i got a hold of some bits and pieces of riffs and parts that one of the guys i'm playing with had recorded into protools. i tossed it into reaper and began working up some of my own guitar parts for it. after quickly figuring out the BPM and key i was off to work.
it's standard I-ii-vi-V progression in straight 8s, mostly down-picked. the guitars were doubled and planned left and right. there was one part that some sort of a melody/lead but that was about it. no lyrics or anything, just a framework for a song.
since I don't know where the vocals may go or whatever melody may happen down the road so I wanted to keep it fairly simple and just fill it out a bit. since all the guitars were straight 8 power chords my first job is to address the harmony and fill in the gaps, as it were. the "rhythm guitar" parts were already done so I went for a more arpeggiated approach in a different register and made sure to address the 3rds, that always works.
my next job was to add some rhythm to my parts. the 8th notes are covered so I opted for a little bit of space, some diads on some upbeats, and displacing where I started my phases. I'm not blowing minds, just trying to fill out what was given to me with parts that will likely not be out front but rather just another layer.
now, I suppose someone could have just laid these parts down and done a much better job of it, but there's a reason I'm talking it through. there was a time where I would have put on a track like this and just started blankly at it. I would have figured out the chords through mostly trial and error and some luck and then I would have fished for something that might sound "okay". that last part would have likely been all luck of I came up with anything at all. that's a terrible way to create something, as far as I'm concerned. leaving it up to chance is a good way to get frustrated and end up with next to nothing.
having done my homework I have a method to work with. I have some tools I can use to be able to figure out where to begin, what rules to follow, and then how to break them. now, I'm not saying I'm awesome at this stuff, because I'm not, but I am saying I have come a long way in this endeavor. I can create intentionally rather than leaving it to chance, and that is validation of my efforts.
