I have my setup complete and everything, but lately I'm having a hard time actually getting songs started/staying with them.

Anyone have a good format for creating a song? Lately I've been just finding something catchy and working with it from there, but does anyone else have any suggestions?

If it helps, I'm trying to do technoesque music.

[edit]I think I pinned this... if someone would unpin it I would be grateful

This post has been edited by Meneudo: Tue 6 Jul 2004, 19:33

There is no real format for creating songs.
Best advice i can think of is. Be influenced by many forms of music, take note of song structures and sounds, experiment and try ideas, dont overwork on ideas if you are struggling to make them happen. take some time out occasionally and come back to it, you might realize a new direction for it later.

try asking freinds and family for feeback and ideas after they have listened to what you have so far.

basic song structures are easy. Their are no rules at all. you can edit and swap parts around fairly easily with most current computer based multitrackers/sequencers. so get familiar with your set-up and go for it.

start/verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus/chorus/end

Its a good to demo ideas (rough record parts and mess with song structures) If the idea has potential work out how you would record it for real.

When I compose I tend to start with drum and bass. This tends to anchor the song and gives me an idea of the mood and tempo of the song. After this I will create a melody that is in keeping with the mood of the bass and drums. Next, using the melody as a template, I will create chord progressions to back the melody. Finally, I will add any vocals or special fx to round out the song. Though this is typically the order in which I compose a song, it certainly can be changed.

Once you have this basic structure, then you can begin to look at the piece on a larger scale. Maybe you will want to add a break in which all sections drop out except the drum and bass. The main idea is that once you have a general structure of your song, you can begin to experiment with variations.

Bottom Line - Remember that music is a form of expression. Think of a concept, emotion, situation, etc. that inspires you and try to convey it through the language of music. For example, think about John Williams' theme for Jaws. When trying to convey the primitive nature of the shark, Williams chose a two note motif. To convey the sinister nature of the shark he pitched the notes in the lowest part of the keyboard. Furthermore, by increasing the tempo of the two note motif, he illustrates the shark closing in on its prey. The Jaws theme is an excellent example of expressing an idea through music.

I hope this helps

Take it easy,

KC

Thanks for the advice. What you both said is very helpful. I was just having a hard time getting drum/bass to work with the melody; I feel I'm getting the hang of it. First time with anything besides classical/modern piano music.