When your song need a bridge...

[Kingnome]

What do YOU do ?

[justcrash]

Originally posted by Kingnome
What do YOU do ?

Go to the all mighty D major chord! ;)

[SomeGuyNamedRob]

Depends on the song, but usually for a bridge, I'll break down a song to the bare minimum elements for contrast against the rest of the song.

[Kingnome]

D-Maj ? I STARTED with D-Maj !!

I guess my problem is finding the chord progressions for bridges that sound the most natural, as in "not forced" KnowwhatImean?

[ScottWMF]

feedback instead of the chorus riff

[thelonius74]

Originally posted by SomeGuyNamedRob
Depends on the song, but usually for a bridge, I'll break down a song to the bare minimum elements for contrast against the rest of the song.

What if your song IS bare minimum elements and you want to step it up!!

[ode2no1]

well i'm a wuss....i dont like breaking the groove of a song unless it's absolutely necessary...which is never...so, what i'd do it use a familiar progression within the song and change it some. or....just mess around till you find something you like. if the song is in the Dmaj try going to Bm. there's also Am! hahaha...i use Am for like everything....

[auditorium]

a key change is a nice idea, especially if your genre can be labled as something-pop. i learned how to do impeccible key changes in music theory two weeks ago...then finals came and i forgot every thing i ever learned. funny that?

a good dynamic shift works, too, but i'm a personal fan of just jamming along in a related key real quick and shifting back before no one notices. :D

[jazzmaster]

A key change can be really effective, but corny if done wrong.

[non mushall]

A key change can sound good or
play the 4th major chord of whatever key the song's in as the opening chord for your bridge. eg If the song's in D , then your bridge could sound good starting on a G or G sus chord, as long as it ties into the verses and choruses

[SomeGuyNamedRob]

Originally posted by thelonius74


What if your song IS bare minimum elements and you want to step it up!!

I've broken down bare minimum to less than bare minimum. :)

Break it all down to just a vocal with a bit of reverb on it.

Or, make a lot of really cacaphonous noise for a couple bars before going into the bare minimum again.

[imacbad]

Everything drops out except for one guitarist fiddling with a whammy pedal and the vocals. It sounds cool.

[Kingnome]

I appreciate all the suggestions and I wish there was a way to post this tune I'm working on. It's on cassette so you'll have to wait till I get my digital equipment.
This is one of the reasons I complain about the guys who try to self-produce their music. I can almost always tell when someone is working alone, and this tune of mine is a good example !!

[SomeGuyNamedRob]

Originally posted by Kingnome
I appreciate all the suggestions and I wish there was a way to post this tune I'm working on. It's on cassette so you'll have to wait till I get my digital equipment.
This is one of the reasons I complain about the guys who try to self-produce their music. I can almost always tell when someone is working alone, and this tune of mine is a good example !!

That's not always true, but I can see your point.

[BryanMichael]

Friend,
If you have a soundblaster card and a boombox, you can record your tune from cassette right into your computer, you may need a cable from Radio Shack (3.00) that is stereo with the appropriate connectors from headphone (1/4" or 1/8") to stereo line in (1/8")

Headphone out of boombox to line in on soundcard
launch windows recorder or creative recorder-
Push play on boom box, set level, press record on screen-
save as a .wav file.

Then Email it to me!
I'll take a crack at the "middle eight" as they used to say...

Peace,
Bryan

[SomeGuyNamedRob]

Originally posted by BryanMichael
Friend,
If you have a soundblaster card and a boombox, you can record your tune from cassette right into your computer, you may need a cable from Radio Shack (3.00) that is stereo with the appropriate connectors from headphone (1/4" or 1/8") to stereo line in (1/8")

Headphone out of boombox to line in on soundcard
launch windows recorder or creative recorder-
Push play on boom box, set level, press record on screen-
save as a .wav file.

Then Email it to me!
I'll take a crack at the "middle eight" as they used to say...

Peace,
Bryan

Hey Bryan, do you do collaborations with anyone? I have a track I'm working on that may need some guitar work above and beyond what I'm capable of.

[BryanMichael]

Rob,
I'd be happy to give it a shot!

maybe shoot me an mp3 and then if I have some ideas, maybe you can send me a raw wave file (I have DSL so download isn't a problem) and I'll give it a go and send you back a raw wave file you can import into your main app. We'll see-
shoot me an mp3 of what'cha got and what you are looking for.

email:
bryanmichael@juno.com

I won't promise anything :cool:

Let me know what style you are looking for and what applications you are using-

Fun!

peace,
Bryan

[Kingnome]

Originally posted by BryanMichael
Friend,
Headphone out of boombox to line in on soundcard
launch windows recorder or creative recorder-
Push play on boom box, set level, press record on screen-
save as a .wav file.

Then Email it to me!
I'll take a crack at the "middle eight" as they used to say...

Peace,
Bryan

Thanks, but I've tried that and all I get is distortion. I don't seem to be able to set the record level.
I'm not exactly computer literate, hence my affection for analog recording and my reluctance to go digital.

[BryanMichael]

Set the recording "in" level on you r soundcard mixer-
If you have a Soundblaster-just double click the little speaker icon on the bottom of your desktop -
click on properties-select recording-
set your level.
peace,
Bryan

[Kingnome]

Originally posted by BryanMichael
Set the recording "in" level on you r soundcard mixer-
If you have a Soundblaster-just double click the little speaker icon on the bottom of your desktop -
click on properties-select recording-
set your level.
peace,
Bryan

Okay, I'll try it again, but you're dealing with a combination of Schleprock and Eeyore here.
(In deep, slow voice) "Okay.....I'll try again......don't expect much......."

[JimNdave]

From D I like going to Eb and/or CMaj7 then FMaj7 and/or Dmin7.

[Lord Lucifer]

make the bridge contrast with the rest of the song. In my most of my songs the guitar plays distorted hardcore metal riffs and then the bridge may be a slower , melodic clean part, then bust back into the rippin guitar riffs. makes the song dynamic and sound heavier and cooler.

[zelmobeaty]

dissect some beatles songs. A key change is good. Or changing from major to monor.

[imacbad]

Originally posted by Lord Lucifer
make the bridge contrast with the rest of the song. In my most of my songs the guitar plays distorted hardcore metal riffs and then the bridge may be a slower , melodic clean part, then bust back into the rippin guitar riffs. makes the song dynamic and sound heavier and cooler.

Exactly.

From Anthrax Behind the Music:

"If you play the slow parts slower and the quiet parts quieter, the loud parts will seem louder and the fast parts will seem faster"

Its a great way to add dynamics to a song.

[Tubesarecool]

I usually let the bass carry it, and change it up piece by piece until I have something cool!!!:D

[fakeplasticshrub]

i go off at a tangent, especially fun in metal songs where they're waiting for something even bigger and pleasantly surprised when a piano or some jazz beats come in...