First Beanly taught us how to play exercises clean, now he is gonna teach us composing music. Damn Beanly is like a sponsor of our music career bois. We should appreciate that. Thank you so much Beanly!!
Which is all to say: focus first on the key, core fundamentals of songwriting (structure, contrast, melodic hooks, dynamics) if you want to write something people will actually love and remember for decades. A cool riff or solo is nothing on its own. A few other thoughts: don't get caught up writing with a guitar, or you're likely to fall back on metal cliches and "guitarisms" that fall under the fingers easily, which is what makes a lot of boring metal boring. Write in your head or with your voice, use a piano or other instrument, then adapt for guitar, bass, etc. Also, if you want to learn about structures and how to use modulation, study classical music.
I am by no means a real guitarist I've been playing my favorite songs in my bedroom for about 20yrs and making random riffs etc. So if i can make all of those into complete songs i will have 276 albums worth of material lol.
Never downgrade yourself!!! Your working on your guitar riffs... That's better!! I am by no means a paid guitar player that is touring.. The fact that you play with interest makes you a real guitar player!! Any body who disagrees is fUkN fuked.
I asked Devin Townsend this at a q&a or something and he said he'd render the section or the song as an mp3 and stick it on his phone and go for a wall or a drive and see what comes out listening to it
As I play I just start singing anything and it usually is a great base to start composing the melody. Even though I'm not thinking the words seem to make sense (but obviously need work) and the melody seems great for the song. I always remember a lesson I was taught and that I'd melodies have movement that goes from low to high (have a listen to somewhere over the rainbow and even though it's a totally different style, you can hear what I'm talking about) but sticks with the scale or notes in the chords. You want the movement plus harmonising notes, and you want sections to not move much as well so it contrasts with the movement. It let's the parts that move a lot stand out. I hope this helps you a bit, and I know its hard to explain in a comment but hopefully you get something out of it.... cheers mate and good luck.
I have a difficult time writing the vocals in time with instrumentals. I spend most of my time recording changing the vocals to fit with the instrumentals and then I either end up with a difficult to digest polyrhythmic thing or the vocals are just not what I want them to be and it’s frustrating. I’m self taught though and I don’t really know anything about music theory but I can play any instrument and I’ve written hundreds of songs. I know enough to get something written and then I build a song based off of what I feel like would sound good with it but I couldn’t list all the notes in a key or an octave or whatever. I just know when it’s in key or when it’s not.
@@rebelliousfineart8202 it's interesting that you say this. I have a pretty extensive knowledge of theory.. A music degree along with a college diploma and 20+ years working in sound production. imo what you're saying is the end goal of music theory. You should be playing and writing off of feel without any regard to theory no matter how much knowledge you have. Of course knowledge makes this process easier and more fluid. Musicians would be better off to view music theory as a sort of trouble shooting guide for helping find solutions to musical problems as they arise. Remember, music theory is just the philosophy of music. It's a means of explaining what is happening in music established through analysis. It's important to note that music came first. It's not a rule book that was set out at the beginning for everyone to follow. Just how philosophers are attempting to explain the universe through analysis- they did not create the universe. It already existed. Music theorists did not invent music! I'd even say that it is possible to have an extraordinary knowledge of theory without having any actual skill as a musician or composer. At the end of the day the only answer that matters when it comes to music is to the question, "yeah, but can you play?" It sounds to me like you've achieved the end goal here. Be proud of that
Man, this video described me so well. I write music in Guitar Pro all the time, I have literally hundreds of "riffs" and unfinished ideas, I start to organize things when I'm in the zone and I actually get out of it because of this, my ideas are now so limited just because I never spent time with the guitar. FFS, I own the guitar for 15 years and I never took lessons to learn to actually play the damn thing. This video includes all of my realiζations of the past months.
I kinda disagree with your point of view about writing with guitar pro. As someone like me, without a lot of theoretical background, I find it really useful to put my ideas in a structured way and be sure that it will fit with the other instruments, etc. It can be really useful for that before recording anything
I'm of the same way, I have a small memory and if I'm playing on like Omegle (Rip) or something else, I can come up with something that's cool, but as soon as I stop my mind blanks so I have to make documents for my riff ideas 😂😂😂
Same. My brain doesn't move fast enough to try and write on top of a recording. slowing down to really think about each note and rhythmic pattern and understand them by tabulating them has made my solos a lot better. Also i tend to challenge myself on my solos and the MIDI really helps me know if I'm working towards the right goal. If my solo sounds like ass but the midi sounds great, i need to practice. if the midi sounds like ass, i need to rewrite it.
Totally agree with the idea that listening to everything can lead to something incredibly tasty. Last month I've learned that a C# tuning exist because of the song I was studying and then played a bit with different capo positions. I came up with a lead line I never heard! Holistic approach to music really pays off! Everytime it's a different journey. A top of it just playing along the songs you never heard before can be very inspiring. Thanks for great content Bradley!
I went into this thinking "but Bradley, I need to learn how to make riffs, because I am pretty okay at making songs once I have something to go off of" into "oh hey, riffage ideas". Eventually ending up at "hey, I am actually pretty decent at making songs but this gave me a lot of ideas towards riffing and accents"
Definitely a solid video on building ideas. There's all kinds of tricks and tips in a sense when it comes to writing music or making any art for that matter. Learning how things sound is really a great tool to have in your arsenal. Meaning things like chords, intervals and modes. The reason being is then if you have a sound in your head or a vibe you're going for you more or less have an idea how to evoke that. The simple trick of having a chorus in the relative major key is a great common trick. Another thing used quite often is modulating up a whole step. Metallica using that trick all the time. Even if it's literally the same riff just moved up a whole step. It usually gives a general sense of increased intensity or momentum. Just look at the verse riff in master of puppets. First half is focused around e. Then the whole riff moves to F# which leads into a bar of a b power chord (the V in emin) leading into the chorus/prechorus. It's essentially a cycles of various degrees of tension and release. But then as I said, you've got intervals and modes that evoke different types of vibes typically. Phrygian often used in metal cause its dark characteristics. (Really that minor 2nd) An on the other hand you've got something like Lydian which is generally happy sounding but with an odd sense of ease to it usually. Very dreamy sounding. But aside from all of that I think the new younger generations are doing just fine in a sense with how they're writing. Even if it is in some music software. The reason I say this is because by doing so you're likely to compose in a new way. Which inherently results in different sounds. Just consider Tim Henson. I'm pretty sure he write this way an is one of the most talked about guitarist of the younger generation. I'm not saying music should only be written in some music program. I'm just saying a range of methoods is what creates diversity sometimes. Just consider and artist who purposely limits themselves with the hope of cultivating something creative. Sometimes taking away tools inspires and sometime having the whole arsenal at your fingertips does. Either way the creative process shouldn't be stuck to just one method or another. Write music with a guitar. Write it in some program. Write guitar parts on a sax then perform them on guitar. That's what makes for really weird an often interesting music. Try playing a sax line on guitar. It won't feel comfortable but it'll get you thinking about music differently atleast. 🤷♂️
Great video! Thanks for reminding people to not just focus on riffs, which is where so much bland, boring, predictable metal comes from. Other things you can do to boost song-writing skills: listen to as much music outside metal as you can and create challenges for yourself to get out of your comfort/cliche zone. E.g., write a metal song where you never once chug on the open E or A string. Write a vocal melody first, then everything to fit it. Write a solo with no bends or all bends or no 16th notes or all quintuplets. Write in C Major. In triple meter. In 5/4. Write a 12-tone song. Write the slowest song you can. Whatever.
Honestly this content is so good, and I don't see any other channels getting into the how of songwriting like this, I might actually subscribe to your Patreon if there's more content like this there.
Glad others have chimed in with the same comment. Also have to disagree on the guitar pro advice. Guitar pro really helped me write better solos by breaking me out of my habits and forcing me to experiment with different rhythms and really lock things in tight.
WHen you got to the hook bit and talked about the types of hooks, you referenced painkiller. I realised that it fits all of the examples. Drum intro hook check! Riff hook, check! Vocal hook, check!
Finally a guide that feels like "helped me" - thank you ❤ 2 questions that came up while watching: would you recommend to write everything in "whatever tuning" (most of the time E standard) and switch to whatever tuning the band that the song plays in the end? Do you think about "how can I do that live" when layering? Especially with third guitar etc. Thanks in advance for further assistance Sir Hallsworth 🤘
For what it's worth: you should definitely try to write directly in other tuning /keys. It can change the way you approach your fretboard and also bring some refreshing moods that can help you be creative.
Great video. Though I dont agree with not using transcribing software. I actually wrote riffs that I probably wouldnt have come up "normally" in a positive meaning
Thanks for the advice! Those are some points that I'll definitely be considering the next time I write a song. I just got a little concerned about the Guitar Pro thing, though. So, the way I do it, I get my guitar, I come up with the riff, play it on my guitar and then be like: In no universe that riff will ever fit in the time signature and tempo of the song. So, that's where the software comes in. I write the riff into the software to see how it should be played (according to the time signature and tempo). Then (if needed) I make adjustments. Is this something I should stop? When I look at guitar tabs, almost every song is written in a way that no notes carry over to the next bar and I always wondered how to do that (am I overthinking this? I don't really know). I get the 1-2-3-4 thing (for the 4/4 time signature), but if I write a riff, the notes are going to be all over the place and I can't seem to find how to fix it. At the end of the day, songwritting is just a hobby of mine, so I haven't really had a teacher of any kind to teach me even the basics. I just take advice from experts like yourself and try to make it all work. It would just be nice to become that little bit better, and then, who knows, maybe it won't be just a hobby anymore. Thanks again for the video! :)
no don't stop. many have chimed in saying this is a point of disagreement for the video. learning to tabulate my songs and solos has helped me with songwriting a lot. some of us can't just "play by feel" or whatever. some of us need to analyze what we're doing and GP is a great tool for that.
It's totally opposite for me with Guitar Pro - writing without guitar on my lap DOES make me look for things I would not actually do having a guitar on my lap so it expands my creativity
What drum plugin do you use for this and do you program the drums yourself? Great job on teaching us guitar too man, i also love that you appreciate marty friedman as much as i do too!
I completely disagree about composing on Guitar Pro, if anything I find it can enhance creativity because I am focused entirely on writing something new and not bound by the guitar and my habits on it. But maybe it just depends on the person, not everything is going to be equally effective for everyone.
3 steps is 6 frets, though , 3 frets is 3 half steps ! As in the formula for major scale step ,step .half step ,step, step, step, half step ! Or tones and semi tones , Great videos though, as always Brad
i believe in transcribing to be the best way to create highly technical metal through contrapuntal techniques its actually how bands like BTBAM writes their songs, its the best way to keep track of 4 instruments (2 guitars, bass, keys) + a vocal all the time the problem is that its the only way i know how to compose, lol T_T
That’s the problem I have with a lot of the metal scene around me, no one’s sticking to standard song structures or anthemic groovy hooks instead it’s all death prog metal and screams with 20 unrelated riffs played quickly in succession atonal so it makes it make sense smh
Beanley wishing you a happy 2025. Can you take Eminor and show us how to construct verses,chorus,bridge with a simple but kick ass groove. Thanx in advance
Its always funny to hear other metalheads say that hooks aren't in metal. Like bro, I'm singing beyond creation riffs in the shower and humming first fragment solos on my way to the store.
I have 80 to 100 songs unfinished. Never finished one in my decade+ of playing. Riff soup buffets with decent structures here and there. I actually like a lot of it but jeez dood I have so much work to do to actually make them actual songs it's ridiculous. Don't be like me. Listen to the bonus tip!
@@Psalmist6693 Thank you, brother! Kids and business in the way (wholesomely speaking) but someday soon and I mean it. You got any produced work yourself by chance?
I think if you want a good example of a song that isn't structured in a standard way, look no further than "Five Magics" on the Rust in Peace Album. That song had a lot of thought put into it to really paint a picture musically about an Apprentice who has witnessed an evil overlords doing and goes on a journey to best him in a magic battle, no matter the cost. (Pretty much simplified for comments sake) Things like this make no sense for someone who is a beginner to songwriting. You will have issues with getting basic ideas from thought to music to begin with, kiss(keep it simple, stupid) principle applies here. Humble yourself and learn the rules you are intending to break, goes for every art.
7:15 min in, I super disagree with this, I just think not a lot of people really try and study rhythms so they dont have a lot of of practice or skill at learning how to craft a decent one, learning about syncopation and swing can really help that, and it can be used to see where your writing/play might need more practice, because if you consistently leave the same things out, you should probably be practicing that. This is so dependent on who you are and the culture of the person with the instrument tho, but like, it can still be trained and probably shouldn't be avoided for that reason. Also if it were true that writing your songs down gives your songs less feeling, bands like polyphia wouldnt exist, and large overarching genres like EDM wouldnt exist, it just depends on the person and the experience and skill with their tools, I mean James Jamerson used 1 finger.
im slightly autistic ive been reworking the same 3 chord progressions for 16 years off and on(lots of off time) i cant seem to write 2 things that sound similar without putting it into a box with the other ideas okay the c major a minor relative chord thing is a game changer
I have to disagree with the Guitar Pro advice, when I try to write something exclusively on an instrument I feel like I'm limited by my playing ability. On a software I feel like I have more freedom, and tend to think more outside of the box. Then again, I may just suck at playing guitar.
Same! When I try to come up with riffs and licks by just playing I tend to play same shit with my muscle memory, but when using GP there is more time to think about something interesting and out of the box.
Good tips, wish I knew them 50nyears ago. No mention of the fucking difficult 3rd verse? Anyone tell Steve Vai or Frank Zappa about Verse Chorus Verse Chorus Guitar Break Verse Outro? Subscribed
Isn't that way too categorical? Being able to write a song doesn't imply you will become a famous and successful musician. Getting popular is much more than simply having some songwriting and instrumental skills. I would say, it's a completely different mindset, it requires some ambition(probably, the desire to get rich and to be recognised by many) and ability to drag attention to your persona. I think this video is rather for people like me who struggle with completing a song, because I can create a chorus or intro which I am proud of, but the further progression of the song is a riddle for me.
@@AffixedEvil Nice point! Being a rockstar means to create something new and fresh that hooks people immediately. Which is of course backed up by musical skills. And Bradley told about this, but he couldn't explain what exactly it is, because no one knows. In addition to becoming a rockstar a lot of things play role like for instance personality and being in the right place in the right time in general.
For more lessons like this one sign up to Bradley Hall's Guitar School for FREE! 👉 www.patreon.com/bradleyhallguitar
I've managed to turn songs into mere riffs.
Hahah! Feel you mate.
@@JonMurray We all struggle sometime or another.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I’ve managed to turn riffs into fleeting memories
@@GreyRock100 that we do ✌🏻
First Beanly taught us how to play exercises clean, now he is gonna teach us composing music. Damn Beanly is like a sponsor of our music career bois. We should appreciate that. Thank you so much Beanly!!
Which is all to say: focus first on the key, core fundamentals of songwriting (structure, contrast, melodic hooks, dynamics) if you want to write something people will actually love and remember for decades. A cool riff or solo is nothing on its own. A few other thoughts: don't get caught up writing with a guitar, or you're likely to fall back on metal cliches and "guitarisms" that fall under the fingers easily, which is what makes a lot of boring metal boring. Write in your head or with your voice, use a piano or other instrument, then adapt for guitar, bass, etc. Also, if you want to learn about structures and how to use modulation, study classical music.
When I picked up a midi keyboard for fun was when I finally started writing songs instead of riffs.
I am by no means a real guitarist I've been playing my favorite songs in my bedroom for about 20yrs and making random riffs etc. So if i can make all of those into complete songs i will have 276 albums worth of material lol.
Never downgrade yourself!!! Your working on your guitar riffs... That's better!! I am by no means a paid guitar player that is touring.. The fact that you play with interest makes you a real guitar player!! Any body who disagrees is fUkN fuked.
You are a real guitarist., 20 years.
My main problem is HOW to write vocal melodies. Would be fgreat to see a full video about it in the future. Great video as always man!
I asked Devin Townsend this at a q&a or something and he said he'd render the section or the song as an mp3 and stick it on his phone and go for a wall or a drive and see what comes out listening to it
As I play I just start singing anything and it usually is a great base to start composing the melody. Even though I'm not thinking the words seem to make sense (but obviously need work) and the melody seems great for the song. I always remember a lesson I was taught and that I'd melodies have movement that goes from low to high (have a listen to somewhere over the rainbow and even though it's a totally different style, you can hear what I'm talking about) but sticks with the scale or notes in the chords. You want the movement plus harmonising notes, and you want sections to not move much as well so it contrasts with the movement. It let's the parts that move a lot stand out. I hope this helps you a bit, and I know its hard to explain in a comment but hopefully you get something out of it.... cheers mate and good luck.
Write it like a solo that's singable.
I have a difficult time writing the vocals in time with instrumentals. I spend most of my time recording changing the vocals to fit with the instrumentals and then I either end up with a difficult to digest polyrhythmic thing or the vocals are just not what I want them to be and it’s frustrating. I’m self taught though and I don’t really know anything about music theory but I can play any instrument and I’ve written hundreds of songs. I know enough to get something written and then I build a song based off of what I feel like would sound good with it but I couldn’t list all the notes in a key or an octave or whatever. I just know when it’s in key or when it’s not.
@@rebelliousfineart8202 it's interesting that you say this. I have a pretty extensive knowledge of theory.. A music degree along with a college diploma and 20+ years working in sound production. imo what you're saying is the end goal of music theory. You should be playing and writing off of feel without any regard to theory no matter how much knowledge you have. Of course knowledge makes this process easier and more fluid. Musicians would be better off to view music theory as a sort of trouble shooting guide for helping find solutions to musical problems as they arise. Remember, music theory is just the philosophy of music. It's a means of explaining what is happening in music established through analysis. It's important to note that music came first. It's not a rule book that was set out at the beginning for everyone to follow. Just how philosophers are attempting to explain the universe through analysis- they did not create the universe. It already existed. Music theorists did not invent music! I'd even say that it is possible to have an extraordinary knowledge of theory without having any actual skill as a musician or composer. At the end of the day the only answer that matters when it comes to music is to the question, "yeah, but can you play?"
It sounds to me like you've achieved the end goal here. Be proud of that
Man, this video described me so well. I write music in Guitar Pro all the time, I have literally hundreds of "riffs" and unfinished ideas, I start to organize things when I'm in the zone and I actually get out of it because of this, my ideas are now so limited just because I never spent time with the guitar. FFS, I own the guitar for 15 years and I never took lessons to learn to actually play the damn thing. This video includes all of my realiζations of the past months.
This was HUGE!! You really got to the core of what I struggle with regarding songwriting like no one else!
brad: every genre has hooks
drone doom: let us introduce ourselves
I kinda disagree with your point of view about writing with guitar pro. As someone like me, without a lot of theoretical background, I find it really useful to put my ideas in a structured way and be sure that it will fit with the other instruments, etc. It can be really useful for that before recording anything
I'm of the same way, I have a small memory and if I'm playing on like Omegle (Rip) or something else, I can come up with something that's cool, but as soon as I stop my mind blanks so I have to make documents for my riff ideas 😂😂😂
Same. My brain doesn't move fast enough to try and write on top of a recording. slowing down to really think about each note and rhythmic pattern and understand them by tabulating them has made my solos a lot better. Also i tend to challenge myself on my solos and the MIDI really helps me know if I'm working towards the right goal. If my solo sounds like ass but the midi sounds great, i need to practice. if the midi sounds like ass, i need to rewrite it.
Totally agree with the idea that listening to everything can lead to something incredibly tasty. Last month I've learned that a C# tuning exist because of the song I was studying and then played a bit with different capo positions. I came up with a lead line I never heard! Holistic approach to music really pays off! Everytime it's a different journey. A top of it just playing along the songs you never heard before can be very inspiring. Thanks for great content Bradley!
I went into this thinking "but Bradley, I need to learn how to make riffs, because I am pretty okay at making songs once I have something to go off of" into "oh hey, riffage ideas". Eventually ending up at "hey, I am actually pretty decent at making songs but this gave me a lot of ideas towards riffing and accents"
Definitely a solid video on building ideas. There's all kinds of tricks and tips in a sense when it comes to writing music or making any art for that matter. Learning how things sound is really a great tool to have in your arsenal. Meaning things like chords, intervals and modes. The reason being is then if you have a sound in your head or a vibe you're going for you more or less have an idea how to evoke that. The simple trick of having a chorus in the relative major key is a great common trick. Another thing used quite often is modulating up a whole step. Metallica using that trick all the time. Even if it's literally the same riff just moved up a whole step. It usually gives a general sense of increased intensity or momentum. Just look at the verse riff in master of puppets. First half is focused around e. Then the whole riff moves to F# which leads into a bar of a b power chord (the V in emin) leading into the chorus/prechorus. It's essentially a cycles of various degrees of tension and release. But then as I said, you've got intervals and modes that evoke different types of vibes typically. Phrygian often used in metal cause its dark characteristics. (Really that minor 2nd) An on the other hand you've got something like Lydian which is generally happy sounding but with an odd sense of ease to it usually. Very dreamy sounding. But aside from all of that I think the new younger generations are doing just fine in a sense with how they're writing. Even if it is in some music software. The reason I say this is because by doing so you're likely to compose in a new way. Which inherently results in different sounds. Just consider Tim Henson. I'm pretty sure he write this way an is one of the most talked about guitarist of the younger generation. I'm not saying music should only be written in some music program. I'm just saying a range of methoods is what creates diversity sometimes. Just consider and artist who purposely limits themselves with the hope of cultivating something creative. Sometimes taking away tools inspires and sometime having the whole arsenal at your fingertips does. Either way the creative process shouldn't be stuck to just one method or another. Write music with a guitar. Write it in some program. Write guitar parts on a sax then perform them on guitar. That's what makes for really weird an often interesting music. Try playing a sax line on guitar. It won't feel comfortable but it'll get you thinking about music differently atleast. 🤷♂️
dude i rly appreciate ur work. do u know those old days of youtube were creators made creative informative guitar videos? U went in that direction. ty
Great video! Thanks for reminding people to not just focus on riffs, which is where so much bland, boring, predictable metal comes from. Other things you can do to boost song-writing skills: listen to as much music outside metal as you can and create challenges for yourself to get out of your comfort/cliche zone. E.g., write a metal song where you never once chug on the open E or A string. Write a vocal melody first, then everything to fit it. Write a solo with no bends or all bends or no 16th notes or all quintuplets. Write in C Major. In triple meter. In 5/4. Write a 12-tone song. Write the slowest song you can. Whatever.
Honestly this content is so good, and I don't see any other channels getting into the how of songwriting like this, I might actually subscribe to your Patreon if there's more content like this there.
Glad others have chimed in with the same comment. Also have to disagree on the guitar pro advice. Guitar pro really helped me write better solos by breaking me out of my habits and forcing me to experiment with different rhythms and really lock things in tight.
"Don't bore us - get to the chorus!"
Ableton Live’s ‘Audio to MIDI’ features are great for transcribing audio you can convert harmony, melody or drums to MIDI in seconds
WHen you got to the hook bit and talked about the types of hooks, you referenced painkiller. I realised that it fits all of the examples. Drum intro hook check! Riff hook, check! Vocal hook, check!
Finally a guide that feels like "helped me" - thank you ❤
2 questions that came up while watching: would you recommend to write everything in "whatever tuning" (most of the time E standard) and switch to whatever tuning the band that the song plays in the end?
Do you think about "how can I do that live" when layering? Especially with third guitar etc.
Thanks in advance for further assistance Sir Hallsworth 🤘
For what it's worth: you should definitely try to write directly in other tuning /keys. It can change the way you approach your fretboard and also bring some refreshing moods that can help you be creative.
Great video. Though I dont agree with not using transcribing software. I actually wrote riffs that I probably wouldnt have come up "normally" in a positive meaning
I think the key here is variety. Using only a guitar has the same problem, your fingers write for you according to what you're used to playing
omg i wish bradley hall taught us things like this
NGL, THE GUITAR PRO TIP HELPED A LOT
Same, he exposed me 🤣
I agree that writing a song in Guitar Pro has its drawbacks, but it's always worked pretty well for me.
He got this tip wrong. It’s just another tool in the arsenal. I wish it was easier to do arrangement.
Thank you so mush for posting this on youtube , you're a true legend !!!
Thanks for the advice! Those are some points that I'll definitely be considering the next time I write a song. I just got a little concerned about the Guitar Pro thing, though. So, the way I do it, I get my guitar, I come up with the riff, play it on my guitar and then be like: In no universe that riff will ever fit in the time signature and tempo of the song. So, that's where the software comes in. I write the riff into the software to see how it should be played (according to the time signature and tempo). Then (if needed) I make adjustments. Is this something I should stop?
When I look at guitar tabs, almost every song is written in a way that no notes carry over to the next bar and I always wondered how to do that (am I overthinking this? I don't really know). I get the 1-2-3-4 thing (for the 4/4 time signature), but if I write a riff, the notes are going to be all over the place and I can't seem to find how to fix it.
At the end of the day, songwritting is just a hobby of mine, so I haven't really had a teacher of any kind to teach me even the basics. I just take advice from experts like yourself and try to make it all work. It would just be nice to become that little bit better, and then, who knows, maybe it won't be just a hobby anymore.
Thanks again for the video! :)
no don't stop. many have chimed in saying this is a point of disagreement for the video. learning to tabulate my songs and solos has helped me with songwriting a lot. some of us can't just "play by feel" or whatever. some of us need to analyze what we're doing and GP is a great tool for that.
I do the same exact thing. Plus, with GP, I can add other instruments from the library without downloading so many vsts
It's totally opposite for me with Guitar Pro - writing without guitar on my lap DOES make me look for things I would not actually do having a guitar on my lap so it expands my creativity
YES THANK YOU BRADLEY I NEEDED THIS
now i finally know what the circle of fifths is used for
What a FANTASTIC video. Well thought out, simple to follow and informative.... thanks.
A lot of great advice here!
Question: Noticed the Solar, do you like the evertune? Have you changed the base pick ups?
ridiculously helpful
My point exactly,look how badass this riff was after what,2 minutes,badass bro
0:58 - omfg i thought the video crashed and tried to refresh it for couple of times 🤣🤣
Technically three HALF steps from major to relative minor and vice-versa
I went up 3 steps from the root and summoned Satan. Help.
This reminds me of 'Nozin' Around' from The Young Ones! haha love it 😁
I love this channel. Love and blessings
What drum plugin do you use for this and do you program the drums yourself?
Great job on teaching us guitar too man, i also love that you appreciate marty friedman as much as i do too!
I completely disagree about composing on Guitar Pro, if anything I find it can enhance creativity because I am focused entirely on writing something new and not bound by the guitar and my habits on it. But maybe it just depends on the person, not everything is going to be equally effective for everyone.
Wow, this video was really useful. Thanks!
Great video dude thank you for this. Much appreciated!
3 steps is 6 frets, though , 3 frets is 3 half steps ! As in the formula for major scale step ,step .half step ,step, step, step, half step ! Or tones and semi tones , Great videos though, as always Brad
Perfect tips, Brad!
Thank You Beanley
i believe in transcribing to be the best way to create highly technical metal through contrapuntal techniques
its actually how bands like BTBAM writes their songs, its the best way to keep track of 4 instruments (2 guitars, bass, keys) + a vocal all the time
the problem is that its the only way i know how to compose, lol T_T
That’s the problem I have with a lot of the metal scene around me, no one’s sticking to standard song structures or anthemic groovy hooks instead it’s all death prog metal and screams with 20 unrelated riffs played quickly in succession atonal so it makes it make sense smh
This was good lesson! Thank you💯
Thank you so much! Great advises, great video :)
When you said overcomplicated nonsense that goes on and on i thought of meshuggah
Hi really nice.
I am having a question how do you record the bass on it or drums.
Do you have tips for that too?
Thks
to be honest, I think many songs lack monotony in fact, they do not allow to enjoy the sound and riff repetitions
good tips i really got al;ot out of this
thank you for this video bradley hallsworth
Cool video! Is that a Twin Peaks tattoo?😃
Dude....Thank you sooooo much...
Beanley wishing you a happy 2025. Can you take Eminor and show us how to construct verses,chorus,bridge with a simple but kick ass groove. Thanx in advance
Its always funny to hear other metalheads say that hooks aren't in metal. Like bro, I'm singing beyond creation riffs in the shower and humming first fragment solos on my way to the store.
Sensacional demais essa aula! entregou tudo e mais um pouco. FODA parabens!
What's the riff between chapters? It is awesome!
I have 80 to 100 songs unfinished. Never finished one in my decade+ of playing. Riff soup buffets with decent structures here and there. I actually like a lot of it but jeez dood I have so much work to do to actually make them actual songs it's ridiculous. Don't be like me. Listen to the bonus tip!
@@Psalmist6693 Thank you, brother! Kids and business in the way (wholesomely speaking) but someday soon and I mean it. You got any produced work yourself by chance?
Im stealing those riffs😂
Bum write ur own
Great ! Thank you
What plug-in do you use?
I love this guy
gracias senior
The Only good teacher on youtube besides Marty.
3:43 omg that Mustaine picture is now burned in my memory after the live stream lol
Can you make a video on how to make solos
I think if you want a good example of a song that isn't structured in a standard way, look no further than "Five Magics" on the Rust in Peace Album. That song had a lot of thought put into it to really paint a picture musically about an Apprentice who has witnessed an evil overlords doing and goes on a journey to best him in a magic battle, no matter the cost. (Pretty much simplified for comments sake)
Things like this make no sense for someone who is a beginner to songwriting. You will have issues with getting basic ideas from thought to music to begin with, kiss(keep it simple, stupid) principle applies here.
Humble yourself and learn the rules you are intending to break, goes for every art.
I want to write melodic melodies (like altitudes clean section by Jason Becker
to have a chorus,first you need to have some lyrics in your song :))
Appreciate you! \m/
That green olas? cool
What software do you use for music?
Pretty sure he uses ProTools.
the software shown in the vid is Reaper
7:15 min in, I super disagree with this, I just think not a lot of people really try and study rhythms so they dont have a lot of of practice or skill at learning how to craft a decent one, learning about syncopation and swing can really help that, and it can be used to see where your writing/play might need more practice, because if you consistently leave the same things out, you should probably be practicing that. This is so dependent on who you are and the culture of the person with the instrument tho, but like, it can still be trained and probably shouldn't be avoided for that reason.
Also if it were true that writing your songs down gives your songs less feeling, bands like polyphia wouldnt exist, and large overarching genres like EDM wouldnt exist, it just depends on the person and the experience and skill with their tools, I mean James Jamerson used 1 finger.
Also, what guitar plugins do you like to use?
8:18 don't call me out like this ;-;
Subbed
im slightly autistic ive been reworking the same 3 chord progressions for 16 years off and on(lots of off time) i cant seem to write 2 things that sound similar without putting it into a box with the other ideas
okay the c major a minor relative chord thing is a game changer
I have an Orange 35rt for display.
I have to disagree with the Guitar Pro advice, when I try to write something exclusively on an instrument I feel like I'm limited by my playing ability. On a software I feel like I have more freedom, and tend to think more outside of the box. Then again, I may just suck at playing guitar.
Same! When I try to come up with riffs and licks by just playing I tend to play same shit with my muscle memory, but when using GP there is more time to think about something interesting and out of the box.
Man,to bad u won't come to America,we need a great metal band,and u can at like Marty Friedman,we can make some super badass tunes
I can't take my eyes off it, the butt chin is strong with this one ❤️😂😂😂🎉
You're a pretty good teacher and instructor when you aren't being a goofy asshole. 😃 👍
Hell yeahhhh
Good tips, wish I knew them 50nyears ago.
No mention of the fucking difficult 3rd verse?
Anyone tell Steve Vai or Frank Zappa about Verse Chorus Verse Chorus Guitar Break Verse Outro?
Subscribed
The playing around was the most important part of the video.
it was sped up
the monotone version of the songs at the end of the vid is killer, u just dont get that style ,and thats ok
this is priceless
Can you give feedback on my "demos" playlist. Its got some ideas i want to put out but i dont have alot of people to ask for help. Thx ❤
hi
God damnit I’m late
Isn't is funny how many youtubers try to teach you how to write songs? If they knew how to write songs they wouldn't be youtubers, but rockstars.
Isn't that way too categorical? Being able to write a song doesn't imply you will become a famous and successful musician. Getting popular is much more than simply having some songwriting and instrumental skills. I would say, it's a completely different mindset, it requires some ambition(probably, the desire to get rich and to be recognised by many) and ability to drag attention to your persona. I think this video is rather for people like me who struggle with completing a song, because I can create a chorus or intro which I am proud of, but the further progression of the song is a riddle for me.
@@AffixedEvil Nice point! Being a rockstar means to create something new and fresh that hooks people immediately. Which is of course backed up by musical skills. And Bradley told about this, but he couldn't explain what exactly it is, because no one knows. In addition to becoming a rockstar a lot of things play role like for instance personality and being in the right place in the right time in general.
this guy looks a lot like Bradley Hall
tengo hambre
Come un hamburguesa 🍔 🍔 🍔
Riff salad with a dash of vinegar is usually good with ham.
getting a little sun are you?
Dave, Rob and companies pictures were hideous 😂