The Steel Guitar Forum

WOrds aren't an issue..but I have a problem with selecting chord progressions. I tend to have a neil young harvest era/johnny cash hybrid sound so anytime I pick certain chords someone goes..hey, that sounds like..

How do you guys write songs/pick chords/write melodies?

Stuck in arut here!

If you are able to compose good words that rhyme, maybe you should think what musical genre would fit. Soul, Ragtime, Country, etc. They all have typical changes. Maybe approach it from this angle?
I once wrote a song a long time ago, and I applied some typical Gene Clark changes.

The melody is the most important part of the song. Without it the chords don't mean anything and the words might as well be spoken.

Get yourself in a frame of mind for crafting melodies by listening to the greatest melodies ever written: Classical music. Go to the library and take out some classical recordings--get some Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Verdi, Tchaikovski--simple, sing-able melodies that maybe you are familiar with. Listen to them, sing them--you won't be writing melodies in the same vein, but you will be more conscious of the process and the importance of the melody. Listen to the Beatles--listen to as much music as you can and pay attention to the melodies and how they dance in and out of the harmony. Most of all, have fun with it.

I agree with Mike about the melody being the most important part.
There has been some formulas that have worked quite well over the years in some genres of music. I was never any good at writing a song but I've always been my own worst critic.
Here's an example that I've notice by some successful songwriters...Good intro hooks, two or three verses that rhyme(for the most part)a repeating Chorus, possibly a Bridge, perfect meter, and catchy outro hooks(licks). Message of the song may or may not be important!I think that the meter part is quite important also.By that I mean the syllables of the words seem to fall in all the right places and don't seem out of time so to speak.
There has been a lot of songs over the years that have stood up with just one or two verses!

There are some keys that work for me and some that don't! Another thing that I've noticed is at towards the end of a song the key will modulate up or down a half or whole step and revert back to original key before a final chorus, repeat and then the outro. The bridge of the song might require some additional chords with in that key for "coloration" for example, if you take a Major scale and strike seventh chords over each interval you will arrive at something like this: Key of C= Cmaj7-Dm7-Em7-Fmaj7-G7-Am7-Bm7b5-Cmaj7(octave).This gives you more posssibilities than the usual 1-4-5 chords.Sometimes for the bridge I would go to the 4Maj7 -4m7-1Maj7- 6m7-4Maj7 or(4m7)-5dom7 or (5) and back to the original progression (1-6-4-5 or 1-3-4-5 or 1-4-5). If you look at the Major scale you'll see that it yields 3 minor scales in the 2-3-6 intervals! In my mind this is the Dorian, Phrygian, and Aeollian modes of the Major scale.Any arpeggios in the Key of C will sound good when played over the Dm7 chord.I am getting off track here and Mike Neer could probably do a better job when it comes to explaining music theory!
Experiment outside the 1-4-5 box see what works for you. Neil Young wrote some excellent songs most of which didn't get much airplay , analize his structure of songs if your into that genre.Suspended chords, augmented and diminished add color to the song especially in the bridge.

Just put all your songs to the melody of It wasn't God who Made honkey Tonk Angels.

Seems to work for country.

How To Write A Song by Harry Nilsson

If you write it on guitar
Place your guitar upon your knee
If you write it on piano
Don't do that...

You can read the complete lyrics here:
http://lyrics.wikia.com/Harry_Nilsson:H ... ite_A_Song

I get married, then get divorced, then I write a country song. Then I get married, get divorced, and I write another country song. Repeat process.

I think Mike Neer hit the nail on the head.
The most copyrightable elements of a song are its words and melody.
Focus on that first, and let the chords reflect the emotion of the story later.
Im not a songwriter, and there are many different ways of writing one, but Ive worked with a few and that seems to be a good method of fleshing out an idea in order of importance. Just remember its the melody people whistle, hum or sing along to, not the chords.

Clete

If I read the post right Teddy mentioned chord progressions and chords 3 times and mentioned melodies one time, and more specifically having trouble with chord progressions...just sayin

Listen to Paul Simon here, he tells how he did it on his last album, (not the one that's released this month).
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... Id=5388038

There are very specific rules about writing a song. Of course, you can throw them all out the window

Some people ask, do you write the lyrics first, or the melody first? You you come up with a hook and write around that? Do you come up with a riff or groove first and write around that?
The answer is, you get a song any way you can get one.
I've heard great songs where not one word rhymes, or there is no chorus, or the song has one word in it.

Write your song, test it out live for friends.
I write songs that I like. If no one else does, I still finish it and move on to another. If you get hung up and don't finish a song because you think you or someone else won't like it, you will leave a long trail of unfinished work.

The fact that the words aren't an issue means you're already halfway there. Songwriting can often be the most frustrating/rewarding part of being a musician. Writer's block, or composer's block in your case, is as common as the art itself but there are a few ideas out there that might help you. My first suggestion would be to try and find someone else to write with for a song or two. Everyone approaches the craft differently and that new insight can often open a few new doors. Secondly I'd try writing your melody outside of a chord progression. Try writing the melody like a lead line then find some chords that will compliment it. Lastly remember there is no chord progression too common. Simple is often the most relatable to the listener. Often changing a single note in a melody will remove that "hey I know that song" effect. Good luck

I recently accompanied some very good friends of mine who are songwriters at a meet and greet for a new TV documentary test called Troubadour, TX. If you're a songwriter in TX, look for them in a town near you soon. The director, producers and crew are on a six city tour.
I played piano and sang backup with one and managed to get in this clip of the local WOAI evening news. There were about 30 writers interviewed and showcased. Wont know till May who makes the cut, but there will be many more in the talent pool by then. It was a fun opportunity and a great experience regardless!

William Craven wrote:...try and find someone else to write with...

Even if its not necessarily collaborating, just meeting and listening to other writers at these types of showcases can get the creative fire burning and open your ears to what else is out there at the grass roots level.

Clete