[Putting Music To Lyrics]

Both.

I invisioned a tune in my head, I wrote the lyrics down in the melody, but now it's the music that I hear in my head for the lyrics that I can't turn into reality.

[Putting Music To Lyrics]

Hey,

Thanks for the advice, guys.

In response to roxhythe, I am the same as you in terms of it all coming from that mysterious place. I can hear the music in my head, I just can't seem to duplicate it in real life, that's the trouble.

I got a bass line though, so that's a start.

[Putting Music To Lyrics]

Hey,

I've gotten myself into a bit of nasty predicament. Normally I write the music first, and then add lyrics in later. But the other day I was sitting at my computer and a song just flowed out. It has a great (in my opinion) melody and I really want to keep it, but it's been three days of sitting fiddling with my guitar/bass/drums and I can't think of anything.

It's horrible! Nothing seems to work! I imagine it with an orchestra, but even that has musical notes, right? It's really driving me mad. I've tried just drums, drums and bass, just bass, just guitar, guitar and bass, just vocals! Nothing works.

Any tips on overcoming something like this?

[Screaming]

Really?

An Oasis gig was the first place I ever got pissed Great night that.

[Writing Bass Over Guitar]

Sadly I lost a lot of patience with this kind of thing after the bassast in my last band appeared to be both tone deaf AND rhythm deficient! Apparently he's got better now, but I now give up very quickly with problems that remind me of him... Lol.

lol...cheers.

[Writing Bass Over Guitar]

Right, I changed F#m11 simply to F.

Now I just need to tighten up the bass line I think.

[Writing Bass Over Guitar]

Hey,

Thanks for the reply. What note did you change it too? Any advice would be great.

I don't know about Powertab Editor, me and the guitarist for my band just play with each other. (He strums the chords btw) and I thought it sounded alright. Well, at the very least nothing seemed to clash.

Also, personally I don't feel that Powertab Editor really works the way it should. I play a lot of stuff in real life that doesn't sound good in there. Even already existing songs with flawless bass/guitar notes sound weird.

Any advice on that first note?

Thanks.

[How To Read Tab...?]

I usually use "~" to mean hold the note, rather than vibrato. I use a "v" for vibrato e.g. 5v

Guess each to his own.

[How To Read Tab...?]

Hey,

Each line obviously represents a string. So the 1st line is the first string etc.

So for this song you would go to the third string and go down to the seventh fret on that string. That's the first note, then you go would go up two frets to the 9, etc. etc.

[Writing Bass Over Guitar]

Alright here's a question.

Right, say I've written a verse. It has the following four chords, played in 1/2 time./

F#m11

E

F#

G#

Now say that plays along, and the bass is playing this: (please don't steal my bass line! - I only wrote it today)

1--------------------|-----------------------|--------------------|--------------------------

2------------3--2---|----9--11--9----------|-----------3--2----|----------------------------

3-----3--5----------|---------------11--9---|---3--5------------|------2--3--0-------------

4--------------------|------------------------|--------------------|--3----------------------

So you got four chords and four bars of bass music.

I think it sound acceptable - is there something wrong with it? I don't see how the bass line relates to the guitar at all. In fact, they were written with each other only vaguely in mind.

This is what I don't understand. I think it sounds alright, but from a technical standpoint, is there something wrong here?

[Screaming]

It's strange, I don't like any screaming at all, especially bands like Linkin Park etc. I find it unneccessary - but I do like it in Nirvana. But that's because I felt like Kurt was screaming for a reason. It just seemed to mean more to the song. Other times I hear bands screaming their lungs out for no apparent reason. The line could be "I Love You" and these bands would still roar:

"I Love Yoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooou!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

So sometimes, yeah - if it's pulled off well.

[Bass...?]

Hey neoism,

Don't want to butt in, but I can understand why all this may be confusing.

Being very limited in my musical vocabulary, in the easiest terms I would tell you,

The bass plays the same notes as a guitar, except tuned lower. It provides that "dum-dum-dum-dum" sound in songs, and generally adds to the rhythm in the song. You know when you stand outside a club and you can hear that distant "durn-durn-durn-durn-durn" sound? That's the bass.

Ever heard Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust?"

Well that main line is all bass. I'm sure after listening to that, you'll know what we're on about.

And sorry to Nightwolf and that - but if I wasn't familiar to bass that's how I would describe it to me. lol. I guess it's cause I've only been playing for a year, I can still relate to that feeling of "huh?"

[Self-critical]

Is anyone here massively self-critical? I amen't usually, but lately, I've been looking over my songs, and thinking: "these are all shit," and throwing most of them away.

Anyone else have this problem?

Also, because I've never played these songs live, they just sit gathering dust. Which means that as my prefrences change, I go back and think certain songs aren't very good.

[What Makes Up A Chord?]

Do you know, it's strange, my guitar teacher just started teaching me all this stuff at my lesson today. And I didn't even mention it.

I would have asked in the first place, but he teaches me bass, so it would have been a bit weird. Thanks for the help everyone, I (think) I might just be grasping the concept...

P.S. Lazz, I think that site just about scrambled my mind.

[Most recognizable drum beat?]

Surely it's We Will Rock You?

And also Scentless Apprentice by Nirvana is pretty good.

[What Makes Up A Chord?]

So is there a rule to be able to figure out what the chord is by the notes it consists of? Like "C" for example, if I'm right, that seems to be made up of playing 2 "E"'s and a "C" - so why is that a C chord?

[What Makes Up A Chord?]

I'm getting tired of putting my fingers into some chord position, and not knowing what it is. Or forgetting chord names, and being unable to write down something I've written.

I think it's about time I learned what makes up a chord.

Does anything make up a chord? I tried going over this a few months ago, but totally didn't understand it. Can anyone help out?

It would be greatly appreciated.

[Have You Named Your Guitar?]

I dont name my guitars but my mate calls his les paul "Violet" lol

wtf, my guitar's called Violet! Weird...It isn't a les paul though.

[Writing Bass Over Guitar]

Thanks a lot for the interesting and relevant information. If you have anything else to add, it's greatly appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

[Writing Bass Over Guitar]

Playing Bass in a Rock Band by ME

may bee that will help a bit

Thanks, I had forgotten about that article, I've actually read it through a few times, ever since I decided that I wasnted to go for bass over guitar.

Very informative, thanks.

[Writing Bass Over Guitar]

Playing Bass in a Rock Band by ME

may bee that will help a bit

Thanks, I had forgotten about that article, I've actually read it through a few times, ever since I decided that I wasnted to go for bass over guitar.

Very informative, thanks.

[Writing Bass Over Guitar]

Hey,

Whenever I write a song, I tend to write the guitar music first, (comes easier and helps me while writing) and then I'll write the bass in later.

Usually, the guitar would just be playing chords with the odd solo, so it was quite easy to write the bass in. I was extremely lazy most of the time, and if the guitar was playing an A chord, I would just have the bass play an A chord, (occasionaly I would write a long complicated bass line, but not very often)

However, recently, for some unknown reason, I've stepped my game up a bit with the guitar. Now a lot of my songs have numerous sections in different keys etc.

So my question is, is there a guideline to writing bass over guitar? Do the notes have to match? Is there any note that won't go with another note etc.

Sorry if it's a stupid question, I know I tend to have a lot of those, but I don't have many other people to ask and I trust the information I get here.

Thanks in advance.

[You Tube Music Videos]

Cool song that I only heard recently, but really, really dig:

MGMT - Time To Pretend

[The Blues]

Thanks, Jules.

How about the Beatles' "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" ?

That's a blues.

Isn't "Yer Blues" - also by The Beatles, also on The White Album - supposed to be The Beatles attempt at a full-on blues song? For me, growing up listening to The Beatles, Yer Blues was always the eptiome of the blues song. If someone said to me blues, that's the song I would think of. Which is where all my misconceptions about the exact definiton of the phrase may have sprang from. The suicidal lyrics etc. It made me think that's what a blues song is meant to be.

But, in all honesty I don't really have a clue. Does it have to do with lyrical content, musical content or both?

[The Blues]

Thanks, Jules.

How about the Beatles' "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" ?

That's a blues.

So is "Hound Dog" (by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, not Elvis).

Neither of which strike me as 'sad'.

Do you have a couple of illustrative examples to help me follow your thinking ?

Anyone else ?

Oh no, I know, as I said, it's probably just a misconception, but for some reason that's what I think when I think Blues. I don't have any specific examples, just blues songs that I can remember hearing. It's quite bizzare.