I'm looking for recommendations for good books (or other sources, if you know of a good website or something) for learning the basics of writing/composition. Thanks!

Well, the "basics" of composition really have to do with music theory. Even an entry-level grasp of music theory concepts will help you with your writing, whereas advanced knowledge will make coming up with riffs a breeze.

There are tons of different websites offering free music theory resources. Google is your friend.

Or, you know, you could fuck the standards of worth and do your own thing... not the same formula which has been done to shit.

Knowledge of music theory is always a valuable tool to have. What you do with that tool, defines the music.

No, that's not true at all. Only to your deluded minds. It's true to an extent, but to no absolution.

Prominence, do you know any music theory?

Winds0fCreation, mattp, any suggestions?

Also, mattp, "We Who Are His Slaves" is my favorite of the M-A songwriting contest submissions thus far.

Thanks! This is where I got started with music theory: http://musictheory.net/

Do NOT neglect ear and voice training! Being able to hear intervals and sing them will make composing and music in general so much easier.

The big idea behind music theory is tension and release. Dissonance builds tension, consonance releases. The most basic example of this is the V7-I resolution. Play this on guitar:



The chord progression here is: I - IV - V7 - I. When you play the V7 chord by itself, it sounds dissonant and not at all pleasing. However, when you play it in the context, and the chord moves from the V7 to the I, you experience musical release.

That's the most basic thing that will actually help with composition.

I know very little. It's much slower, but less generic. Almost every idea's been used up... I don't want to join the feeding circle of recycling ideas, only their arrangements bringing any difference between bands and songs. That's just me though... Most people are all for it. So I guess I'll just be quiet.

That has nothing to do with music theory. Free form jazz is heavily based on an extremely in depth knowledge of theory and it doesn't sound generic at all. It is true that you can use music theory to create something very generic and samey, using the ABABCBB song structure with the I-I-IV-V chord progression... Or you can use the locrian mode to create an entirely new and bizarre chord structure, meanwhile using suspensions and non-chord tones to create a dissonant atmosphere, with suggestions of release.

Theory is a good tool to have, but like other tools, it's only as capable as its wielder.

I think ear trainings the most important.

Yeah, knowing what you play is really important if you want to expand the musicks.

I agree with ear being the most important. A good ear beats a good understanding of theory, any day... not to say they can't be used in combination, but it just seems much more valuable to me. We jammed with a bassist who hasn't played his bass in two years, but his grandmother was such a talented musician and he has such a natural knack for an ear, we had one of the best jams in months, if not years with just him and another guitar. It was dissonant and random as shit too, but still structured... moreso than we usually are.

Thank you for putting it so much better than I did...haha I didn't really feel like taking the time to.

Music theory can help a shitload with composition, what I am currently working on is the ability to play on my guitar, straight away, any melody or riff I come up with in my head (or hear). This would be an invaluable skill, as countless times I have come up with some sort of music in my head which seemed awesome to me (sometimes including drums) and when I sit down with my guitar I'm totally lost.

My friend can do this, so I know it's possible, but he's been studying music seriously since he was a wee lad, and isn't really all that into metal (he's a classical musician). He plays violin and piano, and one day i showed him acoustic medley by In Flames, he listened to the intro a few times through, and then played it perfectly on the piano, complete with harmonies and dynamics, and it sounding fucking awesome.

Developing your ear is god, but it is nearly impossible to develop your ear without an understanding of theory.

How can you know what you are hearing if you don't know what you are listening for?

To the OP: don't rely on one source for learning theory. Get a crapload of books and read a crapload of websites. You need to hear the same thing said many different ways before it really will start to sink in. Also, don't focus too much on guitar books. Get some used textbooks. 4 part vocal harmony will teach you a lot about chords and voice movement that you won't get from guitar books.

To Prominence: Learn the rules, and THEN break them. Otherwise you probably aren't doing anything original, you just don't realize it has already been done because you are working with limited knowledge.

You might want to look at one of the free ear trainers on the internet, so you can memorize what a minor second sounds like, what a augmented fourth sounds like, and so on. It makes it much easier. Being able to play things straight after hearing them is an amazing skill to have.

This one's really awesome:

http://www.ossmann.com/bigears/index.html

The problem I have with software like this is while it might teach you intervals, chords, etc it doesn't really teach you musicality.

The best ear training you can possibly get it to take a course or find a teacher and learn to sight-sing from the page. It trains your ear while also developing rhythm and a general sense of melodic phrasing. It sounds tough because it IS tough, but is so worth it.

When I took my first course in sightsinging, I thought it was going to be the thing that made me drop out of school. I didn't think I had it in me to learn such a thing...but honestly ANYONE can learn it. The classes are designed for novices, and you learn from the ground up. Most community colleges offer them and it is in my opinion the single most important investment you could ever make in your music. Your ears are more important to your being able to make music than having the most awesome guitar rig, etc.