TTW Forums: Music: Theory and composing

Posted: 3.7.2006 0:36

Does any one think a song would be two boring if just 1 riff continued through out the song but just in different styles like for example the first riff was all normal strumming and the second had left hand mutes in between every other note? I have a good sounding riff that I can't show you unfortunately and lyrics to fit it...but do you think i should come up with a good sounding bridge or something?

Posted: 3.7.2006 23:40

Of course! I think a bridge in a song is most important, in order to break up with the dullness of the song. And it's also a good way to introduce a solo or whatever change.

Posted: 6.7.2006 23:46

Depends :P You have songs of like 2 minutes that have one riff with cool melodies over it and the riff in different octaves, it isn't necesarily boring

Posted: 9.7.2006 4:53

If you do that, you better come up with good lyrics...
Else it will indeed get boring
Compare Pantera's Walk with Metallica's Sanitarium...
Both good songs, but maybe because of the riff in Walk my love goes to Sanitarium

Posted: 13.11.2006 10:38

fuck that, walk slaughters sanitarium. and for the original poster, there is a quite kick ass song with just one riff the whole way through, and that song is called planet caravan and it is definitly not boring. if it fits the song it fits.

Posted: 15.12.2006 6:21

Dude.... it would be extremely boring. Even though almost all new songs (most of them, not all) do that. Have like one or two riffs with the "pretty boy" bands that dont know what they are doing. A song should have the following riffs to mix it up, i wouldnt suggest strumming the whole time, you have to pick the notes in certain orders to make it interesting:

Intro: Sometimes only just feedback on an amplifier, or just a chord progression, nothing to wild.
Verse Riff: Riff that is repeated over and over during the verse. (Definitely needed to be different)
Chorus riff: This will mix it up some and help you
Solo and backtrack rhythm: if you play a solo you should have a back tracking that is different from the rest of the stuff, or at least just a little different. Dont do a 3 minute solo though, unless the song is going to fade out.

Posted: 15.12.2006 11:19

No.. My hand would get tired! I personally prefer to have an intro/verse (or intro/chorus), chorus (or verse) and a bridge. Sometimes I don't have a bridge though...