Turning a musical idea into a song

[Johnny Robbo]

I was halfway through typing my thoughts on this & I realised there was probably a blog post in it. Not being a lyricist (or a singer) means that whatever I'm trying to express, I have to do via a melody & chord sequence alone.
 Anyway... here's how I set about writing a tune.

For those of a nervous disposition...
THEORY ALERT! THEORY ALERT! THEORY ALERT! THEORY ALERT! THEORY ALERT! THEORY ALERT! THEORY ALERT! THEORY ALERT! THEORY ALERT!
https://jrobsonguitar.wordpress.com/2016/09/10/my-writing-process/

[Hook]

I was halfway through typing my thoughts on this & I realised there was probably a blog post in it. Not being a lyricist (or a singer) means that whatever I'm trying to express, I have to do via a melody & chord sequence alone.
 Anyway... here's how I set about writing a tune.

For those of a nervous disposition...
THEORY ALERT! THEORY ALERT! THEORY ALERT! THEORY ALERT! THEORY ALERT! THEORY ALERT! THEORY ALERT! THEORY ALERT! THEORY ALERT!
https://jrobsonguitar.wordpress.com/2016/09/10/my-writing-process/

Dude, you think a lot while making music...& it's probably why your such a great player. I don't think I ever think that much. In fact it took all of my  effort just to stay focused enough to read your blog
Good stuff I tried to learn years ago and had the same problem.

[Johnny Robbo]

Dude, you think a lot while making music...& it's probably why your such a great player.

To be honest, when I'm in the thick of it coming up with a tune, I'm not really thinking about this stuff at all... any more than I'm thinking about grammar & spelling as I type or speak. It's just kind of natural... I know what sound I'm going for and I (usually) know what ingredients are needed to realise that. Where I sometimes get stuck is when I have one of my usual crises of confidence and lose interest in whatever I'm working on because I don't think it's any good.

Fortunately, being on this site has saved more than one piece that nearly got canned for those reasons - there's always someone who can inject new life into a tune with a lyric & some vocals. It's always great to have a sounding board & that's why I value all you fellow Songcrafters 

[Oldrottenhead]

talking of this https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?topic=25693.msg312732#msg312732

[Mach]

two separate ideas merged to make one great song.

Just like the Moody Blues The Guess Who did it with "No Sugar Tonight" and "New Mother Nature"

[T.C. Elliott]

re: strategies to keep it interesting

Often the chorus melody will be higher (and therefor have more energy) in pitch than the verses. And the music will have more energy. While there are exceptions, it's one of the more firm generalizations I've noticed. But HOW you do it is up to you. More distortion. Going to double time. More instruments. More voices. Using pregnant pauses to emphasize the powerful hit of the next bar.

And I agree with 64 when he says typically you want more than just a verse/chorus structure to keep a song interesting. It isn't  mandatory, but I can think of a lot of folk songs that I don't particularly want to listen to because of the super repetitiveness. So how to keep a simple verse/chorus structure interesting? As 64 already said, you can add elements, intros (to the song, before each verse etc.) a middle 8 or mulitple sections (instrumental or solo or a bridge,) a pre-chorus.   Or start a song with a chorus instead of a verse.

Or something that I like but don't do enough, add and subtract instruments or change up your arrangement. Slowly add in a second guitar or a keyboard part. Or a low synth pad that enters on the second verse very quietly and then increases in volume on the third verse or in the chorus. Hand percussion, shakers etc., to particular parts of a song. I just bought a mini xylophone to add some ringing parts to songs. (We'll see if I actually use it, but it was cheap so what the heck.)   I like some of the songs that slowly build. Starts with guitar and then the bass comes in and then the drums on the chorus or second verse and then another guitar or backup vox on the second chorus. But how about subtracting instruments, too? It's done less often, at least in my listening. Or maybe having just bass, drums and vox for the middle 8.

They key, I think is to listen to your song or think about your idea and if it is pretty "samey" then think of ways to change it up without necessarily changing chord progression or lyric or melody, although those are options, too. A change in rhythm, structure, arrangement or voicing (what octave or range you use for a particular part) could really make a big difference. Or put another way, pull out the strength of a song that might be hidden through a lack of dynamics.