Tips and trix on composing ?

[Petrocker]

Ive been looking around on this (swwweeet)forum, but I havent found many threads about composing/riffing etc.
This is the hardest part for me, and Im going crazy and Im not coming anywhere.
Im doing everything on my own, and Im not a bad player, just a bad songwriter.

So, how do you guys do when you go from one riff to a whole song?

IM STUCK​

 

[Black neon bob]

Ive been looking around on this (kickass)forum, but I havent found many threads about composing/riffing etc.
This is the hardest part for me, and Im going crazy and Im not coming anywhere.
Im doing everything on my own, and Im not a bad player, just a bad songwriter.

So, how do you guys do when you go from one riff to a whole song?

IM STUCK​

Being stuck is nothing new.. same here, i've been trying to write something new for a few weeks now, and basically all i have are about 20 project files with a few loose riffs in em, but nothing i could glue together for a song.

Go see some movies that inspire you, go see live acts, listen to music that kicks ass, anything to get you that extra bit of drive to consistenly record riffs and push through to actually make a song of it.

There was a thread about this in one of the sub forums.. let me see if i can find it again.

 

[Chryst Krispies]

Some tricks I've found that work for me.

1. Take a break from music. Just do other things , don't listen to anything just chill out.
2. Listen to new styles of music, sometimes this inspires cool stuff.
3. Go play through someone's else's rig, sometimes when I pick up a new guitar or amp , new riffs just flow like wine.
4. Jam on an acoustic, sometimes this works for me , and when you go back to an electric you "feel" as though your better, faster and more fluid.

Yeah as Bob states, ruts are nothing new. Just gotta give it time.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

Some tricks I've found that work for me.

1. Take a break from music. Just do other things , don't listen to anything just chill out.
2. Listen to new styles of music, sometimes this inspires cool stuff.
3. Go play through someone's else's rig, sometimes when I pick up a new guitar or amp , new riffs just flow like wine.
4. Jam on an acoustic, sometimes this works for me , and when you go back to an electric you "feel" as though your better, faster and more fluid.

Yeah as Bob states, ruts are nothing new. Just gotta give it time.

Dude, honestly, I don't think anyone could put it better than this. You can't force inspiration.

One thing I would suggest is composing something outside your normal writing style. Maybe try writing a black metal song or even a techno song or something that you wouldn't normally do. This usually helps me.

 

[Petrocker]

Dude, honestly, I don't think anyone could put it better than this. You can't force inspiration.

One thing I would suggest is composing something outside your normal writing style. Maybe try writing a black metal song or even a techno song or something that you wouldn't normally do. This usually helps me.

Yeah I accualy have tried that, done some glamrock/hairmetal and also some techno
Ive also tried taking a break from the music creation (accually, 2 years :Smug But I am stuck in the shit again.

/Jonas

 

[Benny H]

I have a serious problem ever being satisfied with a song being done. Riffs are never a problem.. cool sections of different riffs and interesting things aren't a problem, but when it comes to the whole song being -done- -perfect- -the way it's meant to be- .. I just don't know.

It's like, it could go like this and that's cool, but then it could also go like this or repeat this etc.. that's cool too! What about both... how can it do both? how can it be everything it can be? ..but not turn into a mess...
how long should it be?

Part of the problem I guess is I never think of things in terms of any formula based vision. It just starts as a riff, which turns into this riff and then this change happens and then.. wait.. where the fuck is this going???? there's no destination to begin with.. perhaps that's what I should try. Having more of a preconceived structure to begin with.

AAAANNNNDDD I believe I'm just thinking out loud now. Laterz.

 

[noarin]

yeah, it's pretty hard.. you don't want to limit yourself to having to have a verse followed by a chorus followed by another verse, etc etc, but often that works best. When writing I try to aim at riffs being a verse or a chorus but sometimes it just mixes up or there's this cool riff I want in but doesn't fit very well.. I hate it, but that's probably why I love it so much and why I keep doing it.

I always notice that when I grab a guitar or bass and I sit down TO write something, nothing comes out. When my head is empty and I get a guitar to just jam a bit, awesome stuff comes out, very odd.

I've also noticed most of my inspiration comes when I'm happy and positive, as opposed to what you'd think (writing because you're feeling sad)

just my 2 cents!
rob

 

[Metaltastic]

One thing that really helps me when I'm stuck is to program in drums first, so that I have something to riff over. And Chryst Krispies' suggestion about hearing different sounds (by playing through someone else's rig, for example, as he suggested) is a great source of inspiration, though that falls more into the "occasional writer's block fix" category. But yeah, getting a drumbeat first really helps, and also, I never give up on a riff until I've recorded it and then recorded something over it and then put drums to it, because a boring riff on its own might suddenly become unbelievable when layered and supported by a rockin' backbeat.

 

[MrLee]

I usually get drunk with some friends and listen to some new music one of them has checked out. Always gets me superstoked! Also I go around singing riffs..

 

[noarin]

I often catch myself writing a riff; then writing the second guitarline to the riff, then writing a second guitarline to the second riff and ditching the first one I originally started with lol

 

[thefish666]

I am by no means an expert on this subject. Just some points to fuck with : IMO
1. Try writing with out an instrument sometimes use a recorder (cellphone etc. ) to remember your melodies or lyrics (memorable tunes people always walk away singing the melody) and then transpose to your instrument..
2. If you come up with riff when writing with your instrument (always record and save you will have an archive to refer back to at a later time) and you can not get anywhere, don't spend hours and hours trying to force creativity put it down and either take a break or work on something new..
3. you might also sometimes come up with riff when writing with your instrument and can not move, try singing that riff without the instrument and use the first method to bridge the gap.
4. also maybe taking a existing riff and change it around to inspire some creativity..
5. I know some other people has shared this one but, take that riff and but something with it being a drum beat, bass or 2nd guitar line, vocal line..

 

[Notuern]

Stop listening to music entirely for about a week, that way you will have the songs swirling in your head, giving you inspiration.
When you play your instrument after this week, you will find that you will be able to write stuff easier, and then its all about adjusting yourself to playing the instrument more then you listen to music.
Always remember that you will find the biggest inspiration in yourself, not in someone else!

Edit:
An other tip is to be creative, do stuff that sounds like shit and make them work.

 

[SuperD]

Man! You guys have all provided a wealth of good advice...! Take a minute and read the thread again because it is packed full of really genuine HELP to a universal occurance...the dreaded writers block...dry spell.
I have tried just about every one of these and a few others like writing a parody...taking a song and mocking each section with a re-written ( obviously similar) section. Don't forget the reverse engineered song...de-construct a song you know ( or don't know, whatever ) and write a new one using the de-construct as a template.
The tried and true 'write a song every day' method. Never worked for me, try it anyway.
But frankly these a more like learning exercises. As was wisely pointed out above, inspiration cannot be forced. And every one gets stuck. It's just that whatever is blocking the flow is unique in each person, and therefore so is the fix.
For me it's not often a lack of riffs, it's that I don't LIKE what I'm playing and I discard it. "That sounds like something I've already done" etc. I needed to learn to keep stuff, and listen back with fresh ears later...much later sometimes. And usually THEN discard it hehe.
Okay, last thing I promise. Put your Mp3, CD player stereo whatever on shuffle, crank up the volume and leave. Go take a shower, rake the leaves, shovel the driveway, make wine in the garage, whatever. It should be loud enough to hear, not loud enough to distinguish detail without EFFORT. Surprising how you brain will take limited input and fill in detail.
Plus the yard will look good !!

 

[Kenny Lee]

I have muses!! About 20 posters of some hotties!!!!! Recording other bands helps me out, basically just stepping away from my own stuff for awhile... We've got so much stuff scattered amongst three Macs right now. Some tunes I've done from back to front. Did the endings first, then the intro and the tune. Everyone gets writers block, just some come out of it with awesome stuff, some re-hash stuff over and over. And some never crawl out.


Good luck

 

[Saculus]

Finding that next riff can be infuriating at times but sometimes all you need to do is figure out what you want to happen next in the song or where the actual riff you have belongs in the song. Is it a Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Intro, or Fading Outro ? Maybe you just need to find the next note? Play the riff 4/8 times then just pick any chord of any interval(4th,5th and 3rds work best for me, also descending to the 7th or from E to D) and just sit on it for what would be the space you imagine you need. Once you have where the next riff is start to fill it in. Because you will get board of just playing that note/chord. If you don't get board there is a Van Halen cover band waiting for you somewhere, but you gotta play bass.

Also think should the next riff
A)Chug
B)be Chromatic
C)be a shitload of hammer on and pull offs
D)Tapping
E)Be a simpler version of first riff
F)Be a more convoluted version of first riff
G)Follow the chord changes of first riff in double or half time
H)Be a three minute diminished breakdown that ends in a fury of major arpegios
I)Be a start and stop fest that would confuse Neil Pert.
J)Smoke One

E D C B will always work in a bridge NIB & MoP

Trial and Error, works for the best. Also realize the music in you might not be as simple or complex as your influences.

Play with other musicians, preferably better musicians.

Listen to classical music. Because those motherfuckers knew how to get everything out of one riff before going to the next.

 

[Chryst Krispies]

DO listen to classical and baroque and romantic music. It will help.

 

[Decimator]

To me the song always starts with a riff. I may get few riffs that go together well, but after that I am stuck. A while ago I found out that if I listen in my head how should the song progress, I get to finish the whole song. I mean, stop playing, play the song in your head. Listen..what would the next riff sound like. Many times after busy riff I hear a weird chord going on for few bars, then going on to a very different riff. To me this helps a lot.

Also don't be afraid to make crappy songs, they need to be done to make better and better songs. And I have made some crappy ass songs hope I would make better someday. But I get them finished usually. The next thing is to tweak the sounds and shit.. Thats where I hit the wall

 

[Notuern]

DO listen to classical and baroque and romantic music. It will help.

+1!
I completely forgott that one!
Its amazing how much "chuggachugga" you can find in this music, although it might take some time to "find" it.

Although my rule of not listening to much to music still applies.

 

[Gustavo_Loureiro]

Go listen to some Penderecki

 

[egan.]

I'll offer different advice than some. Keep writing nonstop. Demo everything. If you get stuck move on. Inspiration is awesome but there is a craft there too and the more you work at it the better your 'uninspired' ideas will get. TV/movie/video game composers are forced to develop the skill of conjuring ideas on demand and it is a critical skill in that industry. I imagine that pro nashville and popsong writers do the same.
Study songs you think are well written and examine what they are doing arrangement-wise. There is a wealth of stuff in every genre that is worth taking a look at.
It also helps to bounce ideas off of someone who you trust and who will be brutally honest.