Has anyone got any song writing tips?

[dscross]

I've been trying to write my own music recently for a bit of fun. The main melody I'm finding tricky. Has anyone had any song writing experience and want to impart some wisdom on me?

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

Alcohol, drugs, suffering, travel, open-minded curiosity, conversing with strangers, and try not to over-think until after finishing if you can help it. Embrace and push the very limits of your emotions and see what occurs

Also listen to all kinds of music you would never think to normally listen to (even and especially instrumental), poetry of all kinds, along with maybe watching live poetry performers if one so desires

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Here are the most common words in bilboard songs of the last 20 years:
Yeah
Feel
Girl
Take
Life
Back
Never
Die
Away
Give
Time
Night
Day
Man
Dream
World
Little

Just mix them together and you got yourself a Bruno Mars or Maroon 5 song

 

[Xprimentyl]

I [used to] write a lot of electronic music using some rudimentary software, and I always found it best when I let the songs come to me instead of me trying to go to them, i.e.: instead of trying to force what?s in my head into reality, I let the instruments spark my imagination and mold my through process, rigid guidelines or presuppositions be damned. Some might disagree with that method, neither will it work for everyone, but the creative process is nothing if not unbound by rules and convention.

 

[Dr.Susse]

A trick some people use, depending on what order you write songs in, is to take chords of a song you know write lyrics over those chords. Then work out your own chords and tweak the lyrics.

It works pretty well.

 

[Tanis]

Repeat the same lyrics over and over and over and over and over and o-o-o-ovah again.

 

[Imaynotbehere4long]

Repeat the same lyrics over and over and over and over and over and o-o-o-ovah again.

And if this gets too repetitive, sing the same melody but replace the lyrics with "oh-ooh-oh."

 

[dscross]

A trick some people use, depending on what order you write songs in, is to take chords of a song you know write lyrics over those chords. Then work out your own chords and tweak the lyrics.

It works pretty well.

Thanks - I hadn't thought of that, but that's quite a practical thing to try. I'll definitely try that one!

 

[ethanscott]

Alcohol, drugs, suffering, travel, open-minded curiosity, conversing with strangers, and try not to over-think until after finishing if you can help it. Embrace and push the very limits of your emotions and see what occurs

Also listen to all kinds of music you would never think to normally listen to (even and especially instrumental), poetry of all kinds, along with maybe watching live poetry performers if one so desires

Exactly, I agree with Xsjadoblayde. Emotions are what give life colour and they will help you find your sound too.
Just embrace everything your life has to offer you and just go with the flow!

 

[Baffle]

Include a 'Fi-diddle-dee!' if you get the chance.

 

[Schtimpy]

It depends on what kind of music you're going for:

If you want good music, listen to Xsjadoblayde and "classical music". If you can't get into classical music, watch Disney's Fantasia. It's all about flow, and classical has the best flow.

If you want popular music, hire someone or figure out the formula that pop music has been using (Aka Silentpony's list). Also, go catchy.

You doing bar gigs, wanna get laid, wanna get high, go popular.

You got a message or want to put your essence out there, go classic (not just classical music, just remember emotion and flow), go "good music", and understand that emotional pain follows (because you could be shamed in front of EVERYONE) (f*** those people tho)

Really it depends on who you are and what you want. If we had more info, we could help more. If all you need is a riff that you can't get right, live your life and it will come to you with time. Don't focus on the now, the best inspiration comes in the whatever. Take a shower and think about it when you haven't thought about it in years. That s*** will blow your mind.

Just including this to emphasize:

Alcohol, drugs, suffering, travel, open-minded curiosity, conversing with strangers, and try not to over-think until after finishing if you can help it. Embrace and push the very limits of your emotions and see what occurs

Also listen to all kinds of music you would never think to normally listen to (even and especially instrumental), poetry of all kinds, along with maybe watching live poetry performers if one so desires

 

[Vanilla ISIS]

The main melody I'm finding tricky.

What have you got besides that so far?

 

[dscross]

The main melody I'm finding tricky.

What have you got besides that so far?

I'm fine with chords and riffs. I've recorded some instrumental stuff in the past that I like. I'm well experienced on guitar (I've been playing for nearly 20 years now).

I'm not terrible at writing the words either because I write for a living but putting it to a melody and catchy chorus I'm really struggling with.

Part of me thinks I'm doing it ass backwards and that I should just let a random melody come into my head while I'm in the bathroom or something and record something as soon as I have an idea so I don't forget.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Just remember 'orange' doesn't rhyme with anything.

 

[dscross]

Just remember 'orange' doesn't rhyme with anything.

No perfect rhymes, but you could make it work. Door hinge? Four-inch? Storage? Porridge?

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Just remember 'orange' doesn't rhyme with anything.

No perfect rhymes, but you could make it work. Door hinge? Four-inch? Storage? Porridge?

Closest I heard is 'lozenge' but doesn't quite work.