in a band...

[goodeyesniper75]

i have just go with some guys to play in a band and was wondering where is the best place to start with writing my own stuff. i can play almost any cover out there but an having problems writing my own. thanx

[Pacman]

If you're looking for help, you might want to consider actually writing a question. Your post is difficult to follow, and it's not clear if you're looking for help or not.

[DocBop]

You want to write your own songs, well everyone has their own approach. Some take songwriting or composition courses (composition requires good knowledge of music theory.) Songwriting usualy focuses on common forms, strong/weak root movement for chords and developing lyrics. Then a lot just sit at the piano or guitar and start messing around till they find some germ of an idea they like and start trying to devleop it. They all work and common to all you its like playing bass you have to practice writing everyday, even if only a few bars or a couple lines of lyrics. Some songwriter work that way and create lots fragments of songs. Then use them when writing a whole song. Some take songs they like and analyze them and try to figure out what it is they like about it, then try to write their own similar songs. Like learning a bass line, after you figure it out and learn to play it, you try to make your own similar bass lines.

Professional songwriters many treat it like a job set a time to write and crank out stuff everyday. They also review what they wrote the days before and see what worth keeping what to toss out. I knew a guy who wrote music for TV and movies. When a scene called for actor to play the radio or CD in the car. Many times they don't want to pay to play a real hit of the charts. They could couple cranck out good Pop tunes in 3 or 4 minutes and they sounded good lyrics and all. He used to teach songwriting and students were amazing at how fast he could write any type of song someone wanted. Funny thing was he hated all the stuff, he was into Jazz (he was a bass player) and classical and wrote a lot 12-tone music. Most the background music he wrote for TV and film was 12-tone based.

[FoHBass]

As you get more comfortable jamming with your bandmates, in time, ideas will come out, then you work them into songs. It could take a while. I've been playing with my current band for 10 mo. now (4 or 5 gigs per month, two or three practices per week) and have only recently gotten to that level of comfort with my bandmates where interesting things come out of jamming.

Beyond that, my only advice is to be creative. Unfortunately, trying to explain that is like trying to explain how to feel feelings. Try to translate how you feel to a riff, melody, or some kind of musical idea.

[tZer]

as i go with songs and writing, bands are fun and playing is good. Sometimes better than others, but always it is.

Hope that helps!

[goodeyesniper75]

it does help thanx.....

[6string]

My background is guitar, and I find that my original work comes from noodling around on the neck. I'll just play for fun, exploring new rhythms, find one I like, record it, then play along with it, noodling my way through for a melody line. It's like a light comes on. But to get there, I just tinker around and have fun, I'm never in the process of actively trying to come up with new material.