Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [songwriting]

For questions about writing a song from end to start and the ideas and techniques behind it.

Songwriting can be thought of a more modern style of composing. There is a lot of overlap including determining form, determining the harmony, determining the instrumentation, and creating a melody. The unique feature that songwriting has is it is the lyrics which are typically at the heart of songwriting and drive it.

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Song Structure: What's up with Verse/Chorus/Verse 2/Chorus/Verse 3/Bridge/Chorus?

Doesn't matter if it's Rage Against The Machine or Britney Spears song structures are always the same. It always goes something like: Verse/Chorus/Verse 2/Chorus/Verse 3/Bridge/Chorus. Why? Why is this such an accepted structure? What's the draw…
Mou某
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Is making things over-complicated a common mistake for new songwriters?

I've never seriously tried writing a song until this week but I have tried putting interesting progressions together and I noticed I always end up doing something a bit different. Obviously, interesting music is great but should a brand new…
Mr. Boy
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Does a vocal melody have any rhythmic responsibility to the underlying arrangement in pop music?

Another way to ask the question would be: Does an arrangement built for a vocal melody adhere in some way to the rhythm of the vocal or are they independent rhythmically speaking? I have a melody and the chords and now I want to build an arrangement…
user35708
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How can you retain the melody or tune you come up with in your head?

I was trying to create a song and figured out what the melody would be like. I played it on my guitar and jotted down the chords in a notebook. The next morning i tried playing it, but i completely forgot how the tune went/what the rhythm was like.…
Pro
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What is the job title of someone who comes up with lyrics and a beat, but not instrumentation?

In a songwriting session, if I'm the one who came out with the lyrics and the beat of the song but didn't make the musical instrumental (can't play any musical instrument). What am I?
Syukri
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When writing a melody on top of a riff, is there a rule for what types of notes you use?

When writing a melody on top of a riff, is there a rule for what types of notes you use? For example, if your riff has goes A, B, C continuously, do the notes in the melody have to be certain notes with each note of the riff, or can they be…
Christopher U
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Writing a song similar to ...

Part of my practice schedule is to learn a song by ear,then write a song similar to the one I've learned. Can anyone give me tips on how to cover a song's feeling in different chords and themes? I always get stuck in the sense that the particular…
Catalin Petre
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Music Composition - matching lyrics and musical meters

for all the songwriters and musicians out there, how can you tell what time signature a lyric is written in? Someone please explain to me the concept of writing lyrics in different time signatures!! Thank you!
Shacquille
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Meter/ bars/ subdivisions

Can anyone explain to me how a singer/artist squeeze in more than 4 syllables between subdivisions? i know it has something to do with tempo, but how do you count the beats between subdivisions to make sure you're not using more notes than what the…
Shacquille
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song writing technique

I've had songs just come to me on occasion that were pretty complete the way they were, and other times I can work on a song for over a year and although I like the idea of the song when I start on it, I can't seem to make it to the finish line. The…
skinny peacock
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How to choose a bassline for a vocal melody

I have a melody for a 90bpm pop song that I wrote but am struggling with the bass line pattern a little bit. It is not what notes to play but what pattern I should use that I am stuck with. I don't have any other instruments except that I know what…
user35708
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is there a name in music when the melody changes the chord name or function?

I notice in some chords the melody actually starts on a note that is not in the chord itself. For example, a song in C major, the song might start on the C chord but the melody on the D (9th). Is there a name for this? Is it the composers intention…
user35708
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When writing music, is there an optimal speed for vocal parts?

I am used to writing piano music and want to write some vocal stuff now. However, I have noticed that I write melodies which are too fast to be sung. Can someone tell me roughly what a "slow" vocal melody would be and a "fast" one? What is an…
Stan Shunpike
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What is it about the 9th that gets used so much over minor triads by songwriters?

I have come across an uncanny amount of examples in song analysis where the 9th (or 2nd) is used over a minor triad in an important way. I don't just mean as a passing tone but as a, beginning notes, a climax "money" note and even as an ending note…
user35708
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When playing piano and singing is it better to voice the chords out of the way of the vocal?

When I study lead sheet on the piano. The left hand plays the chord and the right hand plays the melody in the next octave up. Should this be the case when singing and playing too? So if I have a lower bass-baritone voice should I voice the chords…
user35708
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