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GMC Forum _ PRACTICE ROOM _ Writing Music
Posted by: Mark. Mar 11 2008, 08:55 PM
removed
Posted by: Hisham Mar 11 2008, 10:28 PM
if you want to write a song or a melody you should choose a key or scale for example like A.minor or E.Major or harmonic scales so you can try to play on this scale what you are choosed it. but you must have a little talent for composing a song . .
go step by step as you said you need a sofware and i see thats you have it.
you can compose a melody on GP5 but i dont know if you can treating with this software .
you can do every things .
if you dont know about how the functions so you can read that in the "help" .
other thing if you have a knowlledge with staff notes thats temporary to start composing
for improvising thats i can call it playing on stage .
and thats comming from your creation and feelings so you have to start to compose a solo or melody as i said try any scale and go step by step i think you will have the result.
have anice day...
Posted by: Tuubsu Mar 11 2008, 10:49 PM
everybody knows scales are good, but myself I usually find them limiting me so I don't use them. I have composed only one song with a scale it was "Angel with broken wings" and the scale E mixolydian, and you can count from my signature how many songs I've done completely with ear. The thing I'm saying here is scales=good and scales=not a rule.
I guess this needs a little imagination but I haven't got band and I only play the guitar, but I can imagine what the drums or keyboards would sound like, and I write those ideas down and test them every time I get to together with some fellow musicians... so far none of those Ideas have failed. So close your eyes and try to imagine.
Maybe your being too harsh on your own creations for thinking they all sound like improvisations, theres no rule on what improvisation should sound like. Every time you come up with a melody or riff.... atleast for me their almost never perfect, thats why I recommend on playing those melodies/riffs like 100 times in a row and try different variations each time, you just might hit the jackpot that way. 
Posted by: Milenkovic Ivan Mar 11 2008, 10:52 PM
1. You sing the melody you want and then you play it - it is the best solution imo.
2. Ideally you should write notes or tabs
Posted by: chast Mar 11 2008, 11:08 PM
About that "Idea forgetting"-thing, just record every improvisation you do
So you don't lose the vibe and you don't forget the idea 
Posted by: Kyle Logue Mar 11 2008, 11:18 PM
http://www.justin.tv/kylelogue and i'll try to help you out with a live video feed!
Posted by: Trond Vold Mar 11 2008, 11:19 PM
Writing melodies is really individual and can vary from song to song
Sometimes you just get the melody you want in your head, and other times if you know what you want the melody to fit ontop of, you decide on a scale.
I dont think there's any definite answer on how to write a melody. If you improvise a few times first, you can also get a melody emerging from that.
As far as writing stuff down with no real music software, then you can always use free tools like PowerTab or Tuxguitar. Tuxguitar support multitrack, powertab is just the basic guitarpart.
http://www.tuxguitar.com.ar/
http://www.power-tab.net/guitar.php
Posted by: Iluha Mar 11 2008, 11:21 PM
2. Ideally you should write notes or tabs
These will be my suggestions as well
Posted by: Dejan Mar 12 2008, 12:46 AM
1. As Trond said the writing is an individual thing, but basically the difference between a melody and a improvisation is that improvisation is something common, something that will not draw your attention much because you heard something similar many times and it's just a bunch of phrases, while melody stands out, has some kind of meaning and it's original. So basically you need to find out what do you want to write, what do you want to say, what emotions to express and let the melody come out from your head, not from your fingers
2. The best is to learn notes, tabs are not so good since you cannot write the length of each note, just the pitch. Or to get some software like Reaper and to record all the ideas.
I don't know how you function, but I cannot tell to myself that I will write a song and to do it. The melodies usually come itself. Some weeks ago, one evening, I was very tired and got to bed, and one melody started to play in my head, so I turned on the light, took a pen and paper and wrote it down because I knew in the morning it would be lost if I don't do so.
Posted by: steve25 Mar 12 2008, 12:54 AM
2. The best is to learn notes, tabs are not so good since you cannot write the length of each note, just the pitch. Or to get some software like Reaper and to record all the ideas.
I don't know how you function, but I cannot tell to myself that I will write a song and to do it. The melodies usually come itself. Some weeks ago, one evening, I was very tired and got to bed, and one melody started to play in my head, so I turned on the light, took a pen and paper and wrote it down because I knew in the morning it would be lost if I don't do so.
That happens to me so often, i hear something in my head but it's never in your bedroom when you've got your guitar in your hand is it? It's always at the checkouts at the supermarket or when you're at work/college
. Thing is, i don't know how to write it down either because i can't tab something that i'm not playing.
Posted by: Tuubsu Mar 12 2008, 01:14 AM
I wanna actually put some weight on this point, cos I think I missed it in my post. If you ask around I bet you find out that people have so many different approaches on the matter. Me for example I don't think about anything(scales, chord progressions, keys etc.) about 90% of the time when I'm composing, I have it all planned in my head and I now in my head how the next part should sound so I make it sound like that and I'm sure there are some people who couldn't do it this way, because it's individual.
Posted by: Dejan Mar 12 2008, 01:53 AM
. Thing is, i don't know how to write it down either because i can't tab something that i'm not playing.It happens to me as well, and then I sing it silently until I get home
Tuubsu - you are right, you don't have to think about the theory and the technique, knowing them may help you to easier write and reproduce the sounds you hear
Posted by: Mark. Mar 12 2008, 06:49 PM
removed
Posted by: Fsgdjv Mar 12 2008, 06:54 PM
I have to say something about scales. Scales are good, and you gain a lot by knowing them, etc. But, when writing songs, I don't really pay attention to any scales, I just write something and then later figure out scales so I can tell the bass player what key it's in, etc. That's just one way of doing it, but it got a lot easier for me when I stopped thinking about scales when composing, and just play something. Ears are more important than theory, if it sounds good, it is good. If it looks good on the theory and sounds crap it's not good, but yeah, theory can also be really helpful at times. Just it's good to learn to ignore it.
(This is all coming from a super noob who has only finished 2 songs in his entire life, so don't take what I say too literary)
Posted by: Robin Mar 12 2008, 07:02 PM
I completely agree.
Posted by: Nemanja Mar 12 2008, 07:14 PM
take a simple chord progresion....A D A D A E...and if you can loop that in GP..and then as Ivan sad try to sing melody to that...I use an old Sony voice reccorder(tape)...and do exactly that...loop some progresion and than just sing the melody.....always do good for me
Posted by: Milenkovic Ivan Mar 12 2008, 08:57 PM
Listen to Nemanja he is wise
Posted by: Capt.Z Mar 12 2008, 09:50 PM
Im learning modes. I took the lesson on pentatonic shifting.
Just learn some boxes, and go from there.
Good luck!
Posted by: JVM Mar 12 2008, 10:13 PM
Scales are a great place to start. But they will not make you a great guitar player, you have to learn to play with your ears. Marty Friedman for example, admits knowing very little about the theory side of music and plays by ear. Some people will tell you you'll be stuck playing pentatonics if you do that, but that's not true IMO (or at least if you listen to marty ).
So I say scales are a good place to start... and they make a good guideline but don't necessarily follow them religiously.
Therefore my advice to you Mark, is just to practice improvising and creating melodies. A safe way to start is to make melodies on one string. From there you can embellish them. But use your ears.
Posted by: Juan M. Valero Mar 13 2008, 08:57 AM
absolutely agree !!! the most important is to play with your mind, not with your hands
Posted by: skipdaflip Mar 13 2008, 09:18 AM
I like to hook up in this thread... When I'm writing music I'ts not always in my head. Sometimes I start with a drum and start jamming. And when I found a nice sound I record it.
I don't always start with the guitar, sometimes I start with a Piano and then the rest will follow much faster. Because I'm driven then.
But starting with a guitar is very hard for me... but what they tell you above is true. When you have a nice sound in your head then whistle it or hum it and record it. Then you won't loose it. Then try to find the right notes on your guitar and you're creating your solo.
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