Need tips on writing music

[CenterStage]

I'm not very good at this whole music thing, and came here hoping to get better.

The short version is, I taught myself how to play on a pair of acoustic guitars. I never got very good (the upstrum is beyond me), just playing simple melodies with chords, and Hey There Delilah.

Then I kind of stopped playing for six months or so. I've been itching to get back into it again lately, mostly because I've written another song.

The problem I always have, though, is that I find it nearly impossible to translate what I hear in my head to actual played music. I've never been able to read music (I taught myself how to read tabs, at least), so I do everything by ear, and sometimes finding the right chord or derivative or power chord or what have you is really damn hard.

So, yes, I would like some tips on figuring out how to play the music in my head. I'd really love to get this song written down and maybe even record it. That would be just the thing to get me back into music again.

[Conduit]

FIRST THINGS FIRST U NEED TO HAV SOMTHING THAT CAN PLAY MUSIC!!!! A vcr or a tape recorder can work butt its better if u hav a computur. OKAY so heers the steps if u hav the computer
1. Find a "program" leik awwdasity
2. press the red circul button
3. play ur musik
4. then press the sideways triangle 2 listen 2 ur musik
5. if its a hitt song put on a website leik "YUTUBE" or "MYSPACE" (EBAY isnt as good as thees)

Come on, really?
A new musician comes to the site and this is how you greet them?
*shakes head*

Unfortunately I don't have time to give a full answer to this question right now, but I'll reply later tonight.

[Lavender_Harmony]

Please don't post useless garbage like that in response to a genuine question. Did you even read Makkon's thread? Any more of that and it'll be a month ban.

To respond to the OP, learning how to play what you hear in your head takes a lot of prsctice. A good exercise is tolearn a song or two either by ear or from tab, then sit with your guitar, recall a certain section and play it from memory. Being able to recite from memory is good, but it can be interpreted in just shapes and motions. Actually playing that song in your head, and picking a particular part you hear and playing it back is good training.

[Stars In Autumn]

Deleted the asshattery and replies. Translation from what is in your head to a song takes practice. It is different for everyone. You can try singing or humming the song in a recorder to capture the melody. Or just playing on a keyboard or guitar until you get it roughly right and then record that too.

[Acsii]

I'd recommend goign over some music theory and learning the circle of fifths if you don't know it. Also if you have a keyboard just improvise on it, this will help you practice getting your thoughts to the instrument. Hope this helps... And is it just me or has there been a sudden incline in dickish replies lately

[Conduit]

For starts, try to train your ear. Some exercises would be to play a note on a keyboard or guitar and try to name it just by the sound. It's also important to be able to name notes on whatever you play. If you play guitar, take some time to sit down and figure out what frets correspond to which notes. If you get good at this, you can here a melody in your head, immediately name all of the notes, and transcribe them to a guitar or any other instrument of your choice.

[CenterStage]

I've always found I have a major disconnect between what notes sound like and what they're called. I just can't put them together. I know enough, or at least have access to enough music theory that if I figure out what key something is in, I can work out chords. I did that once, I'm not really sure how.

Maybe it's just the monumental task of looking at a new song and having to start from scratch again. Having spent so long at my usual art, learning to make art again is just a completely different skill.

Well, I guess it's all in my head, I suppose. Thanks. Glad I didn't come here just to see that reply. To think, I like that guy's music.

[Spectre]

It's difficult to jump right into creating a reality of something in your head without mastering the instruments first. It takes a bit of time, but the fact that you're already piecing together songs without even playing them is a telltale sign of a musical genius in the making. Beethoven was deaf. He had to match the sounds in his head by feeling the vibrations of the instruments when he played them.

It'll just take some work to get there though. Try taking some classes and learning to play other music first. Once you get more comfortable, venture out and experiment with sound. There's no quick solution, unfortunately, but you'll get there soon enough.