Song Creation

[yepmop]

Hi All

Getting the urge to write a couple of songs for the first time in over 30 years and was wondering how other writers approach writing their own songs.

Do you write the lyrics first then create the music? or is it the other way around, create the music first then add some lyrics.

The ones I've written in the past have always started life off as a riff/melody and then I've built on to that and then added some lyrics as the final touch but I think logically, it would be better to write the lyrics first, then add the music?

Cheers

[Dave Vader]

Depends on what hits you first. I tend to arse about with a guitar/keyboard/bass/hitting the table to get some ideas, then hum some melodies, and then try and fit words into it.
Sometimes entirely the other way round. I've written stuff from just a drum beat before, and sometimes written pages of words, and then tried to fit music to them.
Inspiration is a funny thing, best not to make a science of it.

[the_skezz]

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1365712047' post='2043454']
Depends on what hits you first. I tend to arse about with a guitar/keyboard/bass/hitting the table to get some ideas, then hum some melodies, and then try and fit words into it.
Sometimes entirely the other way round. I've written stuff from just a drum beat before, and sometimes written pages of words, and then tried to fit music to them.
Inspiration is a funny thing, best not to make a science of it.

[/quote]

Couldn't have said it better.

[BigRedX]

I don't write lyrics, so all my song writing has been done in conjunction with someone who does.

In the past I've composed music to fit lyrics that have already been written, or had the lyricist produce lyrics to fit musical ideas I've come up with.

For the Terrortones, Mr Venom writes all the lyrics first. Each week I'll come up with a bunch of ideas that range from a very basic riff to fully formed music for a complete song. When we get together Mr Venom picks his favourite musical idea and then goes through his big file of lyrics to see which will fit that idea the best. There will then be some shuffling of words and musical phrases to get the two to work together properly, and by the end of the evening we will normally have a complete song with everything including as rough drum part worked out. A couple of hours in the rehearsal room with the complete band and it's ready to gig.

[Geek99]

The main tune and about 50% lyrics just pop into my head

Then I promptly forget them

Edited April 11, 2013 by Geek99

[thisnameistaken]

Usually it's a vocal melody idea, sometimes it's a bass or guitar melody or a beat, any little idea that seems worth a bit of effort to flesh out I'll work on it, but I always start with music and then add lyrics. Usually I'll work on guitar rather than bass, very occasionally keys if I feel like I'm going through the motions on guitar.

Often though when I get around to picking up a bass the chords will change because arpeggiating the chords suggests a more interesting idea.

I work hardest on the lyrics though. I don't often write lyrics these days but when I do I spend much longer on those than the music. IMHO the music is important to pique a listener's interest and the musical hooks will keep them interested to the end, but the lyrics are what make a pop song worth a lifetime of listening, long after the music has lost its novelty.

[xgsjx]

My last band was me & the singer as a writing team. I always left the lyrics to him as he could listen to a melody & get the words to fit so the syllables & vowels fell into place (if you know what I mean).
Writing could take a number of routes. Sometimes he'd have a chord progression & a basic melody, sometimes some lyrics. Sometimes I'd take a bassline or chord progrssion, sometimes I'd have an entire song less the lyrics.
When we first met, I had a bassline that I couldn't fit anything, played it to him & he had lyrics that he'd written with the same issue, they fitted perfectly & the drums & guitar just fell into place.

Now I'm working on writing lyrics as I don't have him to write anymore & in my new band, I'm the only one who knows how to write lyrics (& not by any means great either).

[discreet]

[quote name='the_skezz' timestamp='1365712412' post='2043466']
Couldn't have said it better.
[/quote]

+1. No fixed method here. If I come up with a bass line I like I'll send it to the rest of the band and they might add to it and send it back... I might get a chord sequence or a drum pattern or a bit of vocals via email... things go backwards and forwards, it takes shape, we learn it and run through it at rehearsal... but then we're just as likely to jam at rehearsal and have something come out of that (I record everything we do at rehearsal), so I don't like to restrict myself or apply rules to the creative process... man.

Edited April 11, 2013 by discreet

[Skol303]

I'm no 'songwriter' but when I do have a stab at it I use Dave's approach... it just depends on what hits me first: an idea for a lyric, or a melody, sometimes just a beat.

One thing I've found is that helps to have something to hand to keep notes on (I use a smartphone for notes and humming melodies, but a trusty notepad and pen would do the job). Ideas tend to hit me at the strangest of times, and I tend to forget them if I don't scribble them down immediately.

Anyway, let us know how you get on with it

[blinddrew]

Another +1 for what Dave said. It all varies sometimes it's words first, sometimes it's melody, sometimes it's a concept. It's been a while since I've written anything in conjunction with anyone though.