Lyrics then Music or Music then lyrics?

AddisonXI

AddisonXI

Argumentative...
Just curious as to how some of you start off down your song writing journey. I usually come up with a guitar riff/melody and then lyrics flow out from there. I find it constraining if I already have lyrics written and I have to create music to match it. I'm trying different ways so that all my songs will not end up the same. So, I might try lyrics first then music.
 
They come in literally all kinds of ways. For example, over the last couple of nights I've completed 6 different sets of lyrics. For some of the songs, the music is already recorded so it was a case of fit the lyric to an already existing melody. I've been writing some of them since 2002 and it was hard fitting them but I managed it. On the other hand, a couple of them I can't recall the melodies {I have them stored somewhere} but I do remember that when the ideas for the words came, each lyric, abstact as it is, fitted a particular pattern. All of the lyrics completed are shit to read but make nice sound and rhythm shapes.
On the other hand, last week I recorded the music of a few songs with my drumming friend. These songs were kind of unique to me {though becoming more frequent} in that they came to me as melodies and fragments of words. More often than not the music would come first. I've tended to regard myself as pretty crummy when it comes to plucking melodies out of nothing. But in a number of these newish ones, I actually had to find chords and basslines to support the melodies. On a roll one morning at work, I even came up with lyrics for a couple of them and they were pretty easy to write.
I experienced something strange for me recently too. I had this silly ditty and came up with a melody, no music. Then I came up with another melody for it so I decided to do two versions of the song. When I was putting the music together for them, the original melody I thought was awful. So I decided to just do one version, the second more mystical melody. But I just could not get that original melody out of my head. I had deleted it from my computer and dictaphone so I should've forgotten it. But it had so insinuated itself into my psyche that I was compelled to record it. So I did. First time I've done guitar and vocals simultaneously.
I could go on forever and a day but I'd better not ! Suffice it to say, there's all kinds of ways. Some of the harder ones are when all I have is a bass part to an entire song. Melodies and lyrics become a challenge. But do~able.
 
I usually start strumming my guitar to whatever emotion I am feeling at the moment. If something seems to feel right, I may say a few words that come to mind. Often those words are meaningless, but seem to help support the emotion of the song. Slowly, the real feeling and direction and subject of the song starts to gel.

I find it extremely helpful to have an easy to use audio recorder to capture even the most non-sense of playing/words. By easy to use I mean NOT one of those all in one video-audio-game- players that do everything. That's too tedious. I use an olympus voice recorder - DM-520 which will record in lossless format. But it's biggest advantage is that the controls are physical buttons that can be controlled by feel. And so I can record in small takes easily.

Sometimes if I like what I am hearing and can't seem to take it far, I put it aside for a few days. That's where the audio record is helpful, I can talk out chords so its easier to remember later.

I think of writing music as having a daydream. One where you are in partial control, but not all.
 
I usually hear an entire instrumental in my head (all the instruments but no vocals), and I just go from there by making a quick scratch demo to capture my ideas. It's very rare that I come up with the lyrics/vocal melody first.
 
rickidoo that is a great idea... Man if I only I could remember half the little lyrics I've come up with just in the moment of trying to put together a new song. ^_^ Thanks for the input guys. It's cool hearing other peoples thoughts about this winding road of song writing.
 
rickidoo said:
I usually start strumming my guitar to whatever emotion I am feeling at the moment. If something seems to feel right, I may say a few words that come to mind. Often those words are meaningless, but seem to help support the emotion of the song. Slowly, the real feeling and direction and subject of the song starts to gel.

I find it extremely helpful to have an easy to use audio recorder to capture even the most non-sense of playing/words. By easy to use I mean NOT one of those all in one video-audio-game- players that do everything. That's too tedious. I use an olympus voice recorder - DM-520 which will record in lossless format. But it's biggest advantage is that the controls are physical buttons that can be controlled by feel. And so I can record in small takes easily.

Sometimes if I like what I am hearing and can't seem to take it far, I put it aside for a few days. That's where the audio record is helpful, I can talk out chords so its easier to remember later.

I think of writing music as having a daydream. One where you are in partial control, but not all.
Click to expand...

This is more or less the same as my attempts, although I rarely get round to finishing any of my songs. I still play them though and sing the same, nonsensical lyrics I made up as I was writing.

Melodies come very naturally to me, so it is easy to start singing as soon as I have a chord progression. What worries me most is how easy melodies appear, I spend most my time thinking I am just stealing other tunes because I seem to do little work in writing them.

A big part of signing up here is to get some stuff listened to and hear feedback.
 
Depends on what's driving the song. Andre 3000 has a method of recording himself playing around with a guitar, then he'll sing nonsense words or baby talk. Later he'll listen to the recording and put real words to it. Certainly explains "Hey Ya!" I've found this method helps me come up with easy/fun-to-sing melodies but typically not very meaningful lyrics. Still, I think my best songs come this way. Helps break writers block. This is nicely paired with a drink or two...
 
I've been using my iphone as of late to record my guitar and nonsense words. Definitely helps a lot. I'm excited to get my recording equipment and give you guys a listen to my song writing/playing. I kind of have problems with my songs feeling too simple to myself. I'm hoping to learn new chords and make my music a little diverse
 
My method is often two seperate processes.

Most of my songs are lyrically driven (the lyrics are the most important part of the song.) So I write lyrics all the time.

Then I'll sit down and write a chord progression, pick part, etc

Then a lot of time I find that a certain piece of music will lend itself to a set of lyrics. The lyrics will often require some revision to fit, but that's typically how it works.

Sometimes though I'll be mucking about on guitar and I'll hear a melody and just start singing. A lot of times what I sing will start a lyric writing session and do a full song that way. If that makes sense.

Whatever your process....REVERSE IT!!! I was helping my sister write some songs for her deployed husband. I just started a pop melody and diddy. Then we wrote some really fun lyrics to it. It was cool. Do things differently and push yourself.
 
I'm of the either/or crowd. I've put lyrics to music and music to lyrics. It is most common for me to write words first, but that might just be because I don't consider myself as a musician as much as a writer. What I do know is that I don't have any music on the shelf waiting for words - but I've got reams of lyrics all over the place that may never be sung for any number of reasons. Not the least of which is that a melody might come along that needs words, and rather than looking at what I've written already - I'll just write something new. :-)
 
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