how to improve songwriting

[elpea117]

i cant songwrite for ****! Ive wrote my load of riffs and i just keep getting the same old stuff, chugga chugga powerchord. I play metal and i think my lead guitarist is losing hope on me, i need some way to improve my sonwriting and write decent metal riffs.

[Metallica8971]

i cant songwrite for ****! Ive wrote my load of riffs and i just keep getting the same old stuff, chugga chugga powerchord. I play metal and i think my lead guitarist is losing hope on me, i need some way to improve my sonwriting and write decent metal riffs.



try to get inspired by something, like me. I always go and watch rusty cooely or michael angelo on their webstie and it just inspires me sometimes and then BAM a cool riff comes by

[maxiscool]

I wouldnt be inspired by rusty booorninly and michael snoozealo. Maybe to increas my technique and speed but not song writing. Playing 9 million notes per second doesnt mean you can write anything thats intresting.

[Black Star]

check out some Planet X. They are inspiring me alot lately.

[elpea117]

inspiration hasnt seemed to do much for me, ive watched the michaelangleo videos and some other peoples videos many times over.

[60'sguitarrocks]

you talking about lyrics or music or both?

[elpea117]

music, as in guitar riffs. i play rhythem guitar.

[Metallica8971]

people have their own ways of inspiring themselves, i always get inspired when i see people 10 times better then me play, orr when i hear a real cool riff i get insspired to make one as good as that.

[xxjohnboy]

listen to what other players are doing and mutilate it in your own special way. :) When you listen to your favourite songs try and figure out what makes them sound cool. Does the riff use open strings mixed with fretted notes higher on the fretboard? Does the guitar riff go in time with the drum beat or does it go slightly after or before or whatever to give it a groovier feel? does it play off the drums? do the drums go bap bap bap bap and then your guitar follows with a chug chug chugetee chug? is the riff incorporating some major 3rds and tritones etc (instead of just fifths)? what about octaves? they sound cool! Maybe a groovy bass riff under neath it all will make it sound cooler? What about bends? do the do some release bends as well as bending up? Are they doing some up strokes on the strumming? What about muting? Maybe even a tap or two? or pedal tones? Harmonics? There are so many combinations and variations of things you can do when making a song it is not funny. This is the truly most important part of making music rather than how proficient you are on guitar (though that helps :) ) Finding combinations of rhythms and notes and combining that with lyrics (if you intend on having lyrics) that suit and are sung in a way that suits the lyrics and suits the guitar riff and the drum beat.

I digress.... started talking about making music as a whole rather than just guitar riffs. Come up with riffs with a metronome playing and keep your recorder handy! Sometimes all it takes is a funky late change or a nice empty space to make a power chord riff good. The rhythm is just as important (perhaps more) than the notes themselves.

Also the singing melody line can make all the difference to a guitar riff. there is an audioslave song i heard the other day on the radio that uses a riff from bad seed by metallica. It just has a different drum beat and singing. The one with the little down scale played twice and the James goes "Yeah yeah!"
I can't remember how the audioslave one goes at the moment but the guitar riff is the same. Speaking of same riffs. Metallica's "thorn within" uses a riff used by .... damn cant remember the song. anyways... hope i have given you some new ideas to work with.

[Blues_Drive]

I know this is gonna sound kinda weird......but listen to other types of music...learn em. Just take a break from metal for a short bit. Then come back and listen to a few metal songs. Now go try to write a crazy riff. Your style might've changed a bit, but sometimes change is good

[elpea117]

i wouldnt know where to start. My playlists range of music is pretty much, Metal, alternative, punk, and some classic rock.

[Pavlo]

tip1:Your enthusiam while playing makes a big difference on what you play.... so when you play try to think of something that pisses you off and all that energy from your anger will be absorbed into your music.

tip2:Take riffs from metal bands you like and transform them to a melody you like. You can do this by removing a power chord, adding a powerchord, adding bends, playing certain parts louder or quicker, or softer or slower... NO THIS IS NOT CHEATING. You are only adapting other music to best fit yourself and your own musical taste.

tip3:Write a list of short riffs from other bands, and when you run out of ideas fuse 2 riffs from from 2 different bands together, or even 3 different bands. In time you'll be able to come up with your own great riffs.

4.If its metal you play, then stop listening to metal bands when your writing a song. You should listen to punk, alternative, even classical music...

PS. TRY IT! and tell me how it works....

[Evante49]

Rush... nothing I play sounds like them, but listening to them fills me with inspiration.

Also, try listening to stuff that's completely out of your genre (I mean without guitars). Electronica and classical music are great for inspiration. I even went to an opera and was greatly inspired.

[Bimkoblerutso]

As others have been saying, just listen to some songs you like, and change them, even if the changes are ever so subtle. Even John Lennon has admitted to doing it at times in his career, so don't feel bad. Plus, in folk music the sharing of music was encouraged among artists. I mean, if you just begin to incorporate many different songs and styles (as you get better at it that is) you may stumble upon a style of your own, THEN you can start making completely original.

[Bimkoblerutso]

Oh, and listen to the MC5 and hear how they can turn a three chord riff into rock and roll fury!!!

Seriously though, the MC5 really taught me more about riffing than Sabbath and even punk bands like the Sex Pistols.

[noobcake]

Well my method is very unorthodox yet functional for me. I just open power tabs spend about 5 mins writing random tabs not even thinking of what I'm doing than I listen to what I wrote. Most of the time I think a part of what I wrote isn't half bad then I build off of it this time actually thinking of what I'm doing. Hope that helps :D .