Like the thread suggests. 

It seems we are going into all kinds of creative territory here...

I'm looking for various techniques you found useful for you in creating/composing/arranging your music....  


BTW...thanks, Matt, for the idea...

For me, i come up with a chord progression...  then just hum melodies over the top, over and over until I get something I really like.   Usually just 8 bars or so at a time.   

Then once i have a bunch of them....   i combine them into a song.  Then i arrange them into synth pop songs :)

At the moment, I'm composing starting with a melody, then figuring out what the chord progression is. It's already thrown up something interesting to me, because without thinking about it I wrote the melody in one bar of 6/4 followed by 2 bars of 4/4, and back again; I don't think that would have happened had I started with chords or a riff. What I'm doing next is to take the chord progression and develop it, then see what happens to the melody from there.

I think in terms of patterns.  Sometimes it's a rhythm guitar pattern or a drum/bass pattern that starts it off.  I'll add patterns mentally until the whole is built.  Once I have a sense of the whole, I can start laying down tracks.  Without an understanding of the big picture, however, I can't even start recording.

I'm weird that way.

Just keep it simple to start with.  I usually don't like writing a song based around a riff or anything because you kind of get locked in and might lose sight of the SONG itself.    Meaning, I might flush out the chords and melody on acoustic guitar first, just strumming chords...  THEN once its all sorted it out start programming up synths (im an electronic musician).   I find that if you start at a granular level like the riffs or a synth sound, you might be concentrating more on arrangement than the core of the song.

For pop:

1) a 'catchy' groove and/or chord progession

2) an urgent message (scratchy)

3) An impeccable kick and bass (these I can't stress enough for my mixes)

4) Under 4 minutes, 'other ears', a proven verse-chorus song-structure (AAAA, AABA, ABAB).

Off topic:

5) Polish for a few hours and/or months and/or years ... depending on life's trickeries.  If the song is meant to last 'forever and ever', the message will become the dominant element (IMHO).

Most of my musical ideas come right after some kind of emotional event good or bad. I'll walk in the door and grab my guitar and start playing while I'm still feeling whatever just  happened. Sometimes I come up with a riff,other times its a chord progression. Usually the chord progression suggests a melody and sometimes a riff will suggest some possible chords. A lot of times I end up playing the riff or chord progression over and over again until something comes to me.One song that I wrote ended up being a chord progression strung together with 2 other riffs.I couldn't figure out where to take any of them seperately so,I played them all one after the other for my brother and he suggested various places to repeat the chord progression and one of the riffs,the other riff got used for the bridge,I ended up with a cool song.

 Just so you all know where I'm coming from.....My main instrument is guitar and my musical back ground is mostly 80's rock and metal,blues and,classic rock(60's &70's).In the 80's if you didn't have a riff,you didn't have a song

I start with a riff of something that moves me. Could be a drum pattern on Superior Drummer, a kit sound on Addictive Drums, a horn sample, a keyboard line, a guitar riff...something hets me in a modd and a direction. I fill out either a verse or chorus around the riff, and then come up with another section. If it is good, it gets finished.
Melody almost always comes last, then a lyric.

I'm working more with melody first these days, along the same lines as James G. Then building the chords underneath.

My familiar method of chords or riff first, got to where it was like this. This actually happened about 3 weeks ago.

Noodle on guitar and find an cool riff. Pull up a drum loop and record the riff/progression. Add a bass line. Add another guitar part. Start doing a rough mix. Screw around with some plugins. Sing a gibberish melody line til I get something I like for a melody. Record that. Call the wife in to take a listen. She stands in the doorway snapping her fingers and starts singing "Riding the storm out, waiting for the fallout" with this silly grin on her face and she turns and strolls out of the room. I sit crestfallen in my chair realizing I've just spent 3 hours writing and recording another song that was written by someone else over 25 years ago. Yeah, time for a different method.

Randy

rsp@odyssey.net


I'm working more with melody first these days, along the same lines as James G. Then building the chords underneath.

My familiar method of chords or riff first, got to where it was like this. This actually happened about 3 weeks ago.

Noodle on guitar and find an cool riff. Pull up a drum loop and record the riff/progression. Add a bass line. Add another guitar part. Start doing a rough mix. Screw around with some plugins. Sing a gibberish melody line til I get something I like for a melody. Record that. Call the wife in to take a listen. She stands in the doorway snapping her fingers and starts singing "Riding the storm out, waiting for the fallout" with this silly grin on her face and she turns and strolls out of the room. I sit crestfallen in my chair realizing I've just spent 3 hours writing and recording another song that was written by someone else over 25 years ago. Yeah, time for a different method.

Randy

I luv you d00d...please keep posting your comments! You and guys like UBubba need to hang with us more over here. :)
 
I do the same thing, Randy. It's all about the melody for me. I used to do it like James Yoyo but I had a problem with that. I'd end up with killer music beds that wouldn't have the melodies to carry them. They sounded more like instrumental tunes.
 
Now that I grab the melody first, the song literally seems to write itself which has been a breath of fresh air for me. Or sometimes I play a riff on guitar or piano and mumble over it...and once that melody is there, it dictates the rest of the song and shows me the way. If I can't come up with a good melody to push me and the song, it's usually an idea that gets sent to the "ideas folder".
 
As for your comment about writing stuff that's already been written...bro, it's both a blessing and a curse. When you do stuff like that, it shows you're blessed with the gift of a good ear. The curse part is "why didn't I realize this before I spent 3 hours on it?!" LOL!!
 
When this happens to ya Randy, spin the progressions backwards or inside-out. It usually makes for something interesting that still may sound a little like the song you copped, but it will push you in another direction that may show you even better results. Worst case scenario, it turns into a song that was "inspired by" which is still perfectly acceptable. :)
 
-Danny