My writing could use work

[jamisonsalamand]

This is a frequent/difficult topic I reckon, but I figured I would see if anyone here has advice or ideas about my issue.

I can't really write music well at all. I can be handed chords and play a satisfactory bass line for them, or solo or whatever. I can play over weird key changes or time signatures or whatever, and I know a good amount of theory. It's when I sit down and try to come up with stuff for a song that I get lost. I've been trying to write something like a progressive metal-ish kind of instrumental, and I've ended up with maybe three separate ideas and that's it. Everything else I try either sounds basically the same or too cheesy.

Maybe it's because I don't play full chords so I can't come up with chord progressions to guide my ideas, or because I'm not playing the lead melody parts? Maybe I need more time spent learning melodies and albums that I find amazing, or something. It's just putting me in a real bad mood spending two hours and only ending up with a four bar groove idea that only might be useful

[runmikeyrun]

We all get mental blocks when writing. Sometimes it helps to try to write at practice, sometimes input from the guitarist or drummer helps. Sometimes the drummer can lay down a beat that inspires you.

If you feel like you need to work on some of your technique, why not have a chat with an instructor? Tell him where you're at and what you'd like to learn. It can be money very well spent.

[James Judson]

I get a lot of complements on my bass lines so I'll give you my methods to my madness. I like to mix it up big time. ie:
1). long drawn out notes (like whole notes) or
2). two step (1 - 5 - 1 - 5 ) or
3). walking bass (scales come to mind) or
4). funky (busy but leave most the notes out, does that make sense) (slap and pop) or
5). driving (boom boom boom boom /1-2 3-4)
6). melodic (playing melody/counter melody/harmony)

All in the same song.

Usually I'll get 3-4 of these in but I'm also carefull not to over play and suit the song (follow dynamics and or theme).

Just have fun with it. When it comes to writing music there are no "rules". A good dose of theory may help. A huge dose of listening can go a long way as well.

[isolated]

Originally Posted by jamisonsalamand

This is a frequent/difficult topic I reckon, but I figured I would see if anyone here has advice or ideas about my issue.

I can't really write music well at all. I can be handed chords and play a satisfactory bass line for them, or solo or whatever. I can play over weird key changes or time signatures or whatever, and I know a good amount of theory. It's when I sit down and try to come up with stuff for a song that I get lost. I've been trying to write something like a progressive metal-ish kind of instrumental, and I've ended up with maybe three separate ideas and that's it. Everything else I try either sounds basically the same or too cheesy.

Maybe it's because I don't play full chords so I can't come up with chord progressions to guide my ideas, or because I'm not playing the lead melody parts? Maybe I need more time spent learning melodies and albums that I find amazing, or something. It's just putting me in a real bad mood spending two hours and only ending up with a four bar groove idea that only might be useful

Well, improving your writing is like improving your playing - you have to keep at it for a while before you're going to be satisfied with the results. I've got a large stack of 'tunes' that I can never seem to finish for a variety of reasons, but I've also had some good ones come together very easily. So go figure....

My advice would be to just make yourself finish something. You don't have to like it, and you sure as hell don't have to play it on a gig. But once you've finished one tune, it becomes slightly easier to finish the next one. And so on.... I can elaborate more in a PM, if you'd prefer.

Just my two cents.

[ShredderMaximus]

Another thing that has helped me is to maybe pickup a cheap guitar to help you out. I myself can find it hard to write an entire song with bass only, and with a guitar being able to lay down the basic chords or rhythm makes it much easier to flesh out the actual song in my head since the basslines I write alot of times play off of what the guitars are doing and don't always translate the melody/harmony that I actually have in my head for the song.

[agreatheight]

You are right - writing on bass is hard because it's not, generally speaking, a chordal instrument. So unless your music is 100% riff based it's gonna be a challenge. This is the reason I learned to play guitar 20 years ago, so I could compose.

[Dirk Diggler]

You mentioned you had 3 parts, that's perfect for most modern songs. Writing is as much arranging as writing, and to me that's the second step after working on the chords/bass line progressions.

Take your 3 parts and label them A,B,C.
It's as simple as something like ABACAB, (a popular Genesis song by the way).
Throw in a cool lick here and there and you have a tune.

Or if you are bold and daring just throw the rules out and come up with something unique and completely you.

Oh and one last thing, record your stuff, it's the best easiest way to write and you'd be surprised what you can write on the fly and improvised, that once recorded is actually a song, or at least a great building block.

Good luck,
Dirk