|
Trudoski |
I'm DEFINITELY not a great writer, and I don't expect to make it big time in Nashville or any other place, but I do love writing songs. Have you ever felt SO inspired that a sense of joy just comes over you and it takes all you've got to not run through the streets laughing like a madman? That's what it feels like for me when I've written a sturdy song. A little after I wrote my first few songs, a band member from another bluegrass band (much better than my band) came up to us and said "HOW on EARTH do you write songs??? Your songs are SO good! I could NEVER figure out how to write a song!!" So, whereas I'm not sure whether he ever went on to successfully write one. I'll give you some pointers that may help you out. FEEL FREE TO ADD YOUR OWN POINTERS IN THE COMMENTS! I love hearing what other people have to say about musical stuffs. hehe. :)
Here we go...
1> Most importantly, in my book: find a theme for your song!! Will it be about your childhood home? Your best friend? Your love for bologna? or maybe it'll tell the story of an old gun that's stayed in the family for generations. Usually when you write about something important to you, it becomes a stronger song. But a song about bologna is always cool. B)
2> Play around with different chord progressions. This is particularly easy if you play alot in a group. Do you want alot of minors in your song? A particularly clever 'bluesy' sort of progression that my older sister wrote into one of her songs goes "G, Bm, C, D". This is absolutely amazing. I love how that progression sounds. (the song is about a homeless person being content, living the 'hobo dream'.)
3> Write out the words! This is the hard part. You have the feeling of where the song ought to go, and the progression hints at the mood your taking. (happy that you got bologna at the store today, or if it's got minors - a sad feeling to it-, maybe sad that you got home from a long day at work to find that your dog somehow opened the fridge and consumed not only the bologna, but also the container it was in, and your new pack of individually wrapped cheeses) So the words are pretty much what makes the song yours. In my opinion, everyone writes differently. The idea that everyone is different also applies here.
I'm sure there's lots more that I'm missing, so please, add your two cents!
Add Comment
