What do YOU do when starting a track?

[EverfreeLuna]

How do you, personally, start out when writing a piece of music?
Do you have a favourite instrument you like to compose melodies in first?

The reason I'm asking is because I somehow got it into my head that composing something with block chords and a single voice melody would be a good starting point. That lead me into a brick wall and now I don't know where to go ;P

http://soundcloud.com/everfreeluna/beaconwip

I'm interested in what you guys do (from all genres) when starting out or fleshing out an idea.

[EverfreeLuna]

Ha, thats quite a deep look into the matter.

I have often found that I can imagine melodies in my head when I'm not at my computer. The trouble is, i often think that the only reason I can imagine such a melody is because I have subconsciously stolen it from somewhere. Then I get paranoid.

Thanks for the info, I'll try looking to things other that a computer screen for inspiration.

[Edened]

I'm one of those people that is always tapping on stuff haha. I always end up just creating a beat at random times on the most random things. For example, one time in math class I was tapping on a calculator and got a great beat out of it. (don't ask me how) I'll end up writing it down on paper as if it were on in sequencer because I'm not usually near my computer. Once I get that down I build a bass line and a melody around it. Or something along those lines

As for guitar...

When i'm writing a track, usually I spend the whole day before improvising on my guitar (usually for a couple of hours) which puts me in the musical mood that I need to be in when writing any type of music

Pretty much that.
And playing outside definitely inspires me when playing guitar.
Although, I still need to get a good mic. so I haven't been able to record anything.

[Versilaryan]

I only ever do the melody + block chords thing if I'm doing a really simple acoustic song where I'm just strumming chords and singing something. The problem with thinking in chords is you lose A LOT of the fluidity of the separate voices in your music. Vertical motion is important, but you have to make sure the separate lines playing are interesting, too.

I usually focus on a feel. What do I want the music to feel like? What emotions do I want to evoke? My inspiration usually comes in the form of hooks or even just simple motifs. The most important part of the piece gets written first, whether it's the chorus, the ending, wherever. Chords are just a means to an end, and melody almost always comes last, after I've figured out what the background's going to sound like.

[EverfreeLuna]

Hmm, i did attempt a slow ambientish track(2 chords ):



If emotion is the key then ambient seems like the perfect genre to practice

[Kopachris]

I actually think of texture and instrumentation first, usually. Getting music from a "feel" is a very cerebral process for me. I know how different intervals and scale degrees feel, so I try a few different combinations and then decide which one works best. Research, hypothesis, experimentation, observation, and conclusion.

[EverfreeLuna]

but i'm learning. And that's what's important.

As someone who knew next to nothing about music theory and music production before attempting this. I completely agree with you there.

[LunchBagMusic]

that's why I try never to reuse anything in my songs

lol Beethoven wrote a couple of different songs using this one melody he wrote.


Anyway, On threadtopic:

I'll get an idea or something and then I'll just sit at my piano and play. Then I'll write it down.

It's that simple. Although ideas are difficult...

[PrincessAddictia]

Usually I start with drums and bass. no pun intended.

[Legion]

Apparently I'm alone in this regard, but I start a track by just designing patch after patch in Massive. Occasionally, it'll lead me to build a halfway decent drop (I do dubstep), which I then use as inspiration for the rest of the track. If you listen to this track, Stroll Through Everfree, the very first part of the song I came up with was the first two wubs you hear in the drop. Listening to those, they sounded almost like growls. I thought to myself, 'how can I put that in context in song form?' and realized it'd be perfect for a song about the Everfree Forest. And the rest of the song was born.

[Artimeus]

WHELP!

Since I mostly do EDM of many sub-genres, I either start with a)finding an awesome kick sample then building a drumloop around it, b) search through my bajillions of sample packs and find a nice, ready to use percussion or drumloop that fits what I'm trying to do, or c) spontaneously click through synths and patches until I find something I like!

c) is what happens most often for me. I start building a track through spontaneous discovery; that is, I find a sound or loop I really like, and build off of that.

[Stratum]

First, I listen to a lot of music. Generally listening to music inspires me. I'll get an idea in my head, and then I'll open up Ableton and then I'll actually create the sound I had in my head, generally using NI Massive. Next, I'll open the piano roll, and drop in my tune. I'll create a drum loop based off of the style I'm going for. Repeat the synth creation step until I get a nice collection of sounds. Generally, I'll get the entire song down in a matter of one day to a week! Next, I listen to my track. A lot, listening for writing flaws or mixing issues.

Yeah... It's kind of bland, but it works

[Kagetori]

I usually spend only a few hours making any of my music.
For original music mostly, first I lay out some chords I like,
then I put in a melody I think sounds good with it, which is the most fun part,
then I add another track of melody which sounds good with the chords so there can be two melodies,
sometimes I'll make a third melody track, but usually it'll be slower if the first two are fast-ish,
then I lay a really simple pattern over the chords and make it the treble,
then I lay another different pattern over the chords and make it the bass,
then I make the chords play in more complex-ish patterns.
After doing all that, I'll add in some extra sounds and do editing around to make it sound better, and that's about it. Here's a good example of an original thing I made, where you can hear all of the things mentioned above pretty (except the treble part) well which I plan to use in a game;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mWVrKXOUj0

But I suck at making good drum patterns or whatever.
As for my music under the circle title "E9P3", I usually do things a bit different, but not too different.

[Facade]

it depends on the genre
but right now im working on a hardstyle album and my kick needs to be the best so im working on that for a good couple months before i use it and in between working on the kick i work on hardstyle melodies

for dubstep though (which i don't do anymore)
i work on the wobble first then the melody

[K3WRO]

I usually start by banging my head on the keyboard trying to make a nice melody, works every time.
Or
I open up a blank project file, and insert 3xosc into the pattern editor, I usually start with a simple sine or saw and just randomly drop notes in the piano roll.

At times, I only start on a bass-line, then build the melody on top of it.

[Artimeus]

I usually start by banging my head on the keyboard trying to make a nice melody, works every time.

You should totally buy yourself an M-Audio Oxygen49. I can tell you, from personal experience, it's much easier to make sweet, sweet head-banging melodies with knobs and sliders in addition to keys!

3xOSC is such a great little synth. Once you learn the basics, you can make all sorts of leads with that thing. Just pop it into a mixer track, add a flanger and reverb (and maybe even a SOUNDGOODIZER *gasp*) and presto.

[Pickslide1992]

I usually start by banging my head on the keyboard trying to make a nice melody, works every time.

You should totally buy yourself an M-Audio Oxygen49. I can tell you, from personal experience, it's much easier to make sweet, sweet head-banging melodies with knobs and sliders in addition to keys!

3xOSC is such a great little synth. Once you learn the basics, you can make all sorts of leads with that thing. Just pop it into a mixer track, add a flanger and reverb (and maybe even a SOUNDGOODIZER *gasp*) and presto.

I personally use a lot of VSTs like Synth1 or Mini Mogue, but I'm veering off topic.

What I usually do is make a simple drum beat or listen to some music for inspiration. After that I just begin jamming on my guitar, thinking of some good riffs, usually set to said beat.

[MorteMcAdaver]

I almost always just start by jamming on the piano or guitar and start stringing melodies together, often with some sort of vision in mind for a character, scene, or setting. Once I lay down the basic skeleton structure, I add more and more onto it, eventually adding lyrics (if needed) and frills like lead guitar and whatnot.

[Senjan]

Basicly what I do is just abusing the synth for x amount of minutes. Sometimes only a few, sometimes up to half an hour before I get an idea.
(It's connected as a MIDI controller to my FL Studio). Then I start building the lead melody. The rest of the process is random every time.

[NewWorldMare]

Sometimes I build a song up from a drum loop or sample, sometimes from a small melody that I made while fooling around in the FL piano roll, sometimes from just a patch or a sound that I like.

That's for electronic music though. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Melodies can pop into my head at any time... but most of them get lost =/ At the hotel I was in for Bronycon, there were two different muzak systems playing a song into each of my ears in the lobby. The songs went together strangely well most of the time...

I think it's important to remember not to push it. If you don't like where an idea is going, go back and change something, or just abandon the idea for a while (in some cases, a looooong while). Just like all music, don't feel forced to work on it =D

For my piano songs, I usually have a melody in mind that I'd like to play over. Then I sit down on the piano and fiddle around a bit until I get something I like. I also enjoy just sitting down and improvising to come up with ideas.

[EnnervateIndustries]

How I start composing? Let's see, I get a random melody stuck in my head, then spend days humming it as well as variations, then I get to my computer then promptly forget it. Otherwise, I listen to music in the same genre, then forget the melody all together. Hence why none of my music sounds like I actually planned it.

[Lavender_Harmony]

Concept. If I don't have a good idea, I don't start a track.

My concept can be simple or complex, come in different forms. The next thing I do varies from track to track, it's never the same. I just open my DAW and instinctively go for what I want to put down first, be it a melody, a chord progression, a drum beat, a texture, whatever is in my head after getting the concept together.

[Habanc]

Me... It's a mixed bag. Sometimes it's a concept, sometimes it's a nice kick, other times it's just a challenge. But usually it's a certain sound that reflects the overall feel I'm about to go for.

Most of the time it's either a drum loop or a specific instrument loop. Unfortunately, the latter variant is rather constraining, so I try to stop doing that. Occasionally it's some semi-decent synth I made (Honestly, I do believe I have the worst sound design skills of anyone here).

The similar variable however, is by through whatever method ignites a track, I then know what the vibe or feel is going to be like.

[Kagetori]

Occasionally it's some semi-decent synth I made (Honestly, I do believe I have the worst sound design skills of anyone here)

That's funny because I don't even bother with making synths or whatever unless it's by accident (wubs and that eurobeat-ish sound or whatever are all I've ever made).
I'm pretty sure I'm the worst when it comes to anything other than the mane composition.

[Magnitude Zero]

Start with a concept. Turn that into a story with a beginning, climax, and ending. With everything thought out, the song just kinda happens.