GuutarPro as a writing aid

I don't really have an tips, but I use guitarpro extensively to write.

On the plus side, it means you have a perfect replica of your piece to work with and work on (if you have the chops), and you have midi available for export use with VSTs if that's how you do things (it's how I do things)

Downside is I once found myself very embarassed at a gathering of musicians realising I didn't know how to play any of my own songs, both because they tended to be very production-heavy, and because I'd gotten much more used to writing them than playing them. Additionally, if you're using with a band, the band's willingness to accept it as a writing tool and learn to use it will be the determining factor in its utility.

The downsides are easy to overcome, as long as you're aware of them, and I've never found someone who does things the old fashioned way ie making recordings of bits and pieces and songs that I found to be a more useful way of doing things.

 

I think Children of Bodom actually writes their songs that way, or at least that's what a friend of mine said.

But yes, I've used Guitar Pro quite a number of times to write songs for bands I've been in. Though I tell you what, it's going to test your actual reading abilities in regards to rhythm. Writing out a whole song with 6 or more parts can take a long time, especially if you're not computer savvy.

 

Sounds like a great idea. On a side note, I find having a google Drive for the band can make sharing songs, schedules, and management etc much easier.

 

a lot of metal-core bands in my local market write this way.

 

I wasn't so much meaning writing over-complex, as just using the computer not my instruments enough, but they can certainly both be an issue.

One more thing is that I personally don't like the current version, GP6, owing mostly to the weird machine-gun sound straight 8 powerchords now sound like, and more importantly that the new midi drum lanes use a new format different to general midi, making them hard to use with Superior Drummer (Our band plays to backing tracks in small sound-restricted venues that don't like drummers). I own GP6, and tried to love it, but use GP5.2, which you can no longer get from Arobas, if you catch my drift.

 

I usually like writing on paper first. Sound out the notes and rhythms I like help, too. Usually when I write something strictly on Guitar Pro, it goes on a complete tangence and sounds like the parts all belong in different songs. Guitar Pro is good for learning scales and chord structure as well. It's also a useful tool for sight reading, which is something I will need to know when I go back into school band.

All in all, I like Guitar Pro, but I don't think it's meant to be a crutch like how some people use it.

 

Guitar pro is ok for me to practice over.

And no, I don't read the bass part of the tab because 1-I can't read tabs (I kid you not, I can read music but not tabs) and 2-the bass part is often written quickly and set to play the root notes only (which is sad because many bass tab players trust these tabs).

I am not sure about "writing" a song with it.