1935tb-11 - Posted - 03/13/2022:  10:58:11

i am trying to write/compose ,, whatever you want to call it a banjo tune,,and have got part of it down like i want,,now i i have hit a wall and can't seem to find the direction to take it.
what do you guys do when this hits you.... thanks.

G Edward Porgie - Posted - 03/13/2022:  11:04:57

I will put some compositions on the back burner. Sometimes, when least expected, solutions appear. To me, it's better to wait for an inspired bit, than to force the issue. If I have trouble with the bridge, I don't storm it; that's a good way to end in the water and drown before reaching the other side.

banjered - Posted - 03/13/2022:  11:18:20

I play/sing folk songs. A lot of them have a good thing going but then half, 3/4 way through fall apart so I write my own verses. Sometimes easy, sometimes have to wait, and sometimes still waiting. On "Two Sister" I wrote 5 extra verses to "round out the karma." Ha! Have fun! banjered

Texasbanjo - Posted - 03/13/2022:  11:52:27

I don't compose a lot of instrumentals, so I can't help much there, but for vocals, I usually have certain words/phrases that I write down and try to make rhyme and then see if a melody comes out of the words. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes difficult. If I just can't get it right, I'll put it away for another day and maybe it'll work out then. If not..... back to the drawing board on a different song. No use getting stressed over a song that doesn't work out. Do that enough times and it does become easier.

aintbrokejustbadlybent - Posted - 03/13/2022:  12:00:04

Go for a walk in the woods, take a hot shower and don’t think about it. It will come to you.

northernbelle - Posted - 03/13/2022:  12:16:00

Maybe try recording phrases or other longer ideas as they occur to you or "happen" during your practice time or just fooling around. Come back to them later and see if something doesn't "drop right into the slot" you've got in your composition later.
That's worked well for me as a song writer and composer in the past.
Sometimes we try and strain and the "answer" was already there in our collection of stored ideas that makes you go: "Wow, that fits right in and...it's something I'd never "consciously" chose but it's unique and sounds great.
Sometimes our mistakes on standard tunes sound kinda cool but are still worth noting/keeping to throw into something else later.

janolov - Posted - 03/13/2022:  12:49:30

I think that was a wise answer by G Edward Porgie. You cannot force creativity. When you hit the wall, take a break and relax. After a while some new ideas may appear.



Some tunes are structured as call and response for example a lot of fiddle tunes. If you have an idea of the "call", then it could be easy to figure out a "response".



Many tunes are also structured as a main part and a counter part. Sometimes it is possible to figure out some kind of counter part if you have the main part. If the main part is low (mainly first position) then you can figure out a counter part up the neck, for example opposite melodic movements (when the main part is ascending the counter part may be descending for example). Usually it does not give a final solution but it may be a first step to get new ideas.



Also study the structure of songs and tunes you like. Look how phrases are repeated and varied, Look how call and responses work. Try to see how counter parts are introduced into the song/tune And look for chords and chords progressions.

Ira Gitlin - Posted - 03/13/2022:  13:29:03

I usually have an idea for the general structure of the tune I'm writing. Think about what the currently blank portions of that structure need--maybe something in the chord progression, maybe some kind of melodic resolution, that kind of thing. In multi-part tunes--like AABB fiddle tunes, there's usually some form of contrast between the parts. One part might be high and the other low. One might have a very notey melody while the other will have fewer, longer notes. One might change chords every beat or two, while the other hangs out longer on each chord. The parts might even be in different keys. Thinking along these lines can help give you ideas you might not have come up with in the abstract.

Edited by - Ira Gitlin on 03/13/2022 13:29:21

TN Time - Posted - 03/13/2022:  15:00:45

Gordon Lightfoot, one of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time once said that to write a song, you have to sit down and do it. It is hard work and one cannot just wait for inspiration. I don't know if that helps and is probably not what you wanted to hear, but it obviously worked for old Gord.

Robert

Culloden - Posted - 03/13/2022:  15:18:45

Whether it's an instrumental or a vocal, some songs can be written in ten minutes, some can take ten years. When I write a song with words, I compose my melody first, then come up with the lyrics. That is completely backward but I can't write lyrics without some idea of how they will sound. When I compose instrumentals I have a little more creative room.

1935tb-11 - Posted - 03/14/2022:  09:09:46

i haven't even thought about lyrics for it yet,,i will wait till i have the tune complete and then fill in the words,,, i am taking a break from it and do a reset.