Greeeeeeeat request!
Hi Frede J.,
Awesome topic :grin: and you have generated some really exciting replies! Spirited! And.. spirits'd he he.. I don't really know people here so I won't try and reply to the replies, but they have truly inspired
ME! First I'm going to be snyde, then genuine and try to help, hoping it balances out to even - in the middle.
Hello who ever read this!!
...So if as many songwriters - composers as possible would discuss how they write a song and how they get the inspiration and ideas for a new song, so we who really would like to write songs (but can't) can read this thread and learn how to write songs...
OK, you're asking for people who have worked for lifetimes, literally generations, to give you "just add water" creativity? Is that fair? Why not ask one of them to compose your cadenzas or main theme - appreciate who has gone before you - that's my altitude I mean attitude. Aren't there enough untalented, non-hard-working and non-studied people getting too much praise and celebrity?
that said
I used to compose tons. I'd say
musically the most genuine way is when music evolves from say, practing the circle of fifths, or some chord progression you reeeally groove on, in my case I'm a 7sus-7 kinda guy, so in a minute I could play C A7sys-A7 Dminor G7sus-G7 and make a new song out of it. In a sourer mood I'd work the flat-6 to 5 thing, sort of flamenco cry out let's say FMajor (sometimes flat5) to E7 back and forth, then when you totally can't stand it resolve to the Aminor. Cry your unrequited love on those changes until you hear a Dminor place to go, or C F G something.. in other words, play with common chord changes, and whatever licks you are good at. Blues scale? Arpeggiated chords? Pentatonic scales? Bent 5ths?
At the least you can get some good B SECTION material out of circle of fifths workouts. And all of the above can be inspired by stained glass, a tree, a love, a ratified constitution, lords prayer, mantra chantra dance or what have you.. maybe not all at once, that's tooo creative
The next most genuine way - for songs that are words and music - is to work from "hook backwards." Find the meaty part of the chorus, maybe your feeling and rhyme of "...dress" and "life's a mess" and just take the words, and of course every spoken sentance is musical, kapisch? Dramatize it LIKE YOU MEAN IT! Make he never wear that dress without knowing how it made your life a mess! Find the genuine way to phrase that sentence, and also how the melody leads to the next chord, so that people will fall over waiting for the next chord if you delay it too long.
Find the hook, then the sub hook or second hook, then third, if you are Mozart do that 10 times for all 4 simultaneous melodies..
hey give them time to breathe... So then back up from the hook and start the story at the beginning. "I was walking peacefull self contained.. and saw you and my blood drained.." and build (back) up to the hook.
Try saying it to yourself like you read a paper before turning it in. Genuine as possible buddy, "BELIEVABILITY."
I think of all the great suggestions you have gotten here... McFadyen is my choice: "...lots of hard work and dedication...sheer dedication, hard work and unbelievable amounts of self drive..." I want to hear his composition already!:clap:
Sorry to go on and on and on and on but composing and inspiration used to be my biggest joy... mmm... then I realized I'm lame, Liszt and Chopin are so much better, LVB, Satie, Pyotr, Verdi, Puccini, Strausse, Bach and all have got me sooooo beat! The quantity those fellows composed, without copy machines? They must have had dozens of pages written in their hand -
A DAY every day of their lives.
Not only did most of them not have MIDI Keyboards, Cubase, a good computer - and you didn't mention:
AWESOME DISCUSSION FORUMS!!! but they probably didn't even have an electric light....
Hope that helps Maestro Jyll, don't forget to plug your buddies when you're rich and famous.
