JamesBass Posted February 3, 2013 Share Posted February 3, 2013 So how many of us on here actively write songs? I'm guessing a fair few will and most will write riffs and progressions but, who writes full blown songs, lyrics 'n' all? This evening I've had a bout of creative juices and have felt all artistic so, I have written a song, not sure how good it actually is yet, will come back to it tomorrow but, I certainly enjoyed writing it and think it's got a good little message and works with the feel of my previous writings for my band. Anyone else had the creative bug lately? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebass84 Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 For my band me and the guitarist write our new material together (I am more of a riff writer and he is very good at making songs out of my riffs) But I do have a side project where I write everything as its totally different from my main...all instrumental for now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Yep. I found a reference and it intrigued me, the location being the village next to mine... [i]"A true Relation of Four most barbarous and cruel Murders committed in Leicestershire by Elizabeth Ridgway; the like not known in any Age: With the Particulars of Time, Place (and other Circumstances); how she first poisoned her own Mother; after that a Fellow-servant; then her Sweetheart; and, last of all, her Husband: For all which Tragical Murders, she being brought to Justice, was tried, and found guilty, at the Lent Assize held in the said County; and for the same was burnt to Death, the 24th of March, 1684.”[/i] It started off as a set of lyrics, then I ended up with two different tunes, then a different set of lyrics and then another tune. At last count I had six complete song arrangements, a smattering of fragmented passages/spare parts and was getting suspiciously close to creating a concept album, which I'm far too young and short haired to have any truck with... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_skezz Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 In a band scenario I'm more likely to contribute riffs, but for the last few months I've been working on my own material. Got about six fully recorded sans vocals (I've got lyrics but lack the cojones to hear myself sing) and another dozen fleshed out that just need getting down. Whether or not they're actually decent remains to be seen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 [quote name='JamesBass' timestamp='1359935164' post='1962389']So how many of us on here actively write songs? I'm guessing a fair few will and most will write riffs and progressions but, who writes full blown songs, lyrics 'n' all?[/quote] [size=5]http://basschat.co.uk/forum/10-recording/[/size] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD94dVu8lqQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I mainly write instrumentals as I'm not much of a singer, though I will write melodies for lyrics to be put to. I'll write the occasional set of lyrics & prefer playing my own compositions to playing a cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Vader Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 [quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1359942382' post='1962443'] [size=5][url="http://basschat.co.uk/forum/10-recording/"]http://basschat.co.u...m/10-recording/[/url][/size] [/quote] ah haha! [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1359936758' post='1962401'] and was getting suspiciously close to creating a concept album, which I'm far too young and short haired to have any truck with... [/quote] I am younger than you, and have inadvertently created 4 concept albums at last count. None of them intentionally started that way, and I apologise for them. I do have the wookie haircut to back it up though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHUFC BASS Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Yep, I've written 5 albums so far, music, lyrics and arrangements too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I can't sing and I'm not really any good with words so all my songwriting is done in conjunction with singers/lyricists. On the music side I normally have the whole structure of the song (or at least a verse and chorus) with basic parts for all the instruments worked out before I present the song to the rest of the band. What happens after that depends on what the other musicians think. Sometimes the music changes very little from what I present, sometimes the end result is just about unrecognisable from the original idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fumps Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I write poetry & find it very easy to write lyrics to riffs & fills. I just find writing riff almost impossible. I've written with people before where they have written riffs & I have put the song into sequence, if that makes sense ? a bit like a composer (But not as talented lol). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockfordStone Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 i write songs, lyrics and all for both bands and my own stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBass Posted February 4, 2013 Author Share Posted February 4, 2013 Good to see so many of us are writing! It gives a completely different sense of music and how you understand it when you write, well that's what I think. When I wrote my first song I used to always focus on what I liked and tried to write like that, for instance I wrote a song that has and never will get used as I've forgotten all the chords and progressions and only have awful lyrics left! That was in my very early teenage years, may have been 12/13 in fact as the song was meant for my very first band! Now older and wiser, I hope, my song writing is much different and more impulsive rather than a structured form like I used to try and force myself to do! I wrote a song I took down to my band and we worked on it and played through it and that was that, a typical Rock song, took it in to the guys at college and it turned in to a soul song with a female vocalist as a sort of rehashed cover, both sound phenomenal and both changed from the original. Last night when I started the thread I has just finished what is a good song but boy does it display my insecurities and fears within the lyrics! Quite scary and worrisome to read back but I must have needed to get them off my chest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 [quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1359971438' post='1962551'] I do have the wookie haircut to back it up though. [/quote] I used to have one of those as well but it used to annoy the hell out of me when it blew over my face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Songwriting is all I really do now, I find it immeasureably more rewarding than playing an instrument. I've done a few songwriting courses (the week long residential course I did in January was undoubtably the best week of my life - absolutely magical!) & have found it to be really exciting & fulfilling, especially collaborating with other writers. I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to perform my songs live, I just really enjoy the process of writing; hearing other people playing my songs is a pretty good feeling though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I know a singer soungwriter who regularly comes up with original material as well as interpreting existing songs. I've never tried, or thought I'd be able to do it. I was surprised as anything when an almost fully formed set of lyrics and hooks popped into my head whilst I was washing up. Damned if I can remember more than the skeleton of it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Vader Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1359987464' post='1962977'] I used to have one of those as well but it used to annoy the hell out of me when it blew over my face. [/quote] Big hat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 [quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1359991135' post='1963074'] Big hat. [/quote] Back in those days I mostly wore a climbing helmet. 'Big helmet' is just asking for trouble.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHUFC BASS Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 [quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1359988120' post='1962993']I've done a few songwriting courses (the week long residential course I did in January was undoubtably the best week of my life - absolutely magical!) & have found it to be really exciting & fulfilling, especially collaborating with other writers.[/quote] Where was this ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 [quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1359991135' post='1963073'] I know a singer soungwriter who regularly comes up with original material as well as interpreting existing songs. I've never tried, or thought I'd be able to do it. [/quote] I learnt to play with the express intention of being in a band and writing songs. All my favourite bands wrote their own material, so it never occurred to me to play covers. Once I had nailed all the chord changes in "The Beatles Complete" and "Simon & Garfunkle's Greatest Hits" song books that I was given with my first guitar for my 14th birthday, I started writing my own songs and never really played any songs I hadn't had a hand in the composition of until a friend asked me if I was interested in playing in his covers band some 35 years later... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 I'm lucky enough to have spent almost my whole life playing with incredible songwriters, so... I don't write much. I like arranging and adding bits. And taking bits away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Low End Bee Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 It's by far the bit I like best about being in the band. Taking a few scribbles on a bit of paper to a full blown song. Usually I'll bring lyrics in and the guitarist is will come up with most of the tune then I'll add a chorus or middle bit. The drummer will often take the thing off in a different direction too. We constatntly evolve them too. We've re-written a couple of 3 year old songs that have slightly different lyrics and almost totally different tunes. Lyric writing is also the thing I have most trouble with. I frequently suffer terrible writers block. My tip is listen to the rest of the band and anyone else who you respect that you can get to listen. Be prepared to drop what you think is a good line, riff, whole verse or chord for the good of the song. You can frequently use them in a different song at a later date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Low End Bee Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 [quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1359994123' post='1963160'] I'm lucky enough to have spent almost my whole life playing with incredible songwriters, so... I don't write much. I like arranging and adding bits. And taking bits away. [/quote] That's songwriting in my book. A little tweak is often all a song needs to take it from being OK to being great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 [quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1359997430' post='1963236'] That's songwriting in my book. A little tweak is often all a song needs to take it from being OK to being great. [/quote] Which is why in my band the song writing credits are split equally between all 4 members. Even if the bulk of the ideas come from Mr Venom and myself, the song in its finished form is the product of the whole band, and you never know which actual bit is the one that makes a song that little bit more special - IMO that's just as important as the basic idea the song was built on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 Yep, I write songs but don't play them live. I prefer to stick to instrumental material for live shows as I write songs for other singers. Here is a trailer for my last album of songs from last year: http://youtu.be/mrFKu3pMM0w Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 [quote name='WHUFC BASS' timestamp='1359992398' post='1963109'] Where was this ? [/quote] Moniack Mhor creative writing centre in the Scottish Highlands, three miles from Loch Ness. I did a five day residential song writing course run by Boo Hewerdine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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