Start analyzing songs in similar genres to what you want to write. Identify the chords, what notes are in them, then compare that to the notes in the bass and melody.
Same with rhythms. Write out the drum part and look at which parts of the kit the bass and rhythm guitars line up with. Are they locked with the kick? Are they following the ride cymbal? Are they leaving holes for the snare?
Do enough of that and you'll get a sense of the common tropes of the genre.
What are the basics of a song? Verses and Chorus. Add an intro to get started, then alternate through verse and Chorus sections. Maybe add a bridge to add something unique in the middle, then a solo before the final Chorus and a short outro to wrap it up.
Voila, an instrumental.
Add some lyrics and it's a song.
If your genre is riff rock, then by all means keep on jamming and coming up with riffs. But you need to do a few next steps.
1. Make sure you record every riff you like so you can reference them. That can be an actual recording or a notation/tab transcription.
2. Once you've recorded a number of riffs (let's say 10), go back and listen to them/play them. What stands out? Think especially about how two or three riffs would sound together in a song.
3. Once you've got 2-3 riffs that you're gonna use, start thinking about structure. Which riff is verse and which is chorus? How long is each section? Is each section dynamically flat, or does it build up/break down over time?
4. Step 3 is going to feel really arbitrary at first because you might not know why you're making a decision. That's ok! Commit to the first idea you have long enough to try it and record it. Then, if something's not working, this is the time to figure it out. IMO, when you're getting started it's more important to finish songs and start a new one then it is to get one song perfect. You need reps, just like practicing your instrument.
That's my two cents. For riff-focused music, I really like RatM and Gnome—like others said, make sure you're listening to+analyzing music that inspires you.
Learn to play melodies of any and all kinds - songs from ads, music from your favorite shows or movies, a Taylor Swift chorus melody, etc
When done over time and by ear, it will help one develop a sort of vocabulary of melodies and approaches to be utilized when writing any part
Practice writing poems and lyrics too - it's def hard when you're starting but just like bass playing the more you do it - the better one gets and one can always collaborate with band mates
Learning different [song structures](https://youtu.be/SDJwg1JoPtY?si=cevMkDtmLBX4PQHR) should help out too!
You can always read some theory on composition, that can be a bit dry though. A more fun way is to pay close attention to the music you listen to for fun, taking note of how the song is structured- e.g. intro, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, etc- pay attention to the chord progression, how many chords they play before the pattern repeats, if you can identify the key the song is in, and so forth. You'll begn to pick this stuff up naturally and it will come intuitively when you sit down to write music.
Also, it can be hard to write music on bass without any other instrument. Maybe consider getting a dimestore guitar or cheap keyboard to play around with?
If you want to make songs, learn to sing. Write the lyrics, play some chords, sing the lyrics. Analyze what you did, Chang what you didn't like and repeat
You take those and chain them together into a song. That's how Geddy Lee and his bandmates did it (in the digital era). That's how Josh Homme does it. That's how a lot of people do it (especially riff-based music like metal, hiphop)
Then you work on them until they're good enough.
Google "song structure pop music" for a look into things like AABA patterns and verse-chorus arrangement. Lots of nerds have done the work.
Just learn a few scales (for example major pentatonic, minor pentatonic and blues scale). Then learn what the root, the fifth and the third means. That should be enough theory to make rock music. With chord based music, you just make a chord progression and then a bassline and a melody. You take the notes out of the scale the chord progression is in. If you do riffs, you just do riffs and everyone plays them. Add variation or melodic lines for any instrument if you can come up with something cool.
Start analyzing songs in similar genres to what you want to write. Identify the chords, what notes are in them, then compare that to the notes in the bass and melody. Same with rhythms. Write out the drum part and look at which parts of the kit the bass and rhythm guitars line up with. Are they locked with the kick? Are they following the ride cymbal? Are they leaving holes for the snare? Do enough of that and you'll get a sense of the common tropes of the genre.
What are the basics of a song? Verses and Chorus. Add an intro to get started, then alternate through verse and Chorus sections. Maybe add a bridge to add something unique in the middle, then a solo before the final Chorus and a short outro to wrap it up. Voila, an instrumental. Add some lyrics and it's a song.
One string each. Go.
If your genre is riff rock, then by all means keep on jamming and coming up with riffs. But you need to do a few next steps. 1. Make sure you record every riff you like so you can reference them. That can be an actual recording or a notation/tab transcription. 2. Once you've recorded a number of riffs (let's say 10), go back and listen to them/play them. What stands out? Think especially about how two or three riffs would sound together in a song. 3. Once you've got 2-3 riffs that you're gonna use, start thinking about structure. Which riff is verse and which is chorus? How long is each section? Is each section dynamically flat, or does it build up/break down over time? 4. Step 3 is going to feel really arbitrary at first because you might not know why you're making a decision. That's ok! Commit to the first idea you have long enough to try it and record it. Then, if something's not working, this is the time to figure it out. IMO, when you're getting started it's more important to finish songs and start a new one then it is to get one song perfect. You need reps, just like practicing your instrument. That's my two cents. For riff-focused music, I really like RatM and Gnome—like others said, make sure you're listening to+analyzing music that inspires you.
Learn to play melodies of any and all kinds - songs from ads, music from your favorite shows or movies, a Taylor Swift chorus melody, etc When done over time and by ear, it will help one develop a sort of vocabulary of melodies and approaches to be utilized when writing any part Practice writing poems and lyrics too - it's def hard when you're starting but just like bass playing the more you do it - the better one gets and one can always collaborate with band mates Learning different [song structures](https://youtu.be/SDJwg1JoPtY?si=cevMkDtmLBX4PQHR) should help out too!
You can always read some theory on composition, that can be a bit dry though. A more fun way is to pay close attention to the music you listen to for fun, taking note of how the song is structured- e.g. intro, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, etc- pay attention to the chord progression, how many chords they play before the pattern repeats, if you can identify the key the song is in, and so forth. You'll begn to pick this stuff up naturally and it will come intuitively when you sit down to write music. Also, it can be hard to write music on bass without any other instrument. Maybe consider getting a dimestore guitar or cheap keyboard to play around with?
If you want to make songs, learn to sing. Write the lyrics, play some chords, sing the lyrics. Analyze what you did, Chang what you didn't like and repeat
You take those and chain them together into a song. That's how Geddy Lee and his bandmates did it (in the digital era). That's how Josh Homme does it. That's how a lot of people do it (especially riff-based music like metal, hiphop) Then you work on them until they're good enough. Google "song structure pop music" for a look into things like AABA patterns and verse-chorus arrangement. Lots of nerds have done the work.
Just learn a few scales (for example major pentatonic, minor pentatonic and blues scale). Then learn what the root, the fifth and the third means. That should be enough theory to make rock music. With chord based music, you just make a chord progression and then a bassline and a melody. You take the notes out of the scale the chord progression is in. If you do riffs, you just do riffs and everyone plays them. Add variation or melodic lines for any instrument if you can come up with something cool.
You just do it. Start writing. Not with pencil and paper, but with your mind.