[Sing4me88]

Ok so I've been playing around with various software packages and I'm having some fun with it. In fairness the fun is wearing off a little as I try to do 'something' rather than play around and mess around listening to how the various instruments, synth, drums etc sound.

Basically I don't play any instrument and I'm coming at this blind, TOTALLY blind. I've no problem getting 4 chord progressions(I downloaded keyboard chords and can write them in and listen to what sounds good as a progression, this bit tbh I don't find hard) but melodies are a real pain in the ass! I lack any theory etc and my melodies sound horrendous (mainly because I don't know about beats, note lengths, how to slide notes neatly into each other even when I do have something that matches my vocal line loosely!). I've read sites trying to give tips but that's gone over my head, and tbh I don't have the time/inclination/patience at the minute to learn music theory or an instrument from scratch.

I'm looking for tips or sites or reading material that might help me 'bluff' my way to a discernible melody (even if someone has to alter, tweak and develop it).Basically I'm wondering would I be able to collab with a talented musician on the basis of sending them a 4 chord progression sound clip and a voice clip of my awful singing?

Chord progressions aren't copyright protested and it's quite easy to identify (I guess if I studied what 'works') and I think I'd be more than capable of laying the most minimal basis in this regard. Whether this would be enough for someone else to bulk out and add a melody to (by ear from my awful vocals most likely!) is another matter!

I know I have the brassneck to want to be a songwriter without actually learning an instrument or how to produce and that I'm living in a place where fantasy seems to have a greater bearing than reality but all advice would be welcome!!!

[Boydie]

My advice would be to always play in the key of C major to start with

This is because the C major scale simply uses the "white" notes - so you should be able to pick out any melodies by sticking to the white notes and throwing in the odd black note when it sounds good

The chords that sound good in C major are:

C Major
D minor
E minor
F Major
G Major
A minor
B diminished ( don't worry about this for now)

 The most pleasing progressions you find will be around C, F and G

C, Am, F and G is also another common progression

Experiment with these 2 concepts first and I think you will be surprised with how far you get

[Sing4me88]

Thank Boydie. As always your advice has been spot on!

I played about with a few chords and spent two hours lounging in the sun and stringing something that comes quite close to a vocal melody for some of my lyrics. It still needs sorted out in terms of beats and timing etc but it certainly has a more discernible melody that an awful voice clip.

As I say I'll never be a musician, composer or producer but at least I'm able to put some more meat on very bare bones that someone who is the above can work on. I've actually managed to come up with  pretty decent intro and pre-chorus for one of my darker Pop numbers 'What I hate the most'.

It's far from a finished article and needs serious polishing in terms of note lengths, getting the right tempo and splitting up sections etc and getting some decent drum loops but I'm slowly getting there!

[montydog]

I learnt to play acoustic guitar from scratch at the age of 48 for the sole purpose of writing songs. It took me 2 years of an hours practice every day to get to a basic level. If I can do it, so can you if you really want it badly enough.

[Neil C]

One other thought and I don't know what you are using to record your tunes but garage band on the ipad is a really easy way in.
There are presets for rhythms and chords which means the playing does get in the way of the creative writing process. You can find a beat, use a few chords as boydie suggests and play about with melodies, erase and re-record. Also tunes like lyrics take a while to find there shape.
 
Neil