche's are cliches for a reason...people use them. But how can you spin that? How can you "play" on a cliche? For myself, I really like sitting down with the guitar and just seeing if there's any kind of cool chordal or picking thing that strikes me. Then, is there a top line over that that is interesting...then, what is the mood of it? What is the mood of the song? What is it trying to say? Then, there's usually something that you scat out over the melody...sometimes, that can lead you to what you want to say. Everyone has their own "thing" or phrasing that they bring to the table, and I think that's why it's good sometimes to co-write - you can end up somewhere you wouldn't normally go. However, sometimes, it can water you both down and you end up with a mediocre result. This is all assuming that you're following this approach, which I think is the most honest way of writing - following what comes out. Now there are certainly times when you have a complete idea that you want to write - a hook or a thought. That's probably easier to right to, but I also think it most often comes out as "written" so to speak...or canned...Just some thoughts.
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Post by Rock Kennedy on Sept 28, 2015 15:05:10 GMT -6
I wish I were better at melody. I find it tough to come up with a good top line vocal that doesn't seem predictable.
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Post by tonycamphd on Sept 28, 2015 15:46:39 GMT -6
I agree that inspiration is totally whimsical, musically I make a conscience attempt to try to be somewhat rhythmically complex while making it sound simple(sting/beatles come to mind), phrasing is absolutely HUGE when it comes to any piece of music being memorable regardless of genre, music lives and dies by they rhythm of it's melodic phrasing, when i think of a super popular song like back n black by acdc, the only lyric i know is "backn black" and "well i'm", the rest i haven't a clue, but i can hear the phrasing of the entire song in my sleep, and i bet so could 90% of the people who've heard it. As far as lyric and story line, i generally write backward from what ever my point is and try not to sound like a dumbass 8) But probably the single most important thing i ask myself as i'm rolling along is... "is this boring?", if it is i must change it up because you can do ANYTHING as long as it isn't boring!
my 2 cents...
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Post by mobeach on Sept 28, 2015 18:32:54 GMT -6
Do you have any specific questions? I'm not trying to sound like I know much of anything, but I would be happy to share my opinions on how I approach things. Do you always have the primary melody in mind when starting a song or do you develop it as you go along? |
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Post by Johnkenn on Sept 28, 2015 18:43:18 GMT -6
Definitely develop as I go along...Sometimes you might have something in mind...but sometimes I have to stop myself - like Tony said - and go, "Is that good enough? Is it boring?"
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