How to start a song from scratch

The blank page is a decisions problem, not a talent problem

An empty project offers infinite options, and infinity is paralyzing. Every producer trick for starting songs is really a trick for shrinking the option space until the next move is obvious. So we start by throwing options away.

Step 1: Pick three constraints (60 seconds, no takebacks)

• A genre or vibe— “dark trap,” “dreamy synthwash,” “something like rain on a window.” Feelings count.
• A tempo— don't agonize: lo-fi lives around 70–85 BPM, house 120–126, trance 132–140, trap 130–150, DnB 170–178.
• A key — minor for dark or emotional, major for bright. When in doubt: A minor.

Wrong choices barely exist here — a “wrong” key is one click of transpose later. The point is that three constraints turn infinity into a workspace.

Step 2: Chords first — they're the skeleton

Almost everything else in your song will be a reaction to the harmony, so lay it down first: a simple 4- or 8-bar chord loop. Don't chase perfection; chase “good enough to build on.” Steal a proven pattern (our guide to writing chord progressions has four), grab a free MIDI progression in your genre, or describe what you want to GhostMidi and let it write the first draft. Loop it. If your head nods, proceed.

Step 3: Bass — the handshake between harmony and rhythm

Add the bassline while the chords loop, and give it a different job than the chords: if the chords sustain, the bass moves; if the chords stab, the bass anchors. Root notes on the chord changes are a completely legitimate first draft — groove comes from rhythm placement, not fancy note choices.

Step 4: One melodic idea — small, repeated, memorable

Now something for the listener to hum: a short motif — three to seven notes with a distinctive rhythm — repeated with small variations, not a wandering solo. Melodies that stick are motifs developed patiently; melodies that wander are the #1 tell of an amateur track. State it, repeat it, change ONE thing, return.

Step 5: Drums last (yes, really)

Plenty of genres start with drums, and if that's your way, keep it. But writing drums last has a quiet advantage: the groove can react to where your bass and chords already breathe, instead of the music squeezing around a pre-built beat. Either way, keep the first pass minimal: kick pattern, snare or clap on the backbeat, simple hats. Character comes later.

Step 6: Stop starting — save the loop, then extend it

You now have the thing every finished song grows from: an 8-bar world that feels like something. Extending it is a different skill (variation, arrangement, energy maps) — but the blank page is dead, and that was today's battle. Save the project. Tomorrow-you builds the song.

The 15-minute version with GhostMidi

This whole ladder is exactly how GhostMidi is built to work: describe the chords in a sentence (Track 1), then “add a bassline that follows the chords” (Track 2), then “write a sparse melody on top” (Track 3) — each new track hears what's already there and fits itself in. Every chord gets labeled, everything exports as .mid into your DAW, and the blank page never gets a vote. Free account, 15 generations, no card.