Sweeping shouldn't limit you much as a soloist. Even without that ability, there are endless melodic and rhythmic possibilities that you can use to make your solos interesting.
when writing music, where do you start?
- Thread starter bball_1523
- Start date
Welcome!buscatesoros said:Warning: User's first post.
Hey man... although I love sweeping, tons of great soloists never swept. I would learn to do it if I were you, just to have the option there - but don't sweat it too much.
what gets you guys motivated to work on one riff at a time? I have a hard time just making a riff and sticking with it. I've recorded some riffs and chord progressions, but I've never really worked on them to make a song out of them.
dargormudshark
Senior Member
bball_1523: I do that as well. I have a lot of chord progressions and riffs that pop into my head at a given time, in which I probably am not in the mood to write a song or whatever. Just save it and do it when you feel like it, or discard it if you don't think it's good enough.
Whatever you do, don't force a song. When you get all inspired and stuff, do it. If not you probably won't like the final result. And alwaya pick your favorite riffs from a big list and make a song about it. You'll like it in the start and you'll like it in the end, trust me
Whatever you do, don't force a song. When you get all inspired and stuff, do it. If not you probably won't like the final result. And alwaya pick your favorite riffs from a big list and make a song about it. You'll like it in the start and you'll like it in the end, trust me
My compositions on MySongBook.com:
http://www.mysongbook.com/tab-tab_list-id_artist=7962.htm
Clip from one of my songs:
http://personal.inet.fi/koti/1by4by9/1by4by9_while_others_celebrate.mp3
http://www.mysongbook.com/tab-tab_list-id_artist=7962.htm
Clip from one of my songs:
http://personal.inet.fi/koti/1by4by9/1by4by9_while_others_celebrate.mp3
SyXified
Member
http://katalepsy.741.com
NOTE: I would greatly appreciate it if everyone who goes to my site would pay attention to the copyright notice at the bottom...Myself and co-composers put a lot of work into all of the songs...Thank you.
NOTE: I would greatly appreciate it if everyone who goes to my site would pay attention to the copyright notice at the bottom...Myself and co-composers put a lot of work into all of the songs...Thank you.
interesting stuff guys. For those who used the midi's have you guys recorded the instruments yet?
If I could afford recording equipment or studio time, I would definitely be recording my completed songs. Although I did record a little bit of the guitars for some of my stuff in Windows Sound Recorder, and it sounded like shit. I write music better than I play it... Cuz I'm kind of a crappy guitarist, a pretty good drummer, and a fairly decent singer. I am completely self taught on all 3, thus far.
SevenString
RJ-D0, Metal 'Droid
here are a couple of songs:
http://www.lesliespring.com/seaofstars.mp3
http://www.lesliespring.com/ancientsigns.mp3
here's my writing order. Note that for items 1, 2, and 3, I tend to do several songs at a time. 4-11, I often do a single song at a time, and #12 is done on all the songs when the recording is complete.
of course, this only applies to solo work: working with a full band is a drastically different process.
1) write lyrics
2) arrange song structure to fit lyrics (no guitars yet)
3) write and record drum parts to match song structure
4) write and record chord progressions and guitar parts to fit drums
5) write and record bass tracks to fit chord progressions and drum parts
6) write vocal melodies and record lead vocals
7) go away for a few days, re-write and re-record lead vocals
8) write and record basic keyboard and orchestration tracks
9) record backing vocals
10) record guitar leads
11) record keyboard leads
12) mix and master
http://www.lesliespring.com/seaofstars.mp3
http://www.lesliespring.com/ancientsigns.mp3
here's my writing order. Note that for items 1, 2, and 3, I tend to do several songs at a time. 4-11, I often do a single song at a time, and #12 is done on all the songs when the recording is complete.
of course, this only applies to solo work: working with a full band is a drastically different process.
1) write lyrics
2) arrange song structure to fit lyrics (no guitars yet)
3) write and record drum parts to match song structure
4) write and record chord progressions and guitar parts to fit drums
5) write and record bass tracks to fit chord progressions and drum parts
6) write vocal melodies and record lead vocals
7) go away for a few days, re-write and re-record lead vocals
8) write and record basic keyboard and orchestration tracks
9) record backing vocals
10) record guitar leads
11) record keyboard leads
12) mix and master
SevenString said:
that sounds like a great plan to record solo work.
Well for now, I don't have the resources and skill to do all of that, but I plan on doing a lot of what you mentioned in the future.
I really want to focus on basic songs with the guitar being the main focus. I have been playing for 3 years and am an ok guitarist. I can't really shred or play complicated riffs like Symphony X, but I really want to compose some simple yet awesome songs.
I still have a question about drums though: You mentioned that you create drums first then add guitar chord progressions. I think some of you mentioned that you create guitar parts first then drums. How do each work more efficiently for you?
I actually do everything at an even pace...I'll write a riff, throw in bass, keys, and drums, and repeat the process for all following riffs
Mullet Power
aka 'Evil Ernie'
When I write a song I start with a Chord progression that makes musical sense... than I'll screw with it as I see fit.... if you understand tha rules of music tha better you can break them.... and you're gonna have to, cause if everyone stayed within' tha basic 'rules' of music than we would never have strayed from tha classical period....
I know basic theory such as time signatures, how many notes and what notes can go in the signatures, how to form triads and 7th chords, inversions, maj/min scales, etc...stuff like that.
I'd like to make riffs and aren't just simple 4/4, but do you think I should start messing around with 4/4 time signatures until I figure out how to make 6/8 and even complicated stuff like 5/8 or 5/4?
I'd like to make riffs and aren't just simple 4/4, but do you think I should start messing around with 4/4 time signatures until I figure out how to make 6/8 and even complicated stuff like 5/8 or 5/4?
bball_1523 said:
That's basically what I've been doing, I just recently started writing a song in 6/8, but I have yet to move past that. Although, I haven't really been learning theory for very long, I just barely got past learning key signatures, so of course, I have a LOOOOOOOOONG way to go. My best ideas usually come when I'm not really thinking about anything in particular (music-wise), and stuff just kinda flows out. Another thing that helps me write is my mood; for some odd ass reason, I write (and play) best when I'm like, sad/depressed/pissed, don't know why, that's just how it is. But I don't know if that's the same for anyone else, and maybe I'm just strange.
Anyways...Just like you said, fuck around with 4/4 and see if you can change some stuff around into other, perhaps more complicated time signatures. I personally can never actually have a time or key signature in mind and play/write from that; I have to start playing something, write it down, establish the key, and then if necessary, fuck with the time signature.
Those are just a few things that seem to work for me. Good luck.
Mullet Power
aka 'Evil Ernie'
#1 - Don't Go out of your way to make something Super Hard.... The Harder You try, tha more convoluted it will sound.... when you're so good that all your riffs are Super Hard by default than that is completely different.... Never try and do something that is simply out of you league....
But if you want to compose riffs like that than you must think in whichever time signature you desire... Set your Metronome to it, Listen to songs in tha siggy....
But if you want to compose riffs like that than you must think in whichever time signature you desire... Set your Metronome to it, Listen to songs in tha siggy....
1by4by9, if you could actually record that, I would be extremely interested.
Maybe it's just me, but I find sweeps very redundant in solos...it's like "wow that's obviously hard for any guitar player to do...and?" In the context of an actual song, I always feel like the guitarist could have just played the chord and it would have been fine.
buscatesoros said:
Maybe it's just me, but I find sweeps very redundant in solos...it's like "wow that's obviously hard for any guitar player to do...and?" In the context of an actual song, I always feel like the guitarist could have just played the chord and it would have been fine.
SevenString
RJ-D0, Metal 'Droid
I can usually tell the difference between players who are "sweeping just to sweep" and those that are using sweeping to produce music. It's a cool tool in a guitar player's arsenal, but like any other tool, it can be abused and used excessively or inappropriately.
Personally, I love doing parts with sweeps, but I deliberately try to confine them to parts where I want to produce a desired musical effect, vs. just wanking off.
One of my favorite, extremely musical uses of sweeping is in "Bruce's Solo" from the first Racer-X Live CD (Extreme Volume). WOW!!! Very inspirational!
And of course, Jason Becker is a "musical" sweep monster.
Personally, I love doing parts with sweeps, but I deliberately try to confine them to parts where I want to produce a desired musical effect, vs. just wanking off.
One of my favorite, extremely musical uses of sweeping is in "Bruce's Solo" from the first Racer-X Live CD (Extreme Volume). WOW!!! Very inspirational!
And of course, Jason Becker is a "musical" sweep monster.
