On Songwriting

[Dr Nick]

I suck at songwriting, partly because although I often get ideas, I pretty much invariably think "that sounds too much like ------" and never take it further.


I've written something recently for a youth camp (I'm in charge of the music), but it was specifically written to sound "latin", so I stole the Santana feel, the Tribe of Gypsies style melody lines, bits of Maná, and combined the lot.

Totally formulaic.


My son is desperate to write, but has no confidence in lyrics and can't find a writing partner. Full of guitar and rhythmic ideas though.

(off topic)

And sad oldie that I am, I've just posted a vid of his drumming, see what you think.

[inmyhands]

When I get a song in my head I just know I have to keep I use the same steps today as I did 50 years ago. I grab some staff paper with blank chord diagram boxes above and proceed to write out the first line of lyrics followed by the chord forms followed by the melody notation on the staff. Being able to remember the melody, lyrics and chords allows me all the time I might require to come back later to create any other instrument parts, harmonies, etc.


If anyone has ever seen those old scraps of paper with hand written lyrics from this or that songwriter with little notes about higher / lower / refrain / repeat hash marks or whatever ....... it may be outdated but if I'm in a restaurant or someones house or a park or whatever and don't have staff paper I write on whatever's available. Napkins, paper cups or trash paper blowing by the picnic table. If there's no other choice I'll write on the nearest tabletop, wall, floor, window or anything in reach.


Note* ..... Some hosts don't realize the importance of my endeavor. I don't mean for this to be gender specific but I've found that wive's, (far more than husbands), have a very hard time understanding why I was scribbling on their hard wood dining table while enjoying the third course. I've also learned not to say ...... well if there were more napkins ........


So no. Ever since recording gear switched from analog tape to digital I just don't try. Apparently I'm digitally challenged. I will admit that if I'm hit with the gift / idea of a killer "out of nowhere" song while I'm playing in my studio I'll kick on my Ditto loop pedal to record a verse of chords followed by a verse of the melody line and then write out the lyrics on anything I can find. Other than that ........ I'm used to just doing it the old way.

[Nick Layton]

This is a great thread! I largely agree with most of the posts. Of all the things I do as a musician, songwriting is by far the most exciting to me.

[Dinosaur David B]

Been listening to a lot of Paul Gilbert lately due to helping Amy with the guitar parts of his Alchemy profile, and if anyone ever wanted to hear one of the best and clearest examples of a GREAT POP HOOK I've ever heard, check out the chorus of Interaction. This track is a riff-heavy metal fest. But when it gets to that chorus (Interaction baby), THAT is a hook! It gets stuck in your head IMMEDIATELY, you remember it, and you wait for it and want it again throughout the rest of the song -- like a drug -- to release the tension created by the riff.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI3QrOxa_88