PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Songwriting Can anyone help?

Hi Guys

I`m wondering if anyone could help me put some chords to a song I`ve written.

I retired a while back and decided I`d like to try my hand at writing songs as I`ve always loved music, my problem is I dont play an instrument, so I`ve been using loops, and thats fine if you write the song to the loop, but if you create the song first its hard to find a loop that fits.

So, I`ve found bandinabox, and its terrific, no doubt about it, I`ve started watching all the help videos, but I`m a long way off the pace yet.

I`d like to find out what my song sounds like with some chords behind it.

Anyway thats where I am, and if someone has the time I`d really be very grateful.

Dev

Do you have lyrics or melody or both? How about genre?

Firstly, Welcome.

• Just to clarify, you've written a song, but currently it has no chords.
• Does your song have a Melody that you composed?
• Does your song have Lyrics that you have written?
• Do you have a musical style in mind? Pop, Rock, Metal, Latin, Swing, Jazz, Hip Hop, etc?
• What version of BiaB do you have? Pro, Ultra, and what year etc.

Give us a base to start from. There will be people here who can offer some suggestions to get you going.

Thank you guys for replying.

I have a melody and I have lyrics, Heres a link on drop box, I just included the first verse so as not to take up anybodies time.

https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview=Friends++.mp3

Dev

Sorry, I forgot about genre, I see it as a singer/songwriter type of song, possible acoustic guitar type of thing.

Thanks for the replies guys

I`ve got the melody and the lyrics writen, I`ve posted them on Drop Box, I just did the first verse as there is no choras as such, I see it as contempory folk, maybe acoustic guitar, I`m using version 19.

https://www.dropbox.com/home?preview=Friends++.mp3

Dev

record the melody import it into BIAB and have the Chord Wizard analyse it and offer chords...
Not as easy as it was in previous versions of BIAB, for me, but since you'd be learning it 1st time you won't have problems with old way versus new.

Thanks rayc, I`ll try that.

ps. Sorry about the number of same posts, they didn`t show up at the time.

Dev

That's not an uncommon thing mate.
If you know how you can actually record the melody right into BIAB.
Record the melody where ever you can - even a phone but it's REALLY helpful if you can remove as much empty file from before your melody so that you're not going nuts trying to line things up...If you have a version of BIAB developed before 2022 you might find the Audio Chord Wizard a little less daunting.
Best advice...record the melody and then re & reread the sections about the ACW...and be prepared to have a few goes learning how it works. Once you've sorted it you'll have something that will make your songwriting life much easier.
oh, probably best to just record one each of your verse and chorus as if your pitch or memory wanders as you record it BIAB will reflect that. It's no big thing to copy verses and choruses in the chord or arranging window once you have the results of the ACW.
Good luck.

Thanks again rayc,

I`ve managed to get the vocals into chord wizard but so far its playing the chords its suggested far to slow, and it wont let me change the tempo,but I`ve got the rest of the week-end to play around with it.

Dev

SO.... Using the ACW to figure things out when you are first getting started can be an exercise in frustration. I know the problems I have encountered trying to use it and I halfway know my way around BB.

try it this way.

Open a new project and select STYLES.... the style picker opens and you can then listen to the styles in BB in the demo mode. Use the filter for genre to limit the option to that particular genre..... Pop, Medium rock, Salsa, Easy jazz.... etc... whatever you think the song needs to be.

Once you find something you think would sound good and work for your potential song.... Select it.

Most songs have 3 basic chords... which are the 1 the 4 and the 5.... or in a key of say C major..... the C the F and the G. Knowing that... start with a C and add the chords necessary to fit what you're hearing in your head. You can easily change the tempo and the key if it works better in a different tempo or key.
While you may not know much about BB now... or music theory... you will learn quickly and be able to create new songs quickly and easily using this method. Even now, I still start out pretty much this same way as I just described. Pick a style, and start entering chords.... add, delete, copy, paste, delete, and in no time I have a song that pretty much works. Once you get a verse...and a chorus..... use Copy/paste to quickly add the remainder of the verses and choruses. This saves a lot of time.
Delete the measures/bars you don't need and hit the ending..... waaa laaa.... a song is born.

Ask more questions if you run into things you don't understand or can't figure out. Also.... watch the videos in the video support section of the PG music website. LOTS of good solid advice and information to be had in there.

Good luck

Herb has you started off in the right direction and BIAB makes it REALLY easy to do what he just said, with Chord Builder. See attached screenshot. You get to it through "Edit" on the top of the menu. Or use Chord Builder icon at the near bottom right hand side of the screen, before the chord input bars start (just above User Tracks Icon).

This is all very simple, actually. Let me break it down.

1.) Yes, Herb is right. In Pop, country, whatever you basically have 4 chords--the I, IV, V, and VI minor.

In the Key of C, that would be C, F, G, Am.


2. There are approximately 24 "standard" chord progressions built from just these four.

For example, at one chord per measure in a fast song, the Verse chords could go:

C, F, G, C, or they could go C, F, C, G, or they go could C, F, C, F, or they could go Am, C, F, C

Here are some common examples:

[Chords]
|a) C| F| G| Am| C| F| Am| G|
| C| G| F| Am| C| G| Am| F|
| C| Am| F| G| C| Am| G| F C|

[ChordsEnd]

But at any rate, if you just "shuffle" your choices starting with the I, IV, V, or VI, you get at least 24 common variations--or more, depending on your variations. Try them all.

For slower songs, you would have 2 chords per measure, kinda sorta, but the concept is the same.

3. The non-fast but general "kinda sorta" rule is that you can't start the Verse and chorus on the same chord. This is not hard and fast, but the idea is, try to do something different in the chorus. If you start the verse on C in the Key of C, try starting on G in the chorus for a lift. If you started the verse on G in the Key of C, it might work well to start the chorus on C (the I). Try it.

4. Look at the Chord Builder. If you click on any chord you will heard it play and it will enter it for you. If you don't like that sound, pick another chord.

5. Once you do what Herb said and START the song by punching in some common standard version of a I, IV, V, VI minor you call THEN go to chord builder and look at all the chords on the top row that will work in that progression. Try them and see how they sound. The lower rows are for jazz. (But the slash chords are also critical for rock, folk and pop to build emotion. You must master them.)

So, Chord Builder makes it really easy to experiment. Really easy. Try it, use it, experiment. Have fun. That is what music is.

P.S. You also have to find your range before you put chord to a melody. For example, lots of baritones are most comfortable in the Keys Eb, E, F, G, Ab, A, Bb, B or C, in that order, where C contains the highest notes you would hit.

If you were to write a song in the key of G where the highest notes are above middle C in the Key of G, then a baritone would not be able to hit those easily. That is, some baritones cannot sing a high melody in the key of G unless it is shifted down a whole octave, and that doesn't sound right.

If you write a melody in the key of G with high notes, and the Baritone says, I can't do that, try the Key of C with the melody transposed down. If it still does not work, try Bb.

Hope this makes sense.

Some great advice and I thank you guys for taking the time with a newbee...

GuitarHacker and David - many thanks for these two posts! Very insightful, I learned a lot from your comments.

Jeff

Well,
That's sort of typical.
I've rarely managed to get a great result but I usually get enough information to carry on with.
If 'twere me...
I'd copy the chord sequence...screen shot or similar
Go back into the "normal" chord entry section of BIAB,
Select a style &
tempo that suit as a staring point
Enter the chords playing around with things until I find I can sing along with it.

From there I'd tweak the arrangement etc. and then record a vocal TO the BIAB backing.

Thanks again rayc, that certainly helps and I can get a working backing track, though I cant get the feel I hear in my head.

I`m also having some success with the advice from Guitarhacker and David Snyder, but again I cant pin down the feel I hear, I`m trying out some different styles so hopefully I find something I`m happy with.

Its fun though and I`m learning things I didn`t know!!

Can you name a song that has a similar feel? If so type it in the song filter.

Hi Dev,

I've been following your thread, and reading all the excellent replies, but my advice to you is different:

Get yourself an instrument, and spend some time learning it. Guitar, piano, anything you can play chords on. Honestly, you can't learn music on a computer.

You can buy instruments for less than $500 that will help you learn. I'm not plugging anything, but Casio Privia's are a good place to start. You can get them even cheaper on the used instrument market. Even a guitar from Sears will be enough to get you started.

Best of luck, Dev!

Ken

+1000!

Kanye West would big to differ.

He bought half of Wyoming learning how to play music on a computer.