So I've been in this band for a few months right? To fill up the time before getting completely settled we would just cover some songs similar to our genre. Now that everything is settled we've been working on our own works and we recently completed the lyrics to our first song. (I know that not every song made is gonna make it all the way i'm not talking about that right now). I've been wondering though. Since we got the lyrics down, how do most bands come up with the actual music? Does the drummer just think of some random beats? Does the guitarist just come up with a riff or something? Does the bassist simply make a sweet bass line? Do the musicians come up with random things and then build off each other or what? We haven't met up to figure this out yet so I'm just curious. Thank you.
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Creating original music
- Thread starter KellenEvans
- Start date
Random beats + sweet bass lines is a good start.
Speaking for myself as someone who plays both guitar and bass, maybe 75% of the time it begins with a chord progression or riff on guitar and a beat. The rest begin with a bass groove and a beat.
But before any song gets very far at all, I have to have at least an idea for a vocal melody (lyrics can come later). That's what separates the ones I finish from the hundreds of cool sounding but never-to-be finished song fragments that I've recorded over the years. If I'm not hearing a vocal pretty early in the process, I move on.
But before any song gets very far at all, I have to have at least an idea for a vocal melody (lyrics can come later). That's what separates the ones I finish from the hundreds of cool sounding but never-to-be finished song fragments that I've recorded over the years. If I'm not hearing a vocal pretty early in the process, I move on.
You mention you came up with the lyrics first. There are people who write songs that way--they start with a phrase, or even a whole lyric and set it to music. I've never been able to do it myself.
Bear that in mind. My suggestion is to create a melody for that lyric and then harmonize it (find a chord progression that works with that melody). Then build up an arrangement from there. I'd tend to start with some idea of a tempo and a beat, then jam it out section by section. Figure out the transitions last. Just an idea. Keep in mind you may have to modify that lyric as the song develops.
It sounds like a fun way to work; I wouldn't mind trying it.
Bear that in mind. My suggestion is to create a melody for that lyric and then harmonize it (find a chord progression that works with that melody). Then build up an arrangement from there. I'd tend to start with some idea of a tempo and a beat, then jam it out section by section. Figure out the transitions last. Just an idea. Keep in mind you may have to modify that lyric as the song develops.
It sounds like a fun way to work; I wouldn't mind trying it.
There's no one fixed way. Sometimes one person in the band is the songwriter, works out the whole thing in his head (or at least the major elements), and comes in to tell the others how to play it. Other times the group just jams and ideas start to come together out of the jam. Often one person starts playing a riff or chord progression they've thought of, or the drummer lays down a beat, and everyone else starts adding in their own ideas to it. Hopefully it's not "random," though - it's people's ideas.
I've been playing and writing originals for 35 years.There are no real rules though.
I find it easier to come up with the music first, either a guitar riff or a nice chord progression. I was never good at writing lyrics.
Sometimes a cool bass riff is the impetus,we once based a whole song around a one bar bass bridge in the Beatles "Everybody's got Something to Hide", we gave Sir Paul credit in the title "Everybody's Got Something to Hide cept for me and Paul McCartney"
I find it easier to come up with the music first, either a guitar riff or a nice chord progression. I was never good at writing lyrics.
Sometimes a cool bass riff is the impetus,we once based a whole song around a one bar bass bridge in the Beatles "Everybody's got Something to Hide", we gave Sir Paul credit in the title "Everybody's Got Something to Hide cept for me and Paul McCartney"
- Oct 7, 2000
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+1 on everything already said here, including "I've been writing originals for 35 years." 39 actually .
Try anything and everything until you find what works best for you.
For me also, lyrics first is always the hardest way to go. And I know others who find that the easiest way to write. Go figure. Most of my songs start with a beat and/or bass riff that evolves. Then I usually scat sings some nonsense melodies until words start forming. It's a fun process for me because I'm often surprised at the words that start coming out, not having a clue where they came from.
.Try anything and everything until you find what works best for you.
For me also, lyrics first is always the hardest way to go. And I know others who find that the easiest way to write. Go figure. Most of my songs start with a beat and/or bass riff that evolves. Then I usually scat sings some nonsense melodies until words start forming. It's a fun process for me because I'm often surprised at the words that start coming out, not having a clue where they came from.
Just frickin' jam with your band!?!
Seriously, jamming is very effective. Ex: my lil brother can't play guitar at all but he just keep hit that frickin' high Eb (e string 11 fret) of my guitar. Since I'm heavily influenced by Muse (their music style, not their scientific effects pedal), I play C minor groove. He's very excited. I make him looks like an intermediate player. It feels very nice.
So yeah, jam with your band when you together. Ideas will come soon. Some will great, some just ugly. It is normal. Many pros have done it. They threw the nay one to the bin.
Edit: I forgot about the lyrics. The lyrics isn't must complicated. But if you want it, make the instrument a little or more simple, so the lyrics is more pronounced.
Seriously, jamming is very effective. Ex: my lil brother can't play guitar at all but he just keep hit that frickin' high Eb (e string 11 fret) of my guitar. Since I'm heavily influenced by Muse (their music style, not their scientific effects pedal), I play C minor groove. He's very excited. I make him looks like an intermediate player. It feels very nice.
So yeah, jam with your band when you together. Ideas will come soon. Some will great, some just ugly. It is normal. Many pros have done it. They threw the nay one to the bin.
Edit: I forgot about the lyrics. The lyrics isn't must complicated. But if you want it, make the instrument a little or more simple, so the lyrics is more pronounced.
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For me it's: make the singer come up with a melody, lyrics, structure and chords, and show that to the rest of the band. We then fill out the arrangement, but all the writing is done by the time we hear the song. I used to play in a band that wrote songs together by jamming. That was very, very boring. I'm sure it works for other people, but I'm just not built for that.
As mentioned, +1 on getting a solid melody to go with the lyrics. That will dictate a chord progression. Depending on the style you want, the drum and bass parts will define that. Think about other songs that have a similar feel for what you want for the song, and emulate (but don't copy!) that. Good luck!
One suggestion I'll offer is that although it would be common for the drummer to come up with the beat, and the bass player to come up with the bass line, etc., it doesn't have to be that way. Anybody with an idea about any part should be encouraged to suggest it. The drummer might hear a vocal melody in his head, and even if he can't sing it he could probably hum it well enough to get across the idea. Everybody should chime in on things like what you want the general "vibe" to be, whether it's a fast or slow tempo, etc. Some good ideas can get overlooked if everyone feels constrained to only think about their own particular part.
As others have posted their is no set formula to writing songs. I usually start with the music first then write lyrics and melody that fits the mood of the music. Also, my best songs started with a signature bass line and then chords, melody and instrument arrangement is layered on top. When writing a song for the band I usually recorded a very basic multi-track demo as it is worth a thousand words as a tool for communicating the song's feel.
Same here. I'd be embarrassed as hell for anybody to here me singing utter nonsense, so I do it when nobody is around! But that the way I come up with ideas for a vocal melody.
Recording with a DAW has made this way easier than it used to be. I'll usually record a basic chord progression on guitar, set to a beat with MIDI drums. Maybe a bass line, maybe not. Then I'll put on some headphones, set up a microphone, and sit at my desk. I'll go section by section, setting up the DAW to loop over a section while I try out different vocal melody ideas. I record them all as takes. Then I'll move on to the next section and do the same. At the end of the session, I'll have recorded five or ten vocal takes for each section. A few days later, I'll listen back to them and pick out the takes or parts of takes that sound best, cut and paste, and so on.
Lyrics are the hardest part, by far. What I do for a living involves a lot of writing, so you would think the lyrics would be easy. Far from it. As Joe said, some of the nonsense I sang morphed into words and phrases. That gives me a place to begin.
To finish the lyrics, I usually have to think of some kind of idea or back story that makes sense of those phrases (Who is the speaker? To whom is the song addressed? What is the situation? What message is the song trying to convey?) That gives ideas about where the lyric should go.
To the OP: Yes. In other words, all of those things you mention. Some of our songs the drummer started a cool beat that someone found inspirational. Sometimes my fingers do something cool and someone else jumps on board. Sometimes the guitarist gets a cool idea and hums it out, and we work on figuring the notes out, and then jam on it from there. Or a combination of those... Especially for songs as a whole I say they're almost all a combination of those, because no matter how it starts, chances are other parts for a song won't come from the same method used for the original idea, but instead tinkering with that idea until it evolves. This is why I'm adamant we record everything, even silly jams - you never know when something awesome will happen.
Every song in my originals project began as a guitar riff, then get vocals, then got a bass line. On occasion I threw a bassline together beforehand but I always adjusted them to emphasize the other 2.
build on/off of whoever came up with the first part that sounds cool. then milk that puppy for all it is worth.
I write on bass so no pretty chord-strumming, hippy nonsense. riff-heavy. vocals follow bass line(s)
When the hippy guitards write stuff, I write bass lines around it.
Lyrically, either someone has the whole kahuna or a snippet and just build around it. lyrics are the hardest. sometimes I write ALL the lyrics first and then try to shoehorn a bass line into it. I don't 'hear' drums or guitard parts so those guys have a little free will to make it uniquely their own
no roolz, jus write
I write on bass so no pretty chord-strumming, hippy nonsense. riff-heavy. vocals follow bass line(s)
When the hippy guitards write stuff, I write bass lines around it.
Lyrically, either someone has the whole kahuna or a snippet and just build around it. lyrics are the hardest. sometimes I write ALL the lyrics first and then try to shoehorn a bass line into it. I don't 'hear' drums or guitard parts so those guys have a little free will to make it uniquely their own
no roolz, jus write
My band's average song comes about something like this:
(1) One person writes a riff, or a combination of two or three riffs, that sounds promising;
(2) That person shows the riff(s) to the rest of the band, either in person or by uploading a cell-phone vid onto the band's DropBox;
(3) Someone comes up with another part or two that fits well with the original riff(s), or realizes that other random unused riffs or parts that we already have would work;
(4) Someone (usually me) puts together a rough full-song arrangement using those parts plus any transitions or other parts that seem to flow with the arrangement. I'll often upload a vid of me playing through the arrangement on DropBox for reference;
(5) We jam on the song at practice until it reaches its final form.
Lyrics and vocal ideas occur pretty much randomly throughout the process, usually on the later end. We used to do more of this at practice, when we would routinely get together for several hours on the weekend, but now that practices are usually shorter we end up doing a lot of this at home and then solidifying at practice.
I think that this works well for us because we have three members who regularly write material, and we find that our songs usually sound better when everyone's influence is on it. There is one song on our last EP that I wrote mainly myself, and I think it's easy to pick it out from the rest.
(1) One person writes a riff, or a combination of two or three riffs, that sounds promising;
(2) That person shows the riff(s) to the rest of the band, either in person or by uploading a cell-phone vid onto the band's DropBox;
(3) Someone comes up with another part or two that fits well with the original riff(s), or realizes that other random unused riffs or parts that we already have would work;
(4) Someone (usually me) puts together a rough full-song arrangement using those parts plus any transitions or other parts that seem to flow with the arrangement. I'll often upload a vid of me playing through the arrangement on DropBox for reference;
(5) We jam on the song at practice until it reaches its final form.
Lyrics and vocal ideas occur pretty much randomly throughout the process, usually on the later end. We used to do more of this at practice, when we would routinely get together for several hours on the weekend, but now that practices are usually shorter we end up doing a lot of this at home and then solidifying at practice.
I think that this works well for us because we have three members who regularly write material, and we find that our songs usually sound better when everyone's influence is on it. There is one song on our last EP that I wrote mainly myself, and I think it's easy to pick it out from the rest.
If I write something on my own, I make a qwik 'n dirty demo and let the boyos listen to it.That way they have a pretty good idea about where to start, and get to put their stamp on their parts. I always find it comical trying to explain to a drummer what you want, since I can't play drums at all. It's always fun when you come up with in idea during rehearsal and have every put their 2 cents in, but making a demo seems to yield better results and more cohesive songs. There is no right way or wrong way.
I'm in 2 bands currently, and both are quite efficient with coming up with music.
1st Band. *Starfighter Lily* - Genre "Basement Jazz"
Our guitarist, who is gifted in coming up with very nice progressions, will come to us with a riff/progression or 2 that he really likes. He has an idea in his head of how he wants it to sound usually, but lets us come up with what we want before sharing. Then we go through and pick all the different parts we think support the composition the most. Then we play it a bunch. This is where my basslines transform as most my writing happens "in the moment". Once we feel like our song is complete we sit down and try to feel what the mood the chords are telling us. I know it sounds like some hippy dippy stuff, but we listen for the inherent emotion of the music. That clues us into what we write about. We write a few drafts and if the guitarist (who sings) feels connected to it then we roll with it. We then refine and refine till we feel it's perfect. We've got written the music to 10 songs so far and are working diligently on lyrics.
2nd Band. *The Gypsy Bravado* - Genre "Rock and Roll" (many different subsets from blues to heavy prog)
This band we usually free form jam at practice. It'll just happen. Someone will have a riff they've come up with or they'll just have a moment of genius and start playing. If it strikes us we jump in and refine it through playing. Last saturday we came up with the bones of an entirely new song in about 45 minutes. Most the lyrics too. Those were lucky since the inspiration really just hit our singer. Otherwise we jam out a song. Refine it. Structure. By then one of our singers has probably got a really strong idea or a first draft of lyrics and we work on melody/harmony.
Those are the processes I'm used to.
1st Band. *Starfighter Lily* - Genre "Basement Jazz"
Our guitarist, who is gifted in coming up with very nice progressions, will come to us with a riff/progression or 2 that he really likes. He has an idea in his head of how he wants it to sound usually, but lets us come up with what we want before sharing. Then we go through and pick all the different parts we think support the composition the most. Then we play it a bunch. This is where my basslines transform as most my writing happens "in the moment". Once we feel like our song is complete we sit down and try to feel what the mood the chords are telling us. I know it sounds like some hippy dippy stuff, but we listen for the inherent emotion of the music. That clues us into what we write about. We write a few drafts and if the guitarist (who sings) feels connected to it then we roll with it. We then refine and refine till we feel it's perfect. We've got written the music to 10 songs so far and are working diligently on lyrics.
2nd Band. *The Gypsy Bravado* - Genre "Rock and Roll" (many different subsets from blues to heavy prog)
This band we usually free form jam at practice. It'll just happen. Someone will have a riff they've come up with or they'll just have a moment of genius and start playing. If it strikes us we jump in and refine it through playing. Last saturday we came up with the bones of an entirely new song in about 45 minutes. Most the lyrics too. Those were lucky since the inspiration really just hit our singer. Otherwise we jam out a song. Refine it. Structure. By then one of our singers has probably got a really strong idea or a first draft of lyrics and we work on melody/harmony.
Those are the processes I'm used to.
