How do YOU come up with new melodies and riffs?

[senselocke]

Hello all.

I've been in a few bands over the past six years, and I find myself all alone again (no-one else has the drive to stick with it). The stuff I write is mostly guitar-based quasi-industrial metal, but I can't dig the whole shrieking singer stuff, so the vocal lines and melodies are a lot more blues-esque. Basically, I want a groove, a grind, I want moshers, and I want a danceable beat, all in the same song.

Now going through the two dozen songs we had, I realized that I wrote most if not all of the parts myself. Problem is, I absolutely suck at writing by myself. For some reason, if there are other musicians to bounce ideas off of, even if they don't actively write, I can come up with hooks for days, but when I'm by myself, I always come back to the same old stuff I had before. The few songs that we actually managed to record have been played on the radio, and sound incredible, but I just don't know how to proceed solo.

So, here's the question: What do you all do when you can't think of anything? When you can't come up with any fresh riffs or melodies, and you seem stuck in a rut? Again, I know this is more a site for RnB and hip hop, but good music is good music. Do you have any tips or tricks? Any techniques? Do you write with a guitar or with a beat, or neither? Do you write at night or during the day? Do you listen to other people's music for inspiration or not? Should I scrounge up a keyboard to fiddle with?

My method is this: I usually come up with vocal melodies first, then try to flesh out the guitars/bass/etc, then the words and beats when I have the vibe of the song. How do you go from a single melody to a full song?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, even if it doesn't sound all that impressive to you, it might be a huge help to me. So what are your tricks, what's your method?

~SenseLocke

ps - Two songs are up at Myspace, under fallchildrenband. They're old, but good.

 

[as20gp]

lol this is GREAT.. nice change of pace so ima address ur questions in the way u asked them

1. When you can't think of anything.. Relax!.. take your mind off music for a lil bit, listen to some music that is a little out of your rhythm.. if u've been listening to rock all day, listen to some techno.. just to throw ur ears off guard.. something will spark ur creativity that way

2. listen to some of your favorite songs, and notice the instrumentation.. how everything is set up, the timings and everything.. try and build songs similar to ones that you like.. try to commit to a formula, if ur favorite song is using blues scales, use blues scales as well just in a different format.. it gives u something to identify to.

3. im not really a songwriter, but i write during the day, mainly because school is when i day dream and think of the most creative stuff.. try not to overload ur mind on writing, thats when the best ideas come to you

4. listen to other peoples songs for inspiration, just try not to take their melodies.. i often end up doin that sometimes.. and have to alter my songs a lil bit, because they sound a lot like parts of songs.. but thats easy to fix once u develop a sound u really love

5. if u got an keyboard layin around, sure go ahead and use it, it cant hurt in creating songs..

 

[Bezo]

So, here's the question: What do you all do when you can't think of anything?

Listen to music. I will usually hear something and say, "that would sound cooler if..."

Do you have any tips or tricks? Any techniques?

On occasion I will practice(guitar). Sometimes I'll come up with something or see something in a book that makes me say, "that would sound cool if..."

Do you write with a guitar or with a beat, or neither? Do you write at night or during the day? Do you listen to other people's music for inspiration or not? Should I scrounge up a keyboard to fiddle with?

When I write rock or r&b tunes, I write with a guitar. When I write reggae tunes, I write with a bass. When I write hip hop tracks, I program drums and hum parts to myself.

My method is this: I usually come up with vocal melodies first, then try to flesh out the guitars/bass/etc, then the words and beats when I have the vibe of the song. How do you go from a single melody to a full song?

My method is almost the reverse of yours. Even when writing with my guitar/bass, I always program a drum pattern first. The tempo and pattern seem to inspire bass lines & rythym parts.

If it's going to be more groove than song, I reach for the bass first. If it's going to be about chord changes, I reach for the guitar. Once I have almost a full backing track, I then write melodies. Lyrics come last.