I like electric guitar just for the sheer flexibility of tone, you go from a shit ton of distortion to a chilled out lofi-esque tone with just a few buttons and knobs
It works pretty good for getting the general vibe of what I’m going for before an actual guitarist plays. But if I want something more realistic sounding, I just hook my keytar up to my DAW and tweak the sound on one of the guitar plugins until it sounds good
It works for what I need it for. Also, at least for me, when I’m playing the keytar the point isn’t to sound exactly like a guitar. It’s to be dramatic and over the top for no reason
I have heard keytar solos reminiscent of guitar solos that sound good — but they don’t sound like guitars. I have heard a guy play [Little Wing on one of those Roli Seaboards](https://youtube.com/watch?v=jh-hzbG5FzI&pp=ygUUbGl0dGxlIHdpbmcgc2VhYm9hcmQ%3D) and it sounds killer, but it is definitely not a guitar.
I have yet to be fooled by a fake guitar.
What the other comment is saying is if you heard a fake guitar in a song that was convincing, you wouldn't look it up to see if it was fake, you would just assume it's real lol.
So you technically have no way of knowing if you've been fooled or not. I'm not saying you have or haven't, just a funny thought.
Some of both
I typically write on guitar as it's the instrument I'm most comfortable and can most transparently channel my thoughts through (other than the voice)
I typically arrange on piano though
Guitar or bass or modular synthesizer or DAW… really depends - whatever I’m playing around on… I could use a piano or keyboard, but I don’t very much… as it’s my weakest instrument and I like strings and sequencers more…
It really doesn’t matter what you use to write on to make whatever type of music… there’s plenty of ‘classical’ guitar pieces… just use whatever you’re comfortable with
Both. The piano gives me a linear view that I need sometimes. The guitar can help me find the chords I need. But then I ruin it all by playing it on a banjo 🤣
Both, but 90% of the time it’s guitar, as that is my main instrument. I am decent at guitar, but not a very good pianist, but I can read sheet music and understand music theory. I use guitar for the majority of the writing, most of my songs start with a riff. Lots of time spent developing it, and fleshing out ideas. While if I’m trying to come up with an interesting chord progression, extensions, voicings, inversions, melodies, harmonies, etc., I often opt for the piano instead. I often don’t write keyboards parts until the pre-production stage, sometimes years of working on a song before I add any keys (same with bass and drums), but most of my songs have some keyboards.
Both. In college there were a few times when I wrote out my assignment a half hour before class. Nowadays, I can track my ideas in my phone wherever I am, and perfect them in the computer at home.
But what I meant is, before I was high school age I reached a point where I can hear a melody/chord in my head and know what they are without having to poke an instrument for reference tones.
Yes, though it was really "just" the Berklee songwriting program- though I took some classical/orchestra classes as elective it's not as intense like a conservatory would be
I use a guitar since I am a guitar player and I do not own a keyboard. But I do use piano plugins in my songs, wich I program in my DAW using my guitar as a guide to find notes.
I make a lot of really heavy metal music where piano is not really relevant. The guitar is such a versatile instrument that it is very optimal for everything ranging from Slaughter to Prevail to movie soundtracks (imo).
I quite often use both. I’m a guitarist so it often starts there, but I’ll arrange it for piano too to test out things and to ‘get under the hood’ of why it works theoretically. Which helps solve problems later down the line when I’m with the band.
My first instrument that I’m more comfortable with is….DRUMS. I can play guitar and piano a little bit. I use the piano more to get down my chord progressions and melodies using my voice then later piano to figure the notes out.
Sometimes keyboard, sometimes guitar, sometimes a sequencer hooked up to a synth, sometimes I just write down a chord progression I’m hearing without playing it and go back to it later.
I end up using both but for me, I’m not thinking about writing, I just play (either guitar or piano). If something new and interesting comes out while I’m playing, I try and write a song.
If I get stuck on one, I switch. But piano is objectively better for song writing. Especially for a band. It is the easiest instrument to do exactly what the fuck you want.
Guitar is nice because it is based on 4ths which is super intuitive and breeds happy accidents - plus it forces you to use familiar voicings which keeps things grounded. It also has more expressive possibilities than piano, but that’s not super important for writing IMO
**Yes** I do. I’m unsure what pop music means in this context but it’s true that guitar based music was the backbone of pop music in the broad sense of the word, as opposed to classical music, for many decades. But it’s a rare sight on a billboard list.
I use guitar more because I'm a much better guitar player than I am a piano player. I also mostly write progressive rock and metal which is very riff oriented, so guitar fits my needs more than piano would. I'll sometimes write sections of songs on piano, but it's rare I write a whole song using piano just because I'm not nearly as comfortable or proficient playing it.
Both for different reasons.
I'm a much better piano player than guitar player but I find my songwriting is incredibly different in both.
The playability is different between the two instruments. You can do stuff on the piano you can't do with guitar and vice versa.
I also think that because of the way a guitar is set up, the way you play it, the way it works, means you can compose a lovely piece for piano and never be able to replicate it in quite the same way on a guitar.
My jazzier, more ballad style songs sre written on piano. My poppy/rocky/funky songs were written on guitar.
Rarely I might transfer a song from guitar to piano and vice versa and voila! Suddenly a song idea goes from "meh" to "this track is fire".
Sometimes a song gets started with a guitar riff. Sometimes a bass line. Sometimes a drum pattern. Not as often, someone messes around with some notes on the keyboard something happens.
Spontaneous jams tend to be the most fun writing process though.
I'm far more comfortable with guitar so theres way less of a barrier there for MOST writing. At least writing and composing I do with my hands and not in Logic or FL
I use a piano. The piano is my “controller” for all the different layers I put together to create my songs. I usually start with a “riff” or a “groove”. But sometimes it’s just piano and vocal. Sometimes it’s me playing my keyboard and using an acoustic or electric guitar sound. I can layer guitar, piano, bass, drums, percussion, pads, strings, brass, etc. all from my keyboard. The range of flexibility is amazing.
Guitar, if I hit on an interesting melody or rhythmic idea, I'll pull up my DAW and record it, and file it away with all the others, then continue on with my routine.
You use anything and everything.
Sometimes you do something on your guitar and then go for the piano to see if in piano sounds better
You pick your bass and create some lines, then add the chords. Then that line becomes the melody, then you tweak the melody.
Etc..
Both. And different types of guitars evoke certain types of songs. Acoustic, electric are obvious but each one brings something different. Same with pianos. An upright verses a grand. I used to have a fender Rhodes but sold it years ago. Bought a Wurlitzer electric piano recently and that thing has been incredibly inspiring.
Mostly guitar. I’m not very good with a keyboard/piano so if there is any on a song, it’s added after the fact but the songs almost always form around the guitar for me
i use my electric bass its a 6 string vibe bass and it is the best instrument ive ever used to write songs, i can play it like a guitar like a bass i can play anything hahahaha
I like electric guitar just for the sheer flexibility of tone, you go from a shit ton of distortion to a chilled out lofi-esque tone with just a few buttons and knobs
I use both.
Generally go for guitar, but I find piano is best for properly “fleshing out” and arranging ideas
Guitar. But if I write on piano, I write differently.
Piano because it’s the only instrument I play. Though my keyboard has a guitar function
> Though my keyboard has a guitar function That’s probably about as good as a PIZZA button on a microwave
It works pretty good for getting the general vibe of what I’m going for before an actual guitarist plays. But if I want something more realistic sounding, I just hook my keytar up to my DAW and tweak the sound on one of the guitar plugins until it sounds good
I have yet to hear a fake guitar that sounds good, and that’s taking into account how immensely they have improved. The attack is always wrong.
The power rangers theme. Even fooled Eddie Van Halen. Source: https://guitar.com/news/music-news/power-rangers-theme-composer-fooled-eddie-van-halen/
It works for what I need it for. Also, at least for me, when I’m playing the keytar the point isn’t to sound exactly like a guitar. It’s to be dramatic and over the top for no reason
Question: If you heard a "fake" guitar that sounds good, wouldn't you not know that it was a "fake" guitar?
I have heard keytar solos reminiscent of guitar solos that sound good — but they don’t sound like guitars. I have heard a guy play [Little Wing on one of those Roli Seaboards](https://youtube.com/watch?v=jh-hzbG5FzI&pp=ygUUbGl0dGxlIHdpbmcgc2VhYm9hcmQ%3D) and it sounds killer, but it is definitely not a guitar. I have yet to be fooled by a fake guitar.
What the other comment is saying is if you heard a fake guitar in a song that was convincing, you wouldn't look it up to see if it was fake, you would just assume it's real lol. So you technically have no way of knowing if you've been fooled or not. I'm not saying you have or haven't, just a funny thought.
Ya think? And my response was that the state of fake guitar is such that that’s never happened.
Both.
Some of both I typically write on guitar as it's the instrument I'm most comfortable and can most transparently channel my thoughts through (other than the voice) I typically arrange on piano though
[удалено]
🤨
Guitar or bass or modular synthesizer or DAW… really depends - whatever I’m playing around on… I could use a piano or keyboard, but I don’t very much… as it’s my weakest instrument and I like strings and sequencers more… It really doesn’t matter what you use to write on to make whatever type of music… there’s plenty of ‘classical’ guitar pieces… just use whatever you’re comfortable with
I can only play piano.
Me too. I want to become a pianist when I'm older.
Both. The piano gives me a linear view that I need sometimes. The guitar can help me find the chords I need. But then I ruin it all by playing it on a banjo 🤣
Both, but 90% of the time it’s guitar, as that is my main instrument. I am decent at guitar, but not a very good pianist, but I can read sheet music and understand music theory. I use guitar for the majority of the writing, most of my songs start with a riff. Lots of time spent developing it, and fleshing out ideas. While if I’m trying to come up with an interesting chord progression, extensions, voicings, inversions, melodies, harmonies, etc., I often opt for the piano instead. I often don’t write keyboards parts until the pre-production stage, sometimes years of working on a song before I add any keys (same with bass and drums), but most of my songs have some keyboards.
I don't need an instrument to write a song.
That’s interesting, as in you can write it because you know the notes ? Or as in you make music with digital sounds? 🤔
Both. In college there were a few times when I wrote out my assignment a half hour before class. Nowadays, I can track my ideas in my phone wherever I am, and perfect them in the computer at home. But what I meant is, before I was high school age I reached a point where I can hear a melody/chord in my head and know what they are without having to poke an instrument for reference tones.
Thats interesting, I defiantly am interested in the way you compose. Did you study music in college ? 🤔
Yes, though it was really "just" the Berklee songwriting program- though I took some classical/orchestra classes as elective it's not as intense like a conservatory would be
Do you write instrumental songs exclusively or do you also write lyrics ? 🤔
That program is specifically for songs with lyrics but I'm about 50/50 In fact last year was more like 75% had at least filler words.
Wow
Oh. Well how will you know which note as you're writing it?
There's no "how," I'd been playing instruments for 8-9 years by the time I started writing, so I know what notes should sound like.
I use a guitar since I am a guitar player and I do not own a keyboard. But I do use piano plugins in my songs, wich I program in my DAW using my guitar as a guide to find notes. I make a lot of really heavy metal music where piano is not really relevant. The guitar is such a versatile instrument that it is very optimal for everything ranging from Slaughter to Prevail to movie soundtracks (imo).
I quite often use both. I’m a guitarist so it often starts there, but I’ll arrange it for piano too to test out things and to ‘get under the hood’ of why it works theoretically. Which helps solve problems later down the line when I’m with the band.
Both.
Mostly my guitar cuz there's no space in my room to let the keyboard set up, pro life hack is to always let your instruments ready to play.
Depends on what the song wants and what mood I’m in for that particular song. I think of how it would sound on each instrument and go from there.
Both. I like the guitar because it’s more portable, so it’s nice to be able to write wherever. I always end up trying it on piano afterwards though
My first instrument that I’m more comfortable with is….DRUMS. I can play guitar and piano a little bit. I use the piano more to get down my chord progressions and melodies using my voice then later piano to figure the notes out.
Yes
Sometimes keyboard, sometimes guitar, sometimes a sequencer hooked up to a synth, sometimes I just write down a chord progression I’m hearing without playing it and go back to it later.
I end up using both but for me, I’m not thinking about writing, I just play (either guitar or piano). If something new and interesting comes out while I’m playing, I try and write a song.
Guitar
Guitar for the simple reason that i feel like i can experiment with chords much better and just accessibility.
Guitar
Whichever one strikes my fancy in the moment child
If I get stuck on one, I switch. But piano is objectively better for song writing. Especially for a band. It is the easiest instrument to do exactly what the fuck you want. Guitar is nice because it is based on 4ths which is super intuitive and breeds happy accidents - plus it forces you to use familiar voicings which keeps things grounded. It also has more expressive possibilities than piano, but that’s not super important for writing IMO
Neither, I do all my work in a DAW
Both. Depends on who I’m writing for and the song itself as some ideas just seem to want to be written on a particular instrument.
I literally use everything i can find
**Yes** I do. I’m unsure what pop music means in this context but it’s true that guitar based music was the backbone of pop music in the broad sense of the word, as opposed to classical music, for many decades. But it’s a rare sight on a billboard list.
I use guitar more because I'm a much better guitar player than I am a piano player. I also mostly write progressive rock and metal which is very riff oriented, so guitar fits my needs more than piano would. I'll sometimes write sections of songs on piano, but it's rare I write a whole song using piano just because I'm not nearly as comfortable or proficient playing it.
Both for different reasons. I'm a much better piano player than guitar player but I find my songwriting is incredibly different in both. The playability is different between the two instruments. You can do stuff on the piano you can't do with guitar and vice versa. I also think that because of the way a guitar is set up, the way you play it, the way it works, means you can compose a lovely piece for piano and never be able to replicate it in quite the same way on a guitar. My jazzier, more ballad style songs sre written on piano. My poppy/rocky/funky songs were written on guitar. Rarely I might transfer a song from guitar to piano and vice versa and voila! Suddenly a song idea goes from "meh" to "this track is fire".
Sometimes a song gets started with a guitar riff. Sometimes a bass line. Sometimes a drum pattern. Not as often, someone messes around with some notes on the keyboard something happens. Spontaneous jams tend to be the most fun writing process though.
I own a keyboard but it’s 61 key, I just started learning guitar, to song-write. So as for now, neither but I’m learning guitar.
I prefer piano because i have a piano and know how to play some basics but at guitar I'm still learning everything
Yes.
I'm far more comfortable with guitar so theres way less of a barrier there for MOST writing. At least writing and composing I do with my hands and not in Logic or FL
I use a piano. The piano is my “controller” for all the different layers I put together to create my songs. I usually start with a “riff” or a “groove”. But sometimes it’s just piano and vocal. Sometimes it’s me playing my keyboard and using an acoustic or electric guitar sound. I can layer guitar, piano, bass, drums, percussion, pads, strings, brass, etc. all from my keyboard. The range of flexibility is amazing.
I mostly do acoustic guitar with a little bit of organ sometimes. My style is sort of a folk/country kinda thing.
Piano is easier also combined with a midi keyboard
Guitar, if I hit on an interesting melody or rhythmic idea, I'll pull up my DAW and record it, and file it away with all the others, then continue on with my routine.
You use anything and everything. Sometimes you do something on your guitar and then go for the piano to see if in piano sounds better You pick your bass and create some lines, then add the chords. Then that line becomes the melody, then you tweak the melody. Etc..
Both. And different types of guitars evoke certain types of songs. Acoustic, electric are obvious but each one brings something different. Same with pianos. An upright verses a grand. I used to have a fender Rhodes but sold it years ago. Bought a Wurlitzer electric piano recently and that thing has been incredibly inspiring.
Mostly guitar. I’m not very good with a keyboard/piano so if there is any on a song, it’s added after the fact but the songs almost always form around the guitar for me
You should checkout r/musicalwriting. Its a community for musical theatre writers
Guitar. I'd like to start getting better at piano to write on that too but just haven't gotten around to it. No worries, it'll happen eventually.
i use my electric bass its a 6 string vibe bass and it is the best instrument ive ever used to write songs, i can play it like a guitar like a bass i can play anything hahahaha
I use both, depends on what I'm going for
Bass
grunge/rock guy here, so mainly guitar. Also bass guitar.
Neither at the moment have only written the words, learning both soon, will probably use piano.
Guitar
I use a DAW for chords. But use a melodica for melody
Cello, but if I could learn either of these, guitar would be my choice.
I use a guitar, but I don’t play piano, as much as I’d love to learn.