I got an email from Keegan who asked about making music. Keegan was kind enough to let me post my response here…I really hope this helps!

Before we start, it might be good to view these BLIPVERTS OF DOOOOM…as I’ve tried not to double up on stuff I’ve already said in the Blipverts:

[cvg-video videoId=’12’ width=’600′ height=’400′ mode=’playlist’ /]
BLIPVERT #1 : Lyric Writing

[cvg-video videoId=’6′ width=’600′ height=’400′ mode=’playlist’ /]
BLIPVERT #2 : Song Writing

 

 

> But down to the question: how do you do it? How do you make the songs?

Personally, I think a good song stems form one or two main ideas….but i could name 1000 great songs that start with many ideas (anything by Tool for example). A strong song might have an awesome guitar riff that forms the basis for the chorus. You might used a stripped back version of it for the verse.
Simple and strong ideas are the best. You know you have a great idea when the riff or melody is floating around your head the next day.

Music is an incredible language – every single person speaks in a different dialect yet everyone can understand it.
…and it could take years of practice to express your ideas in a clear and flowing manner. It takes time to write a song…hours, days or weeks. For us, it’s often months.

 

> do you have one riff and work around it? Or do you have lyrics then fill the sound?

Either. Sometimes it’s a beat, sometimes it’s a sample, or lyric or riff, or “mood”. Inspiration hits you when you least expect it, and it hits you with anything….it could be a bus stopping beside you that has an interesting rhythm to it.

Another important thing to think about is how you will present the song. Sometimes a song needs to be coaxed out – and it only works with a certain musical arrangement. Our track “Lust Worthy” is an example of this. The lyrics and music were fine, but the mood of the song needed to be clearly defined. We tried it with a fast tempo, but it only worked when it was a slow, evil and un-nerving lullaby. It’s like the songs have a personality – it will only work when the tempo and feel are right.

The arrangement of the verses and choruses is also important. These are just standard “Rock Formulas”…these are a great place to start and expand on:
Verse 1 : Bridge : Chorus : Verse 2 : Bridge : Chorus : Break Down (based on the verse) : Bridge : Chorus : Chorus Outro
or
Verse 1 : Chorus : Verse 2 : Chorus : Middle 8 (the different bit) : Verse 3 : Chorus : Chorus Outro

 

 

> it would help if i knew how you guys put together your songs

The core elements (lyrics, riffs, chords) get writen on paper…they are NEVER composed on the computer. Computers are used for flesh the ideas out…I personally hate writing on a computer.

The first step is to make sure the actual song is working. Make sure the riffs are strong, the chords make sense and the parts work together. The lyrics also play a very important part – make sure they mean something and are sincere and reliant.

Next, we move over to the computer. The basses and pads and basic drums are programmed in. The basic Verse/Chorus arrangement is figured out. Once the skeleton is working we power up the modular and flesh it out. The lyrics are usually 80% finished done by this stage. We’ll do a demo of the vocals and we can hear the track starting to come together.

Next, the guitars get recorded and edited. The final vocals go down…and then we start to put the detail into the track.

TRICK: I believe details comes with taking stuff OUT, not adding more content. When you thin out the track, you can hear the smaller parts.

When you read over this, you’ll notice that we have a definite formula/process for writing. We always try to break the process by doing something a little different – it makes the process more spontaneous fun.

It’s important to just play and experiment. Making music is hard by VERY fun! Focus, persist and keep making music!