Backing Music

[daniellelouise]

hi everyone, i have written a song which i am happy with, but stuck with the tune of it?

the trouble is i don't play any instruments, and don't have garageband, only audacity

do i download some sort of free software or download something off YouTube?

i want this to sound professional

 

thanks, help appreciated, new to this >.<

[john]

Hi Danielle,

Neither. If you can only write lyrics you need a writing partner. Someone to collaborate with on writing songs.

If you have a musical ear and patience you could use free DAW software to put a song together, but for quite a long time that is likely to be simply a learning experience. You will get better results working WITH an experienced music writer. It may take a bit of effort to find the right co-writer.

Don't rip off anyone else's music. The song would never then be yours and you could do nothing with it without being slammed for theft. You might get away with it for a short while but it always catches up with writers and it won't end well. Not a good way to start your music career. Once labelled for such activity it will follow you everywhere.

It is far better in the short term to accept your limitations and make the most of your abilities. Be patient. If you are determined to write your own music then there really isn't an option... learn an instrument.

There are no short cuts.

That's my two cents.

[derekeverett]

I use a piece of software called Songframe to help with writing sometimes. There are times when I need/want to be quiet so the acoustic guitar won't do. It's just basic piano chords that play, but it's more than enough to lay out a song.

 

Songframe is fairly easy to learn, and they have thousands of progressions for the choosing. I think someone with no real musical training could get the hang of it fairly quickly. If you go to Youtube and search "Songframe" some videos should come up. The channel called TanagerAudioWorks should have all the vids on it.

 

There is other such software on the market too. Band in a box is another, although I'm not really familiar with it.

 

A songwriting partner that does have a musical background is in many ways the best solution, but in my experience relying solely on another person sucks.

 

Hope that helps.

[drumguy4all]

I guess you could use programs that write your music if you don't have the ability to. But, what separates a great song from a mediocre one is how it is written. I am a studio drummer and I have worked with alot of musicians over the years. Some of the musicians have sent me songs constructed in band in a box or some other program and I can tell you from experience you can tell the difference between a punched in programmed song and one that is actually written. Just like the programmed drum parts I replace the one common thread is you can't program "feel" so my advice to you is to find some musicians online that you can collaborate with until you learn to play an instrument such as guitar or piano and compose your own music. I disagree that working with an online musician "sucks" i do feel there are some people out there that aren't pleasant to work with but if you hire them you can fire them. The majority of online musicians that provide the services are trying to build bridges not burn them so shop around.