Writing Metal

[sosomething]

Re: Writing Metal

Reminds me of the dude I was in a band with for a while years ago. He came to my house to jam for a bit and he said he had three new killer songs written (when he said songs he almost always meant a single riff).

The first was Smells Like Teen Spirit but with the order of the chords reversed.

The second was the first four notes of the E minor pentatonic played in straight eighth notes ascending up the neck with no deviation in rhythm.

The third was the second song with the order of the chords reversed.

Were you a good friend? Did you say "You are uncreative and should quit music."?

Because more people should say that (when called for).

Some people waste years of their lives sucking at music because no one was honest enough to tell them to stop.

 

[JohnnyGuitar]

Re: Writing Metal

Were you a good friend? Did you say "You are uncreative and should quit music."?

Because more people should say that (when called for).

Some people waste years of their lives sucking at music because no one was honest enough to tell them to stop.

Hey! I get it all the time and I still love to play.

 

[Kam]

Re: Writing Metal

Were you a good friend? Did you say "You are uncreative and should quit music."?

Because more people should say that (when called for).

Some people waste years of their lives sucking at music because no one was honest enough to tell them to stop.

Well, I quit the band so no more (decent) songs were getting written. The singer had one of his episodes and disappeared (seriously, he just showed up recently...after two years) and the drummer decided he'd rather come jam with me. The uncreative dude jammed with anyone who would have him for a while but nothing lasted long.

He was blazing fast, but he only ever learned one 'box' of the minor pentatonic and just moved it around. He didn't care for changes in rhythm. He was unconcerned about picking dynamics. He felt that such things as feeling and emotion were obnoxious.

Playing with him was...tiresome. Last I heard, he'd taken up cage-fighting and moved to Australia with his girlfriend. They haven't deported him yet, so I'm assuming he left his guitar here.

He told me he learned how to sweep pick once. He proceeded to run through the EXACT SAME pentatonic licks he always played...except he down-picked everything.

I got a tonne of stories about this guy. But I should stop. I've just had coffee and if I continue then my face will probably melt off and my children will weep over my exploded body.

 

[sosomething]

Re: Writing Metal

^ Your guitar player buddy had a pretty big blind spot there... It's a shame because people like that can otherwise be nice folks, but lots of times it's just not worth dragging someone along just because they're a buddy. There. I said it. "Sorry," Middle America.

 

[ksmith63]

Re: Writing Metal

stop learning how to play covers and your muscle memory will stop making you rewrite them.

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Writing Metal

always has a recorder ready for those moments of inspiration.

Always have a recorder running while your noodling and jamming. Sometimes the inspiration hits during playback.

 

[StillLearnin']

Re: Writing Metal

Walk away from your guitar for a week and listen to stuff out of genre or nothing at all.

 

[GrantWilson]

Re: Writing Metal

__________________
Writing lyrics to my music, I can't say I've become a good musician, rather a songwriter based on the Practical Magic: Tips on Heavy Metal Songwriting at http://buyessays.cheap/songwriting-metal under a guidance of Shawn McGovern. - RIMusicWorkshop

I often have writer's block, when I listen to metal too much or read texts and song lyrics; and then whenever I get to my own song, I can't concentrate, because it seems to me that everything that comes to my mind has already been written by someone else. Bruce Dickinson's style is always making me experience a kind of a déjà vu - I copy it all the time in my texts and then have to rewrite them from scratch.

 

[El Dunco]

Re: Writing Metal

I have breaks from metal and rock altogether and explore all different kinds of music. Not necessarily outside my comfort zone, but sometimes it's stuff I've never really sat down and had a proper listen to and then when I come back to writing metal, I'm out of the box that causes writers block. Movie soundtrack music and video game music are great for it.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Writing Metal

I'm not a big metal head, but this approach often works for me when I'm stuck writing a song.

1. Take three songs that you know and like . . . they need to all have a similar vibe, and should be from the same genre.
2. Break down all of the guitar parts in those three songs that you like and figure out what the guitarist is doing. (What scales/modes are being used, what kind of rhythmic patterns are being used, what tuning is being used, are the open strings being hit, how do the drums and bass fit together with the riffs to drive the song forward, etc.)
3. Come up with a simple rhythmic chord progression (or drum/bass line) that you like. Now approach the riff writing using the techniques that you've discovered in #2.

Bam. You get a new riff for a song in a style that you like, written by you.

This is the best advice I've ever heard about composition. Stv, you're a smart guy.

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: Writing Metal

Ha ha I didn't notice the Necro bump

I love Danks idea of just starting with a great drum track, let it take the lead.

Also when I am drawing a blank, I often grab a guitar in different tune. Drop B is where I've been lately, but the other day I was struggling with anything new... Picked up a guitar in standard and boom, wrote another couple riffs!

If you stress about it, that hampers the creativity.

Another way I do it sometimes is picking a topic to get all fired up about, then words and melodies come to me because I got something to say! In a pissed off way kind of thing.

Good luck! You'll find those riffs hiding out.