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Post by julienbakerfan on Jul 9, 2020 20:38:15 GMT -6
Just curious about everyone's song processes.
Often I come up with a title or a lyric first, then build a song around it. I usually come up with a lot of the song in my head and then figure it out on guitar, though sometimes I jam around on the guitar and come up with something. I usually keep songs in my head for a long time before I write them down or complete them. The good side is that I'm able to filter out anything I come up with that isn't memorable; the bad side is I have a lot of uncompleted song ideas in my head that I've never written down or recorded.
I hate recording and rarely do it.
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Post by Thomas Eversole on Jul 11, 2020 13:25:37 GMT -6
I hate recording and rarely do it. I think I would too if recording for me was separate from the writing. For Orationem/Ankou Awaits, I start with the drums, without knowing what anything else in the music is. Actually, without even knowing what the drums will be. Black metal is really only less than a dozen different beats anyway so... I just sit down to play different combinations (sort of) than what I did before, and the recording of that is just me "going" on drums. (well the first 3 Ankou Awaits albums were sequenced drums but still done first) Once I have a skeleton for all the songs (just a number of only drumming tracks) then I go to record guitars for it. I have no idea what I'm going to play when I go to record. I more or less playback a section of drums a couple times, "find" guitar riffs I want (playing with the drums I recorded), then record it after I'd practiced it a few times. Repeat for all guitars, all sections, all songs, full album. (An issue I had in the 5th, 6th and 7th Orationem albums is I would "find again", riffs I already did on prior albums - so I'd have to scrap them, then "find" brand new ones.) Then I write lyrics. Or yoink them from scripture which is much lazier easier less work. I have no idea what the vocals will be like while writing lyrics, but it works out. Then I record vocals. Much like my drum and guitars writing, its just winged, and I record a briefly practiced winging. When it comes to my piano stuff, its more like the writing you described, julienbakerfan. (I'll include the 2nd Disgyblaeth with this as well) I spend time at the piano writing a "song", memorizing what I wrote, practicing it over and over so I can consistently play it without mistakes, then I go to record it. The sequenced albums I wrote (4 Hguols, 1st Disgyblaeth) its much like the guitar recording process... except instead of recording live guitar, I sequence the notes in the pattern I wrote them, while in arms reach of the software I'm using to put it together.
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Post by nocturnaliridescence on Jul 12, 2020 9:38:58 GMT -6
It varies so much for me. Most often, I have musical ideas and write lyrics based around them ("Ab Morte Libera Me"). Sometimes I write lyrics first and write music to go along with them. At least once I've written lyrics and music separately, then just fit them together somehow ("God, Conqueror of Dark Spiritual Legions").
Sometimes I improvise everything. (Basically every Ligature Strangulation song)
Sometimes I have an idea of how I want an entire release to go, and write based on that. (Catacomb EP)
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Post by Borndead on Jul 15, 2020 12:22:19 GMT -6
It depends from song to song. Sometimes I start with a song title, or a riff, or a theme (be it musical or lyrical) then I build the song around it. Very often I improvise on an idea and see where it takes me. But other times, I have a precise idea that I "just" have to record.
I do love all of it, writing, singing, recording, making cover art everything except mixing(i´m bad at mixing)
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Post by thevociferator on Jul 28, 2020 0:54:11 GMT -6
So for me it depends on the style of music I'm writing.
For all metal styles I basically do what Thomas described. I start with drums, except I do things per drumbeat section. So I sequence a drum pattern then I find a riff to do with it. Rinse and repeat until satisfied. I then go back over and record bass and then whatever leads come to me. After that then I will come up with lyrics. I haven't been super serious about my metal lyrics lately so it's just been random crap lately until I feel like if something needs words and will actually be released, then I'll actually care.
But I'm also working on a country project with my roommate and that is the inverse process. We start with vox, then find a chord progression, then do drums and everything else. That's still a very new thing of mine though so not sure when it'll warrant any other post about it.
Also I'll say that all the real creative juices of a metal song for me comes from the riffs, so I may get ideas while just jamming but once I get into songwriting mode I still start with drums.
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