What stage do you start writing lyrics?

R

ryanwoollerton

New member
I make house music and I want to begin adding vocals.

Now then, I have had no experience with incorporating vocals into my music so I would love some help.

Now then I don't know if there is a difference when writing lyrics for house music as opposed to rock for example?

Do most people go about writing lyrics after they have written the backing track? Or do you build the rhythm section first and maybe add bassline and then write some lyrics?

How do some of you guys go about this process?
 
As people respond to your post, you will notice that there is no one way of doing things. Some people write before, some after, some during.

My suggestion is to write whenever you have a burst of inspiration, whether you have backing waiting or not . . . because inspiration comes so infrequently you grab it when you can.
 
It is very rare for me to write lyrics until I've got a melody to write them to. I don't need to have a whole song, in fact I don't even need to have a whole verse. But I do need at least a bit of a melody. Occasionally a good phrase will pop into my mind - and always have a pencil and paper nearby! - but I don't think that I've ever just sat down and written out a few stanzas of words without any idea of where I was going melodically.

Often I will have a few ideas for lyrics, and a basic melody, and then I can work off that - expanding the melody, trying out different note choices. I usually have fair idea of where I want syllables to fall - I find this helpful for getting the rhythm of the lyrics to work with the music. Sometimes I will know that I want to hear a particular vowel sound at a certain point of the line. Then I've got to go hunting for that word that has the right amount of syllables, the right vowel sound, and the right meaning :)

That actually makes it sound more difficult than it is, though.

I don't think there is any difference in writing music for house music or rock music. Both genres have examples of vapid nonsense and deep observation in fairly equal measure. It's up to you really - what do you want to sing about?
 
Last edited:
I am 180 degrees opposite from Paulie Jay. I take the Bernie Taupin/Elton John approach. I always, 100% of the time, write lyrics first. Then I come up with some chord changes to fit the meter of the lyrics. Next, I play with a few different melodies that fit within the chord changes until I find one that stands out. I sing it a few times, tweak it to suit - then it goes on tape. Works for me!

-Mike
 
I’m sure to repeat something I’ve already said on here about this.

To me, personally, it can go either way; one drives the other.

If I come up with a nice musical riff then I can’t just put any lyric I’ve written to it.

Why - because the music has some kind of a mood to it. And the reverse is true when the lyric is written first.

If I write a lyric about balls and stomping on your throat, I sure as hell ain’t going to put that to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Weird Al might but not me. And a lacy, lilting, lyric demands a similar musical accompaniment.

But isn’t all house music about bitches and shit anyway? So who cares? House is dance music so any kind of stupid rap mumbo jumbo will do. House is a perfect example of why lyrics don’t matter.
 
As someone else pointed out - there is no right or wrong way ..... each writer has to find what works best.

I normally find a chord progression that I like and that prompts me to start humming/scatting a melody - this evenutal starts to be words .... which in turns become lyrical phrases. At some point one of the phrase becomes my lyrical "hook" and from there I start to develop the story line around that hook.

However, there have been times where I've had an entire song recorded with no melody/lyrics and then worked from there.

On a few occasions I've had lyrics first and then built the melody and harmony around the lyrics - but I find that approach difficult.
 
Greg_L said:
I write my lyrics somewhere between afterthought and don't give a shit anymore.
Click to expand...

Ah, between nothingness and eternity, between thought and expression, between a rock and a hard place......#
Yes, this is the place, departing and never arriving. Where all the world is a birthday cake.

I have been there, Glasshopper......






















































and I got out real quick !! :D
 
I write lyrics at the same time as everything else in the song, all in one perfect one-man-band freestyle performance of musical genius... but seriously sometimes I write lyrics with no song, sometimes when I have a good chord progression I'll just freestyle with it until something interesting comes out, sometimes I'll sit and think forever about each line until I have a song, and sometimes I'm a poet and I don't even know it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top