Musicians on the board

[freewill]

sup,

I am writing a Process Analysis Essay for a class I am taking called Composition for the Artist, and I have a question. My topic is songwriting. We have to pick a subject that has to do with our major or field of study, mine being Composition and Music for Visual Media, I have chosen to describe the process of songwriting.
In order for my essay to have some weight and pass, I must research others and their own individual process.
If any of you wish to contribute by maybe giving a brief description of your personal songwriting process, i would appreciate it. This will not be cited, mind you.
I have been searching the web and eHow is the place that has anything on the process, and it's pretty lame.
This is especially hard because I dont have a set process, so anything you guys post will be helpful, except maybe, "hit the bong and go..."

thanks,

 

[Shpongled]

Hit the bong and just do it!

 

[WhiteBeastofWotan]

Pour the beer and just do it!

 

[freewill]

haha, pointless thread.

 

[~Lynn~]

95% of my "song writing" comes from idle minded playing when watching TV or sitting on the deck watching the river. Sometimes I line out into a recorder just in case something comes along so I can go back and not have to rely on memory.

 

[freewill]

i hear you on that. Appreciate the response too. It seems most people just play until they like something. I cant really say I put to much theory into anything. really. anything to note on how you construct your song structure?

 

[~Lynn~]

If a handfull of ideas come along I like, and can put into context different ways, I work with them in different orders. Then call my drummer buddy up and see what he thinks about arrangements. Then it usually goes quickly, little fill ins and transition riffs and what not. Solos have always been really easy for me. I just wait until a bad day comes along where I'm pissed off and wrangle the frustration out on my guitars. After all that is done whom ever is/was doing vocals could test it for fit, then we would make final adjustments to everything to make the whole package mush together and flow. Some songs could take couple days, some have been worked on for years.

 

[Dead_Lioness]

I think you can also research interviews with bands and see what singers/ song writers said about it.
It is one of the most common questions on interviews

 

[Conti]

Yeah ill just jam with an idea and try to make riffs that make sense in succession, sometimes ill have an idea of what I want beforehand.
or

I-IV-I-IV-V-I-V-I

add non chord tones
add suspensions and there you go chorale!

 

[WhiteBeastofWotan]

I wrote a 20 minute long song. No idea what my process was.

 

[Dreadful]

I rely alot on accidents...I'll put the recorder on and jam freely...then listen back and if anything sounds cool, especially accidental stuff like little nuances or little transitions or little riffs (or whatever just came out as cool as part of the jam) I play them back and record them again and see what I can do with them. Usually alot of ideas will pop into my head about what to do with with the riff/melody that had potential and I'll try to roughly outline the general idea of what I want with it, record it so I don't forget it. I make sure to save all the ideas, riffs, tracks, sections etc to the computer. I also see if any other riffs/melodies I have fit with it so I do a process of arrangeing to see if anything works. If I can't get the strong melodies I want, then I just keep doing my best and try articulate with my best ability to bring out the ideas I have in my mind and the general idea, outline, vision of the song. Patience is key too, sometimes the next day my mind will be clearer upon returning to the same project and other ideas, riff/melodies will come out. I try to mix balance the song too and mix things up a bit and let go of anything that may be too repetitive, unless it's intended.

I just sit down and play and use the best stuff I come up with and accept the fact that if I don't come out with something earth shattering, it isn't the end of the world...more good songs will come in time. Alot of my favorite bands even have tossable, filler tracks that aren't too good. The goal is always to come up with the strongest stuff possible, with the best tone and the most heart. = )

 

[Det Som Engang Var]

All the Empiric songs came from my head, then I just figured out how to play them.

 

[freewill]

thanks for all the posts!!

I think you can also research interviews with bands and see what singers/ song writers said about it.
It is one of the most common questions on interviews

and I totally cited Loomis, haha

 

[Cadikill]

I just play shit if i sounds good i keep
playing if it souNds like shit i change guitars i have 14 to chose from

 

[Liverslapper]

<3 Pantera

 

[Lordlucid]

That water heater is so Metul!

 

[Liverslapper]

Hit the bong and just do it!

^ This

 

[Mephistophiliac]

I typically write by screwing around on bass and having guitar pro open. I'll start with one riff and tab it into gp for guitar and bass and then write a song around that. Once I get the guitars and bass written I add the drums last and email it to the rest of the band for them to critique. As far as structuring songs, I go with whatever feels right for what I start with. If it's technical I don't have a particular set structure and on the other hand if it's thrashier the structure is usually fairly standard. It usually takes me several days to finish a song.

Hit the bong and just do it!

This usually helps.

 

[Myke Havoc]

For myself, there is no one process. Sometimes it starts with picking up a guitar and plucking around till I get riffs. Sometimes the lyrical inspiration hits me first and I write around that. I used to walk around with a notepad to write down every little bit that struck me as potentially interesting lyrical content, whether it be a phrase, some saying, something profound a person tells me, or even a single word that just strikes me as attractive sounding and evocative.
Other times, I carried around a digital pocket recorder and hummed melody lines or guitar parts into it and would later transcribe it. I even got to the point of playing long enough that I could actually tab out a riff in my head and get it pretty close to what I was thinking. Being a vocalist and musician helps in either regard; figuring out the music theory to the melodies or making a riff or lead that "sings" a bit more. The wonderful thing about composing music is the endless variety of inspiration and how it attacks you and how you go about piecing it together. The writing/demoing process is usually my favorite stage in the lifespan of a song, because often by the time the band starts playing it, I'm bored to death of it.

 

[Shpongled]

i change guitars i have 14 to chose from

I only see 8, and one's a bass!