Practice Thoughts | Songwriting Starting Points
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Hi Everyone,
This is a concept I haven't seen many people talk about, but it feels like an important one.
Generally speaking, I've noticed that a lot of people tend to fall pretty hard into one of two camps, and sometimes people aren't even AWARE of the other camp!
1. Transcribing
Some people think that a musician will just "hear" a mostly complete song in their head and then sit down with a guitar to figure out how it goes. The better you are at figuring out songs by ear, the better you'll be at writing songs. There are a few well-known artists that perpetuate this idea of writing music. Mozart tended to be like this, and many other artists had experiences like this. Paul McCartney supposedly woke up with part of the melody for "Yesterday."
2. Exploring
Others think that you have to just try tinkering, exploring, adjusting, massaging until - eventually - you stumble upon something nice. Beethoven was notorious for tinkering and massaging. If you start off with something in your head, you're not really "writing music."
My goal with this video is basically to let you know these stereotypes exists and THEN to have you ask: Which camp do I relate with? Did I know about these camps?
If you've been writing for a while, it's probably helpful to think about what assumptions you've made about writing music, and THEN work to be a well rounded musician.
If you're more of a transcriber, I recommend trying to explore more often. Sit down to write without any ideas in your head. Pick a key and tinker with chord progressions, melodies or riffs - whatever! As long as you're not trying to think of something FIRST and then playing it.
If you're more of an explorer, try imagining an interesting chord progression or melody. Even picturing a concept, like "I want to try a melody with lots of space, and big jumps" is a helpful way to start hearing a melody idea in your head. Also, figuring out songs by ear (aka transcribing parts) is a valuable skill regardless of wether you'll ever be someone who hears full songs in your head.
Leave a comment sharing your experience - which camp do you find yourself in?
Comments
Definitely more of an explorer, however, I would sometimes get random melody ideas while listening to someone else's music but I struggle to transcribe it on the guitar
Rohit Agrawal
2024-05-10 19:23:24 +0000 UTCAh, thanks Tasha! I had considered that, but wasn't sure if that was how it was done. I'll give it a try, next time a tune swims by.
Graeme B
2023-08-01 17:56:58 +0000 UTCDefinitely I'm almost exclusively an explorer, but there are times when I get a riff in my head and then try to transpose that (as Tasha above, I have to vocally record this to my phone in the first instance).
Tim Rowley
2023-08-01 06:16:20 +0000 UTCGraeme I always hum the tune in to my voice notes, then I figure out the guitar part later
Tasha McManus
2023-07-27 21:08:54 +0000 UTCNot really either camp. I think I align with the “erratic” and “undisciplined” group. The “Melody Making” series has been very enlightening. My goal is to create a daily creative practice to include the varied aspects of songwriting. My biggest challenge is creating/maintaining structure for my musical development. (Insert photo of pasta factory here). Too many noodles, not enough sauce.
Jeff Sanders
2023-07-25 12:43:45 +0000 UTCI sometimes hear tunes in my head that I'd like to haul on deck, but as soon as I play a couple of (wrong) notes on my guitar, the tune sinks back into the inky murk. So, I return to tinkering. Do you have any pearls of wisdom for how to get a tune from head to fingers?
Graeme B
2023-07-25 06:01:57 +0000 UTCI am more often an explorer, however, the past year or so I started paying more attention to the “music in my head“ that is sometimes present in the night. Those tunes tend to be “catchier” than what I write in my waking life and can be easily harmonized right out the gate, versus my waking stuff which often requires a lot of tinkering to make sound right.
Tasha McManus
2023-07-25 02:57:19 +0000 UTC
