I can play guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo, piano, synth, and I have some hand drums for percussion and I'm pretty good at all of them but in my 10 years of playing, I've never written an *actual* song. Aside from always getting to the final stretch and either deciding it's not good enough or has lots it's feel or just plain getting bored, I feel like the number one thing keeping me from finishing something is that I have no fucking idea what to write a song about.
I can write some really beautiful pieces of music that the few people who've heard have said are really good, but it eventually just turns into a bunch of chords and notes to me with no real idea behind it. I can sing decently but I'm abysmal at writing lyrics. I never have any idea what to write about or how to make a song interesting, relatable, and memorable instead of just being a typical instrumental track.
What do I do? It's not like I have a boring life or anything, but I can never find anything that makes me want to sing about it
wtf the lyrics are literally the last thing you do.
>>65071523
>the song has lost it's feel
Is what I meant
>How do I write a vocal melody without lyrics?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scat_singing
>>65071523
just write cryptic shit that sounds like it could meme something
>>65071555
trips confirm this
>>65071533
I don't think anything has a certain place in the production of a song, I write everything when it feels right. Sometimes guitar will be the first thing I use, sometimes the last, just the same with every other instrument, but lyrics never end up coming into the picture
Not good, unforced lyrics anyway
>>65071554
Melody isn't the problem. I'm really good with sounds, it's the words that are the problem
And I'm not going to scat through all my music (or any of it for that matter, scat is probably my least favorite form of music)
>>65071575
>unforced
well thats my point. If you're going to force something from literally square one then lyrics are the last thing. You're gonna have to work around the syllables and shit. Even if you write the lyrics first then chances are they'll have to be changed for this reason.
>>65071555
Tried that, it usually comes out seeming cheesy to me.
I would actually prefer my lyrics to be more mysterious and open to interpretation and a lot of the time when I'm writing them, I feel like I'm hitting a stroke of genius with some of the lines. The next day I always feel like a 7th grader wrote them though
Write a song right now.
>>65071606
I know, but my problem is that there have been plenty of times where I have everything written and have a rough recording and everything's good to go, but I can't find the words to put in it to transform it from backing track to song
>>65071640
I am, I sat down with my guitar with the intention of writing something simple and easy, just to break the ice, but once again I've hit the lyrical roadblock
>>65071698
What you say is less important than the feeling behind it.
>>65071698
Seriously write anything, don't overthink it, just write how you feel, a vocal melody is more important, once that's done you have a song. You can change the lyrics as you want over time, think of what you write as a placeholder until you're happy.
There are artists and bands whose lyrics are as important as the melodies or beats.
Many times with music I enjoy, this is not the case whatsoever and the people are singing/screaming about nothing particularly important.
tl:dr: if you can make great sound, lyrics are OH SO secondary
>>65071523
Being able to sing and play instruments doesn't mean you have to make songs.
>>65071746
>>65071766
This is good advice
>>65071781
I know and usually I have enough fun just playing whatever falls out of me, but I do want to have a recording of something to show for all my work and I want to play shows someday too
>>65071766
Lots of truth to this. Somebody could be singing in a completely different language than English but it's still really enjoyable.
>>65071810
>>65071766 here. When you say you want to play shows are you talking solo, on stage somewhere? Or are you in a band m8?
Out of bed and out of breath
My coffee tastes like medicine
Webmd says I might have the cancer
Too afraid to know, I do
Have critters living by
In the vicinity and
My clothes smell like old
This room is cold, my dreams are old
But I'm too keen of my
Cs and Es [read dos and mis]
To let it slip
I'm not complete
>just wrote these, please r8, h8 and etc
>>65071885
6/10
>>65071885
They're OK 6/10 from me too. Remove that awful WebMD line please
>>65071523
Stop trying to write good songs
Just pick a generic verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure and fill in the gaps. Write a terrible song on purpose, that way you won't shoot down any of your ideas because they're supposed to be bad anyway, and your ideas will flow more easily. Finish it then never touch it again.
It's a good writing exercise to do every once in a while, it'll help you develop a habit of writing full songs instead of stagnant song ideas that don't go anywhere
Having one finished shitty song is much more satisfying than a dozen half-finished "good" songs
>>65071857
I'm not in a band, I do everything on my own. I wouldn't mind being in a band or partnering up with someone, but I've never found anyone that has the same musical mindset/similar skill level to me.
I used to be in a band back when I was a teenager and did a lot of shows, but the band crumbled when the bassist and singer learned about alcohol.
Since then, I've played on stage once. I was at a bar and a solo act was playing. In between songs, I mentioned I had the same guitar as him. He somehow heard me, asked what I said, and he asked me to come on stage. All my friends made me go up and I ended up playing a gig with some random guy.
I'd really like to do it again someday but in a more professional setting and with my own music
>>65071810
>>>65071781
But you should want that only if you had something to sing about, otherwise it's just desire of grandstanding
>>65071523
maybe find a vocalist or a friend that can sing and work with him
>>65071998
>>65071766 again; if you're solo then just get your ass on an open mic stage (sabotage a stand-up show if that's all that's nearby - it would be refreshing) with the bogus lyrics you just posted. They are not great, 2/10 honestly, unless you are an emo/shoegaze douche.
Are you a douche, OP?
>>65072245
OP here
I didn't post those lyrics
>>65072262
lol
I posted the lyrics
>>65071935
>>65071987
thanks, what's so cringe about that line though? I could see it working with a little tweaking
>>65072245
appreciate the feedback. could you name some lyrics that you consider a 9/10 or 10/10?
>>65071746
Yeah, this.
Paul McCartney sang "Yesterday" as "Scrambled Eggs" when he was writing it
>>65072044
This
>>65071523
songwriting takes practice. it's like anything else. it is hard. you just have to start and push on. don't expect sultans of swing on your first try
does anyone on /mu/ know any good sites to learn piano?
>>65073283
I can do stuff on piano by ear most of the time but if I can't, I usually turn to youtube for help. Most tutorials are really in depth
