Help me, musical people.

[Cajungal]

So, I thought it might be fun to write a song. I'm ok at coming up with lyrics, but I know embarrassingly little about how to actually put a tune together. I grew up in a really musical family, and my brother and Dad are both really intuitive when it comes to that kind of thing. The best I can say is that a melody either sounds good to me or it doesn't.

But anyway y'all have seen what I like to sing--classic, standardy stuff mostly. That's the kind of stuff I'd like to eventually write, too.

So has anyone here written songs. How do you do it? Any advice from experienced songwriters would be most helpful. And I promise to post them if I ever write them. Thank you friends!

 

[Gusto]

Talk to ZenMonkey. She's all the time writin' songs.

 

[KCWM]

I normally play the chord progression for the verse and just keep singing different notes until I find a skeletal vocal progression. From there, I try to find variate that progression. If you listen to and find the notes for some of the catchiest vocal lines, it's a progression of 3-5 notes...very simplistic.

What takes the most practice, in my opinion, is learning how to pick out what notes fit inside the chord you're playing. The only thing I can suggest is to play a chord and sing different notes to find out what fits within that particular chord. It shouldn't be too hard to hear when a note just doesn't work. Do this for all of your chords. It will help train your ear to hear what notes work where. From there, it becomes easier to string these notes together for different chord progressions.

Another method I've just started trying to work on is to write the chord progression and then go back with a keyboard and map out the vocal line there. Once I have it figured out, I start putting the lyrics to the music.

It's harder than I describe it and it takes practice. Learning songs definitely helps, but at some point you have to start trying things out on your own.

I've been writing my own crap for about 14 years now. Some songs are good...some songs aren't. Out of all of the songs I've written, I've kept about 20 around, and a handful of others without vocal lines. Sometimes, I write a progression and I can't wrap my head around it for vocals.

 

[Cajungal]

Thank you! That was tremendously helpful.

 

[Espy]

I've been writing music for a long time Cajun and I would agree with a lot what KCWM wrote.

The way I write varies, but usually when I'm inspired (you know, I find myself humming something, etc) I sit down at the piano and record whatever I have in my head. So if I've been humming a few bars I just play them out then see where the melody takes me. Honestly, for me it's very organic so often it's not about figuring out what comes next it's just letting the song flow around a basic structure, intro, verse, chorus, verse chorus and then sometimes a bridge or whatever it needs to complete it.

My band has an ep coming out later this year (if all goes well) and we are working on our full album right now. We probably have about 50 songs give or take, I would only use about 20 or so of them so don't worry, like KCWM said, there are good and bad. Don't fret the bad.

Also: Another good way to learn to write your own music is to create covers of stuff you do like, learn how they progress a song and feel the flow of other musicians. I make sure to do a cover song every few months just to see what other people are doing. It's really fun and you will find yourself going, "Oh! Thats how they did that!".

If you need any advice on recording or writing hit me up on skype or facebook chat. I'm always down.

 

[Cajungal]

Thanks. I'll have a little free time over the holiday, so maybe I will.

 

[drawn_inward]

I am a complete novice, but I have 'written' a few songs. They all kind of came around accidentally. I just strum about the chords that I know, and pick here and there, and change up rhythm and/or strum pattern, muting, etc. - until it sounds cool to me. That usually becomes the chorus of the song. I then use the similar strumming/rhythm and change up the chords for the verses. I usually quickly record it with a mic or webcam so I can remember it later. I have a terrible memory for music.

I am having a hard time putting lyrics to the music, but I also have lyrics w/o music.

Silly songs, I can write all day, but anything somewhat serious I have a hard time with.

 

[Cajungal]

^I hope to write silly songs... or at least quirky ones. ^_^

This all started when I started writing out some lyrics for a song for Jake. I thought, "what I shame I don't know crap about writing music..."

 

[Espy]

As far as writing lyrics... I really don't have any advice. They just... happen. When I get really stuck I export the song without vocals and play it in the car while I drive. Something eventually comes.
There have been one or two songs that I never could write lyrics or a vocal part for. It happens. Frustrating though.

 

[KCWM]

I'm different than most people that I know in the sense that I write lyrics first. I let my words determine the mood of the song. I'm willing to help you out in any way that I can, from working out a way to play some of my songs for you (for an amateur's approach) to helping you out with filling out other parts (bass and guitar, of course).

I love to help out other musicians, even I'm a bit longwinded when I do it.