Dolce

Good tip! It is amazing how many melodies follow natural speech inflections -when there is a strong accent the note often goes up accordingly -there are of course exceptions -often when the melody goes down on a strong accent -it happens on a strong beat -similarly with a repeated note -well worth studying this.

Well, why not take songs you like and use them as a template. You could use exactly the same chords but change the melody or keep the melodic rhythm but change the pitches -You could become a little more creative and change the chord durations, but keep the progressions -and make up a new melody =OR you could write out the chords of the song in each section and vary their order and durations - At least this way you will pick up how to write in various forms and keys. Good luck.

I love the approach in this video -though applying the choices would mean so many great songs would never have been written if it was applied -and what about minor keys? Modes? Blues Scale? Pentatonics? This is not to say you couldn't apply these ideas and make a great song -

First of all you need to be able to play to one or two friends- and then their friends -you have to realise one thing and one thing only -the fact people are watching you can't prevent you being who you are and expressing that though music. Don't allow an audience to intimidate you -they want you to do well and want to be pleased -if you have the confidence you can do that -there is nothing to be afraid of -enjoy it.

I would love to know if anyone mixes and masters like I do - and if you think my way is fundamentally wrong - why is it wrong? ;;;;; What I tend to do, is produce my song until I am happy with the general way the instruments work together. Then, I use the Master Bus - to place a top quality Parametric EQ - MultibandCompressor -and limiter. Then I can adjust any parameter in the mix I want - I sometimes find that after multicompressing - I can improve the sound by reducing compression on certain instruments - and changing pre eq in the fx chain to post eq can make the sound fuller and smoother somehow - I try both anyway! I feel that only the pros know when a mix is ready to bounce down to a single wave file - I have never liked mastering like this - When I export my song to a AIF/MP3 it is mastered!

Since you will be recording bass - I suggest you add a sub -woofer - cos bass guitar frequencies go lower than the 45hz - which the KRKS deliver. Another option is to swap/upgrade the KRKS for Mackie HR824's which will give you more bass extension. You can't really go wrong with the Focusrite Audio Interface - Personally I love the Lexicon interfaces - cos they give me another great reverb option. There is something quite magical about Lexicon Reverbs.

Both replies so far have been very insightful. There are online classes you can take. I have watched quite a few Berklee School of Music Videos on YouTube - and of course that site is in itself a great resource. Also I have found the people on this site to be very helpful and knowledgable, as well as there being sound advice and articles posted in the forums. Just keep working at it. Don't aim too high too soon - unless you are a genius!

I just think believing is better because there is a subtle aliteration between that and the behind in the previous line - though there is nothing wrong intrinsically with knowing! Sorry, I should have mentioned that. Well if you write your two lines together - The thing I once called love To find out I was alone - do you think this makes a good sentence? Compare this with your last two lines: But now I'm a mess, Afraid to fall again. This is good. Also your first verse is really excellent - I think it is always a good idea to use commas and full stops when we are writing verse - even if we omit them later -

Hi Phill - welcome to Songstuff! My name is Phil also, though I am from South Wales.

I also like this. I think that we all can relate and that makes it universal - There are a few issues though - @Giving me (to) many choices@ the to should be too - but it is an easy oversight - Maybe this verse could be improved though I thought I fell before But always wanted more I hid behind my smile Knowing it was juvenile ------------ Believing and not Knowing? The thing I once called love ------------ These two lines To find out I was alone -------------- Don't make a good sentence my heart was turned to stone --------------- Nor do the next 2 Once was blessed But now I'm a mess Afraid to fall again

Wow - I really admire your patience through this whole process!

Adele is the best female singer on the planet bar none. I like Stevie Nicks as well. Both women are great lyricists too . Male vocalists I like are Peter Gabriel and Ozzy Osbourne.

It's a good idea -but I agree that you would need some kind of strong motif to carry through each emotion - also if the second verse is about stability, there the song could end - it is probably wiser to order it as Anxiety, Anger, Sadness and Stability -In fact many Blues or Country songs take this sort of form - ending with lines like I now sit in my rockin' chair Smokin my pipe and cleaning my shack Watchin' the road from time to time Though my tired eyes are dimming I know she ain't never coming back - But I keep watchin', all the same. Top of my head stuff but that kind of stability - but not so stable that all the previous verses have angst have lost their power.

That's a hard question to answer. I wrote a song recently which didn't really work, because I mixed poetic language with more direct language - so consistency is important. I think also you can't really teach this - you either have it or you don't.