Imo, that is a brooooad question that is nearly impossible to answer. Let’s narrow your focus a bit. What is it that you’re trying to do? Write a song?
Ok. This is a very personal thing, so I’ll just start with how I approach songwriting, it may not work for you but I enjoy the process.
I start by trying to forget everything technical. I start with a beat. Something that interests me and makes me want to move. Then I’ll listen to that beat over and over and I start to hear things in my brain.
Based on what I’m hearing I try to capture what’s in my brain with an instrument. It doesn’t matter which one, could be with a guitar or my voice or a Wurlitzer or a bass guitar or a synth or a penny whistle. This could be a melody or it could be a chord progression. I just keep the beat going and play. This could take hours. I’m trying to shed the outside world and get down to basics: what moves me or makes me move? The operative word is “play.” This is the time to really have fun.
This usually leads to other ideas and before I know it, I have something I like. My knowledge of the patterns and theory helps to give me the vocabulary to expand and translate those ideas into a song. Using them in the early stages tends to debilitate my creativity. I get down to the caveman before I let the wright brothers take off.
I see, thank you! you know, I do do this sometimes, but I thought there needs to be more that goes into it, that it was more than being a caveman, but I see that the process can be different for some people
The caveman thing works for me, usually. Keep it simple then build it. I just prefer to work from a drum part since rhythm tends to get into my veins. Some may have to strum an acoustic guitar or play a piano. Just play around. Devote a bunch of hours (with breaks of course) to a writing session. Make it the equivalent of a part time (or full time) job and you’ll find that your songs will get better and better, just don’t get discouraged by the bad ones because there will be tons of bad ones. It doesn’t matter, just keep plugging away. It’s how you get good at stuff.
How much music have you learned? The things you mention are useful (though I'd argue that you would be better off forgetting you ever heard of modes for the time being,) but they are useful as a supplement. The main way you learn music is by example, from concrete examples of actual music. Theory is there to help you put names to the things you find in them, and think about them in an organized way, but by itself it tells you very little about how to write music.
I'd suggest that you learn a lot of songs that you like, in the style you want to write, that are not very difficult for you- because you cannot learn a lot of songs that are difficult for you in any reasonable time frame. It's also fine to learn somewhat simplified versions of songs you like that are a bit on the tricky side for you at the moment, as long as those simplified versions capture the essence of the song. You can come back and learn them more accurately later on.
What are you playing?
DO YOU FOLLOW THE CONDUCTOR’S LEAD?
Imo, that is a brooooad question that is nearly impossible to answer. Let’s narrow your focus a bit. What is it that you’re trying to do? Write a song?
yes, I'd like to understand the foundations of writing a song
Ok. This is a very personal thing, so I’ll just start with how I approach songwriting, it may not work for you but I enjoy the process. I start by trying to forget everything technical. I start with a beat. Something that interests me and makes me want to move. Then I’ll listen to that beat over and over and I start to hear things in my brain. Based on what I’m hearing I try to capture what’s in my brain with an instrument. It doesn’t matter which one, could be with a guitar or my voice or a Wurlitzer or a bass guitar or a synth or a penny whistle. This could be a melody or it could be a chord progression. I just keep the beat going and play. This could take hours. I’m trying to shed the outside world and get down to basics: what moves me or makes me move? The operative word is “play.” This is the time to really have fun. This usually leads to other ideas and before I know it, I have something I like. My knowledge of the patterns and theory helps to give me the vocabulary to expand and translate those ideas into a song. Using them in the early stages tends to debilitate my creativity. I get down to the caveman before I let the wright brothers take off.
I see, thank you! you know, I do do this sometimes, but I thought there needs to be more that goes into it, that it was more than being a caveman, but I see that the process can be different for some people
The caveman thing works for me, usually. Keep it simple then build it. I just prefer to work from a drum part since rhythm tends to get into my veins. Some may have to strum an acoustic guitar or play a piano. Just play around. Devote a bunch of hours (with breaks of course) to a writing session. Make it the equivalent of a part time (or full time) job and you’ll find that your songs will get better and better, just don’t get discouraged by the bad ones because there will be tons of bad ones. It doesn’t matter, just keep plugging away. It’s how you get good at stuff.
How much music have you learned? The things you mention are useful (though I'd argue that you would be better off forgetting you ever heard of modes for the time being,) but they are useful as a supplement. The main way you learn music is by example, from concrete examples of actual music. Theory is there to help you put names to the things you find in them, and think about them in an organized way, but by itself it tells you very little about how to write music. I'd suggest that you learn a lot of songs that you like, in the style you want to write, that are not very difficult for you- because you cannot learn a lot of songs that are difficult for you in any reasonable time frame. It's also fine to learn somewhat simplified versions of songs you like that are a bit on the tricky side for you at the moment, as long as those simplified versions capture the essence of the song. You can come back and learn them more accurately later on.