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Wonder if you guys can advise me. I’m having a go at songwriting and as I always ignored any kind of theory in my younger years I am now paying the price for that decision. So when I write guitar solos for a song, I’ve always used the Blues scale (caged box system), major and minor positions etc. This has always worked for me when there’s already been a track for me to play over I.e. melody and mood/sound etc. However, I’m starting from scratch, coming up with the chord progression etc.
So my question is when writing do you just play around with the major scale to come up with a melody etc. Maybe embellish the chords later with nicer chord extensions etc. I suppose one has to be aware of Modes - ol’ god I’ve said that word. Just wish I can fully use and understand them
What would your usual processes be in songwriting etc.
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Rhythm plays a big part in it too. The groove you're working with matters.
Bandcamp
Spotify, Apple et al
Steal.
Take a song you like.
Use that progression
Speed it up
Slow it down.
change the rhythm
mutter any old codswallop, just let it out.
record
rpt.
start again.
rpt
I also think about the arrangement of songs alot too, like section by section, as a guitar tutor I'm forever learning and teaching songs so I get used to how they're structured. Take one of your favourite songs and look at how its laid out, what does it start with, how many choruses are there and where's the main hook, etc.
C Major Chords:
C Dm Em F G Am Bdim = I ii iii IV V vi viidim
C Major Scale:
c d e f g a b = 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
So, C Major = c e g = 1 3 5, with non-chord tones d f a b = 2 4 6 7
Everything is repetition after this, e.g. Dm = 2 4 6, Em = 3 5 7 etc..
http://www.piano-keyboard-guide.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/music_chords_in_the_key_of_a_b_c_d_e_f_g_flat_sharp_major.png
http://www.piano-keyboard-guide.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/music_chords_in_the_key_of_a_b_c_d_e_f_g_flat_sharp_minor.png
Maybe download an app for your phone, so that you can have an easy reference close to hand. I use Chord! which is pretty good. When I play a solo I am mostly interested in the position of the tonic & the dominant notes (1&5), and I generally play around those by ear. This is also where the non-chord tones come in handy if you are looking for different flavours.
You can reverse search with Chord! too, so find some notes that you like, do a scale search and then find the associated harmony chords. There are a lot of ways of doing the same thing!
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
So for me it starts with a riff, chord progression of bass line.
Then once I have a few sections I'lls tart to think about the peaks and troughs in intensity I want to ahve in the song and try out a rough structure. Only then will I look at vocal ideas (although these days more often I'll work with my bands singer for that since he's way better).
Stuff like the solo I wont think of in terms of modes or scales but first i'll chart it out in what major sections do I want. Like do I want long held notes here, or do i want fast runs to build into a crescendo. Once I have that outline ill just play random garbage in the right style and repeat until I iterate onto something I like..
So while I might not have the most muscially accomplished solo, it will be one that has some direction and tells a story.
For something that's more chord or arpeggio driven I might play around within the chord shape looking for notes that add the right "colour" to the basic progression.