songwriting

It is usually the stuff you hate that is the best.

The creations that feel so good, and right inside of you usually come off with a trying-to-hard feeling and or are completely cliche.

Remember the stuff you want to throw away.... it is usually the best thing you could create.

 

I just want to register my disagreement with this.

 

I think this should be the right forum

My band has is starting to evolve in song writing but I still need a few questions answered and some pointers. Some of the first songs we wrote are only like 2 or 3 minutes long! Thats not good for your average rock band. What can we do to lenthed our songs? They are pretty much the same basic patern: 8 bar intro, 4 bar verse, 4 bar chorus, repeat, then 4 bar bridge and 4 bar outro. We don't have a lead guitarist or else that would make a difference, but our music really doesn't need leads (made a bass solo ). How can we break away from the basic 4/4 (right?) and using different rhythms and timing.

Another question I have, is it wrong to take an already average upbeat song and kick it up a notch with a heavyier riff for the bridge and outro? It's a completly different rhythm is what everyones problem with it is. It fits PERFECTLY and the rest of the band doesn't want to use it.

 

Erm... 4 bars is a pretty short verse. Are you sure you don't mean four lines of lyrics spread over 8 bars? Anyway, if you want the song to go on longer, add more bars or play it more slowly.

In response to the other question, you can change the feel completely (have you ever heard Stevie Wonder's "I Believe" - the outro suddenly steps into a different gear, to wondrous effect) but it does depend on the style of music as to whether it will work or not.

The best way of getting some schoolin' in the art of songwriting is to take a few songs you really like and work out how they're structured. What do they do to stretch the songs out... or do they just keep them short and sweet?

Wulf

 

Question:

What is better: a short but good song or a long and boring one? Sometimes short is good.

Disregarding your intro and outro, the structure of your songs is ABABC. If your outro is following the bridge, you're missing an opportunity to restate either your verse or your chorus or both.

If you want to get into more interesting structures, try writing a song with an ABACAB form or a variant of that.

 

Naw, the best part about it is when you go get pizza afterwards to celebrate! w00t w00t, pizza!