Ukulele Tabs and chords

[Ukulele_Rat]

Any newb tidbits, or links what well help the aspiring composer to start writing music?

[Benpaco]

Play a major scale. Start making riffs out of it. For the bridge, just choose the minor scale which contains the same number of #/b s as the major scale. That's the most basic way to write a song.

Or if you are after a punk sound (another easy writing genre), pick 4/5 chords, all of which are your basics (C,A,E,B,G, etc. - no #s, bs, min, maj, 7s, etc.). Then just play them in in descending order.

Grunge isn't too hard either. For grunge make about a 50/50 ratio between natural chords and flats - i.e. C,A,Bb,Eb in a vareity of orders will make a variety of styles of grunge.

For folk, try slight variations of fingerings. i.e D,Dm,F,Am will make a nice folk riff. For a folk chorus, add in a higher note like C, a mid note like G, and then play with the verse chords.

That's about the only styles I've tried writing. If you are looking for other tips, well, just ask other people. It all depends on the style!

[Brigid]

If you know what the different types of scales are, chose one that fits the sound you're looking for. Like, major scales are good for upbeat songs, minor is better for a subdued or sadder sound, but don't feel tied down by those scales alone.

There's also a harmonic minor, which gives a more middle eastern sound. All it is is making the 7 sharp while ascending, and just that slight variation makes a huge difference. Frankly, this is my favorite type of scale.

Basically, just use what you know and, if you feel like you're being restricted by it, learn something new and experiment with that because major and minor get boring after a while.


Also, I find starting with a melody helps because then you can build your chords around it. Progressions are easier than melodies, and you can't harmonize without a melody anyway. This seems simple, but you'd be surprised at how many beginners try to make a progression and then find a melody that fits it. It just creates more work in the end.

[UkeSonero]

My problem is, I have written a few songs but how do you put two and two together? Melody and lyrics? Yeah maybe someday I will come up with something.