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The GN'R writing process


Vincent Vega

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I've kind of wondered about how the writing process works in "New" GN'R.

Like in Old Guns for example, Izzy, Duff (and sometimes West) would start strumming something, a rhythm, and Slash & Axl would take the simple little rhythm or melody and turn it into a beast. Case in point "It's So Easy." Intended by Duff and West be a '60s Folk Rock, Axl and Slash took that foundation and concept and turned it on it's head into the aggressive, "Fuck you!" rocker that it is.

I wonder how the process in New GN'R works. We've been told that Tommy has a big role in the band, being called "The General." And I have read that before Tommy came in, Axl, Paul and Dizzy were the main songwriters. I just wonder how many of CD's songs began, how they evolved and developed into the finished product.

Edited by Indigo Child
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I think it's like a game of Jenga: You take a sub bass from the bottom and you put it on top; you take an MPC 2000 beat from the middle and you put it on top; and then you take 8 Axl vocals from all over and you put them on top. You play this game for a decade with 10 or more people, and then you release Chinese Democracy.

Edited by ITW 2012
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I imagine Axl giving a certain direction and then everyone creating 30 5 second bits to fit the song, which Axl sorts through and pieces together to make a song.

Only half joking.

You wouldn't be joking at all, thats probably as close as how it really happens. The musicians all record various riffs, chord progressions, piano lines, bass lines, drum beats and Axl listens to the tapes and arranges, edits, comps, layers it. Then finally puts vocals on top. Even Robin was quoted as saying he "got sick of working on songs with titles like "instrumental number 43"". This isn't like in the Appetite days where they would all jam out a song or all get in a room and build up a song. Even in the UYI days, Izzy, Duff and Slash would make most of the music(sans Estranged, November Rain etc) and Axl would come in later and add vocals.

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I think I remember an interview with Brain where even

he was unsure what parts he was drumming on in Better and which points Frank was.

From everything we know the band comes up with riffs (hundreds of hours of riffs),

solos etc. and Axl then picks the ones he likes and puts them together. I never got the impression they actually

worked on 'songs' as such.

You can tell with songs like TWAT, which changes right the way through.

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I think it's like a game of Jenga: You take a sub bass from the bottom and you put it on top; you take an MPC 2000 beat from the middle and you put it on top; and then you take 8 Axl vocals from all over and you put them on top. You play this game for a decade with 10 or more people, and then you release Chinese Democracy.

that was actually pretty fuckin funny

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Not sure how the Chinese Democracy songs came about they seem to have so many levels to me that its hard to put into a clear Idea on how they came about this does come to mind "This melody inside of me, still searches for solution"

Now to the band that was on stage 09-2010 I have some weird feeling that the jams that happen in the band have something to do with that process

for example I can imagine something like this

Tommy: Hey Dizzy I liked that effect you did on the jam for the new song

Dizzy: Yea I got the idea from that Riff that Richard was doing

or Frank: Im going to try a new tempo for this part (then tommy ads something to the base line for it)

While Axl comes up with some melodies for the voice that they later work on their rooms or when they have some down time and work on the song.

Edited by FaridBak
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I imagine Axl giving a certain direction and then everyone creating 30 5 second bits to fit the song, which Axl sorts through and pieces together to make a song.

Only half joking.

You wouldn't be joking at all, thats probably as close as how it really happens. The musicians all record various riffs, chord progressions, piano lines, bass lines, drum beats and Axl listens to the tapes and arranges, edits, comps, layers it. Then finally puts vocals on top. Even Robin was quoted as saying he "got sick of working on songs with titles like "instrumental number 43"". This isn't like in the Appetite days where they would all jam out a song or all get in a room and build up a song. Even in the UYI days, Izzy, Duff and Slash would make most of the music(sans Estranged, November Rain etc) and Axl would come in later and add vocals.

Yeah. I think Axl's 'dictatorship approach' is actually quite interesting because it worked for CD.

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I don't think you can just stick small bits of random riffs together and make a song, someone obviously made a backbone to begin with and thought it was cool, then they would think about the structure and what other small things could be added (Ron's fills during the CD verse and his small licks in ITW) once that's all done (not dusted) Axl, as always will probably fit a song he's written to it, whichever has a feel with the music, changing bits has he goes and bending it around to fit the track. After that it'd probably be a never ending cycle of adding and removing stuff and making it perfect.

That's what I think.

Think about it like film posters, people come up with so many brilliant ideas, but in the end after all the work, you're gonna have to decide on a final design. For the band and the pressure being put on them, I imagine that was a very long and very hard process.

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From what has been reported, the process tends to involved Axl being in the studio as little as possible, while the rest of who happens to be in the band jams together.

At some point Axl gives the thumbs up or thumbs down to what he hears. This in-turn inspires the lyrics.

Once a song is complete, Axl might suggest a new drummer learn all the parts, for extra 'feel' :D

Should a guitarist leave the band, then a new guitarist will be paid to re play some parts.

More a dictatorship than a band :D

Edited by star
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