Quote:

Mitch,

I approach songwriting in a few different ways. Whatever approach, though, I use BIAB pretty much entirely for the song development process. Sometimes, very rarely, I work on a keyboard. The work flow that I mostly use is as follows.
[LIST]
  • Load in a PG Music demo song or use chords from an existing song. This is the usual starting place for my chord progression. Often the chord progression ends up quite different from what it starts out as but I find it easier to begin with something.
  • Find a style I like.
  • Continually play the chord progression with the added style. Eventually snippets of lyrics pop into my mind. The lyrics at this stage are rhythmical only and have no melody.
  • When a verse and chorus of lyrics have grown, I then use Notation Editor to begin shaping a melody. First, I enter the notes rhythmically using chord tones ('cause the lyrics are only rhythmical at this point). Then I pull the notes up and down the stave to get a melody that I like.
  • As the melody grows, the lyrics change, the chord progression gets modified, and eventually a song evolves.



    Noel,

    I like your method of composing the melody.
    If I still had sight I think that's probably the way I'd approach writing the melody too.
    I did a lot of writing music via music notation in college while taking some music theory courses.
    Of course back then we did that by hand.
    Unfortunately no BIAB back then.
    Also the only way you could hear what you wrote was to find other students who were willing to play your stuff.
    Thank god for BIAb. Lol.

    Tim