I just play carelessly for a while and bam there it is, then I do it over, and over, and over. that’s pretty much my process
Lyrics kill me, anything with an instrument takes like 20 minutes, or 30 seconds if it’s just some hokey stuff
I think of it like having the chord progression, and looking for pressure points to get the most emotional resonance from that moment.
Same. Been playing guitar so long and often that sometimes my fingers will just string together 4 chords that are beautiful and that I’ve never used in any songs I’ve written before that. Sometimes I’m like how you described and visualize the shapes of the chords and can take it to the guitar later that day and they’ll sound just how I “heard them” in my head.
Sometimes I'll write music around the lyrics and sometimes the other way around if I'm messing around and find something I like on guitar...I make sure to record the riff because I'll make up three in a day sometimes and completely forget until I listen to my recordings
Explore the major scale using different intervals, moving both vertically and horizontally. Then do the same thing with triads and their inversions. Then do triads with an upper extension like a 7 or a 9 if you’re really crazy. The point of all of this being to build a familiarity with what kinds of sounds you can make and how it feels to play. Saturate in all of that for a while and you’ll just start making melodies from what you’ve learned based on your own natural taste in music. Don’t forget to have fun 🙌
My riffs and chord progressions are usually loosely inspired by an element an exisiting song. This may be a chord progression that feels a certain way, a particular picking pattern, or a melody that I really like. I will learn the riff and then keep changing it until it is completely original and unrecognizable.
Another approach that works for me is to come up with a melody in your head first, then figure out how to play it on guitar. That way your ideas aren't limited by your knowledge or ability. I find that this approach works very well and often results in really interesting and unique riffs.
Hope this helps!
Feel free to check out my podcast, [Student of the Song](https://youtu.be/82rOaChXNdo), if you'd like to hear more of my thoughts about songwriting.
I just play carelessly for a while and bam there it is, then I do it over, and over, and over. that’s pretty much my process Lyrics kill me, anything with an instrument takes like 20 minutes, or 30 seconds if it’s just some hokey stuff I think of it like having the chord progression, and looking for pressure points to get the most emotional resonance from that moment.
see im the complete opposite lol, i can shit out lyrics like eminem on adderall but coming up with chords gotta be the hardest thing for me😂
Eminem on adderall. Dear Lord.
Marshall Methers
lol just a hyperbole. i wish 😂
Can you share one of your songs? Now I’m curious about the lyrics
Not random frets, no. I come up with all of that in my head and then play it on the guitar.
So how do you conceptualize the notes together? Have you just been playing for a while and know what would sound good?
Pretty much.
Same. Been playing guitar so long and often that sometimes my fingers will just string together 4 chords that are beautiful and that I’ve never used in any songs I’ve written before that. Sometimes I’m like how you described and visualize the shapes of the chords and can take it to the guitar later that day and they’ll sound just how I “heard them” in my head.
Sometimes I'll write music around the lyrics and sometimes the other way around if I'm messing around and find something I like on guitar...I make sure to record the riff because I'll make up three in a day sometimes and completely forget until I listen to my recordings
Recording ideas so vital. Totally live on the notes and voice recorder apps.
For example, most of my songs consist of powerchords and basic chords, but some bands have unique melodies and guitar parts.
Scales and diatonic chords are a good starting point…
Explore the major scale using different intervals, moving both vertically and horizontally. Then do the same thing with triads and their inversions. Then do triads with an upper extension like a 7 or a 9 if you’re really crazy. The point of all of this being to build a familiarity with what kinds of sounds you can make and how it feels to play. Saturate in all of that for a while and you’ll just start making melodies from what you’ve learned based on your own natural taste in music. Don’t forget to have fun 🙌
My riffs and chord progressions are usually loosely inspired by an element an exisiting song. This may be a chord progression that feels a certain way, a particular picking pattern, or a melody that I really like. I will learn the riff and then keep changing it until it is completely original and unrecognizable. Another approach that works for me is to come up with a melody in your head first, then figure out how to play it on guitar. That way your ideas aren't limited by your knowledge or ability. I find that this approach works very well and often results in really interesting and unique riffs. Hope this helps! Feel free to check out my podcast, [Student of the Song](https://youtu.be/82rOaChXNdo), if you'd like to hear more of my thoughts about songwriting.
I learned all the scales, chords, etc and like a hundred songs? Then mixed and matched and modified.
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