Beginning -- Bass

To begin with we will go straight in with the bass line. The bass line is a sequence of notes that repeat over and over again. It is usually a lower pitch than the rest of the song. We're starting with this because once this bit is done it is pretty easy to write the rest of the song.

Okay, so just play random notes untill you have four notes that sound good together. I am going to use the notes A,E,D then B for my bass line. Play each note once, one after the other. Then experiment with them. Try playing each note eight times. Do this until you like the sound of your bass line.

If you are happy with with skip the following section.

Once you have the basic bassline you can then build and edit it. To do this first find the key that all of your notes are in. In my case that would be "A minor" (A, B, C, D, E, F & G). To find the notes in a major scale find any note then go up in these steps: whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. To find the notes in a major scale do the same as before but go up in these steps: Whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step.

Now we have to find the chord families. I a major scale the Chords will always be: 1. Major 2. Minor 3. Minor 4. Major 5.Major 6. Minor 7. Diminished 8. Major. In a Minor scale the chords will always be: 1. Minor 2. Diminished 3. Major 4. Minor 5. Minor 6. Major 7. Major 8. Minor.

Once you have the chords relevant to your bass line you can then start to arpeggiate it. To do this play the a note, then play the other notes in that chord. The example I am using would be like this A, C, E -- E, G, B -- D, F, A -- B, D, F.

Introduction

Ever wanted to write your own song but know quite know how to? Then just follow this simple step-by-step guide and you will be on your way in no time.

Note: It would help if you knew about chords and how to play them as they are used in this guide.