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structure/arrangements


Stripey

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How do you go about arranging/structuring the music that you write? How much do you rely on pre-existing "standard" structures which fit the genre you're writing in?

If (like me) you usually start off with the core of an idea such as a few bars of a beat or a bassline, how do you go about developing that into a tune?

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How do you go about arranging/structuring the music that you write? How much do you rely on pre-existing "standard" structures which fit the genre you're writing in?

If (like me) you usually start off with the core of an idea such as a few bars of a beat or a bassline, how do you go about developing that into a tune?

Get a bunch of ideas together that will probably represent about 4 bars of the song, when I feel ready hit record and fire a loose structure, then spend the next week adding intro, outtro, breaks, crescendos...probably the point at which the real song comes into existence; always end up diverging from the initial idea. Recently I've gotten much more patient, more willing to ditch things that don't work and re-do large sections.

I don't really create in any hyper specific style, so I guess my music follows fairly generic patterns of western music (4 beats, 16 bars, kick / snare). I don't purposefully set out to be 'wacky', but I also get bored quickly..

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i find if i have a few riffs which feel like they could form the basis of a song, i just work on other riffs for a few months and then when i come back to working on the song i use the other riffs ive came up with for filling out the song,just find the ones which'll fit that particular song. i tend to write through-composed music though which means i basically make sections and join them together, with no repetitiion of the sections, i like how this format makes it more like a musical journey, and it also means that you have to listen to the song again to hear any specific section again, giving the other more obscure sections a chance to grow on the listener. im constantly learning though, and i think the main thing is that when the song does finally come together it feels like its been developed into something more than just a collection of riffs or whatever.

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I write all my stuff in Guitar Pro, so I can keep track of it all, and don't forget any riffs. Which is brilliant because I love going back and sometimes using stuff I wrote 5 years ago.

So I usually start with a good riff, or bit on the piano and then work back the ways if I think there could be a better intro, and then forwards. My stuff tends to be Intro Section, different section, different section, different section . etc ....Outro, so I usually write it all in the order it plays with a "what would be good next", "what's an unexpected lead on from there" train of thought, trying to keep a balance of where any solo's, quiet bits, or vocals go to keep it interesting. Vocals usually fall into place at the end, as death grunts don't need melodically specific and I treat them like another instrument anyway.

With songs I wrote and brung in for Isylore to do, I'd take in the basic song and we'd add bits and pieces to make it more interesting to play live and give it a bit more character, particulary bits you could never capture writing in MIDI.

There are a few disadvantages and advantages of writing guitar based music in MIDI. Advantages are that you come up with a lot of nice technical bits of music that you'd never ever think of mucking about on the guitar, and especially not have the time to plan out and organise in a live jamming situation. Disadvantages are that I wrote stuff that was too hard to play and you never get a true sense of what a song would sound like live through a MIDI playback.

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How do you go about arranging/structuring the music that you write? How much do you rely on pre-existing "standard" structures which fit the genre you're writing in?

If (like me) you usually start off with the core of an idea such as a few bars of a beat or a bassline, how do you go about developing that into a tune?

Hmm cant really answer that cause I never start with bassline or beat. Always chords or riffs that I work into chords. I don't set out to rely on standard structures, I just let it flow and do what I feel/hear is right. And it usually results in songs that have standard structures.

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It depends really, not an expert on this and not convinced what I do is the best way.

Recently I have been writing and arranging music in sonar (sequencer and recording programme) but I input everything apart from drums through audio.

A section of music (8-16 bars) is inputted along to a metranome (either on keyboard or guitar), I then add programmed drums with samples from battery. If I have added keyboard, I usually then add guitar or vice versa if approproriate.

I then move onto the next section and repeat process.

After this is finished (a stage I have not yet got to), I will get someone else to add bass parts or do it myself.

Vocals may or may not be added before or after that.

This then provides a 'demo' recording and better sounding instruments can be added for anything that is going to be properly released. Since I am not a drummer by any stretch of the imagination I would generally hope a real drummer can play better drum parts on the 'final' version.

If I was writing other styles of music it might be necessary to add the bass and drums before anything else.

Don't really care about 'standard' structures except if it is for a very conventional sounding song. I do try to make a main section repeat later on in the music though.

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I write all my stuff in Guitar Pro, so I can keep track of it all, and don't forget any riffs. Which is brilliant because I love going back and sometimes using stuff I wrote 5 years ago.

So I usually start with a good riff, or bit on the piano and then work back the ways if I think there could be a better intro, and then forwards. My stuff tends to be Intro Section, different section, different section, different section . etc ....Outro, so I usually write it all in the order it plays with a "what would be good next", "what's an unexpected lead on from there" train of thought, trying to keep a balance of where any solo's, quiet bits, or vocals go to keep it interesting. Vocals usually fall into place at the end, as death grunts don't need melodically specific and I treat them like another instrument anyway.

With songs I wrote and brung in for Isylore to do, I'd take in the basic song and we'd add bits and pieces to make it more interesting to play live and give it a bit more character, particulary bits you could never capture writing in MIDI.

There are a few disadvantages and advantages of writing guitar based music in MIDI. Advantages are that you come up with a lot of nice technical bits of music that you'd never ever think of mucking about on the guitar, and especially not have the time to plan out and organise in a live jamming situation. Disadvantages are that I wrote stuff that was too hard to play and you never get a true sense of what a song would sound like live through a MIDI playback.

Such a handy tool is guitar pro. I forget things a lot so using a program to save them is a godsend. means i can also hear what piano or string sections will sound like. but it never has the same "Human" feel to it. Experementation is how i write songs. try this, try that. Just whatever sounds right.

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Third verse, same as the first

Yeah, follow the Ramones formula.

I'm trying to bring a conventional song structure to my electronic stuff ie. verse and a chorus, and either a breakdown, a bridge or both combined, I can't be arsed with stuff thats too tracky, unless its one trick is sufficiently awesome. Plus DJ friendly intros can go fuck, bang, straight in, no fucking about for 2 minutes of gradually evolving intro, thats what spoiled all my old jungle records I liked. But thats just whats doing it for me right now.

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