How do you write songs?

[sparquelito]

Good morning, fellows and (are there any) ladies (on this forum?).

 

A non-musician friend asked me yesterday, 'how do you write songs?'.

 

The question regarded the age-old notion of 'do you write the lyrics and then formulate the music, or do you come up with the music and then add lyrics?'.

 

I had to give pause.

I never really thought about it in those terms.

 

Most often, I'll come up with a riff or a chord progression, or even an original keyboard noodling, that pleases me.

I then build a melody in my head, and from there, depending upon what mood I am in, I begin writing lyrics to match that melody.

Within an hour or so, I capture the entire emerging line of thought on the recorder or on the computer.

In most cases, with just a few tweaks or adjustments for timing and metre, I have a finished song.

 

There have been a few instances where I woke up with a song idea in my head, and so I got up out of bed and grabbed the guitar and began recording immediately, no matter how rough or immature the idea.

 

One time (just a few years ago) I had a song idea rolling around in my head while driving to work on a rainy morning.

I began singing it to myself, and used the audio recording feature on my cell phone to capture the words and melody, so I wouldn't forget it later on.

In the end, I literally wrote the entire song while behind the wheel of my car.

 

How about you?

What has been your experience with regard to writing songs?

 

How many of you have some original riffs or chord progressions that are just dying to become complete songs some day?

 

:)

 

[daveinspain]

Always starts by noodling around and stumbling on something that grabs my attention. The idea. Then I expand on the initial idea. If I stumble on a cool riff I look for chords to put under it or the opposite if thats the case. Then I look for a bass line and drums to complement it. Once I have all that I look for a melody line to go over it. Once I have all that the words just seem to fall in place. Sometimes song write themselves and sometime I have to dig deep. the songs that seem to write themselves always come out the best.

['Scales]

Much the same - noodle around with a broad concept (southern rock, alt rock,..whatever) in mind. If I get a couple of things that work together I'll look for a bridge, then roughly flow it out (mixes of 'verses' and 'choruses', what the solo might be over, etc) then just play rhythm and any riffs through an amp and record it on the voice memo app on the phone. I send it to my old mate the drummer to have a bash at and then we'd get together with him on his cheapo electric kit and me with very basic equipment and do a live recording to computer in MP3 with just rhythm guitar, drums and a very rough vocal line (which hopefully I have written meanwhile) as a guide to then send to bass player and lead guitarist. Then we'd jam it a while with them and see if there's any potential. We usually find things that can be tweaked and added to make it work.

 

Here's an example of a new idea that we have just done the rough drums/rhythm/Vox the other week, which now will be emailed to bass and lead guitarists as mentioned to see if it's a chance or not. Disclaimer - this is the drummer and my very first run though ever on this so its completely raw and rough as guts, we just gave it a bash and hit record - but I offer it in the spirit of the thread... If it works reasonably with bass and lead (and thereby licks and solo) then we'll work up the Vox and rhythm and drums too and see if it flys - in this case intent is simply a Neil Young-ish rocker in slow-fast style. new-song-idea

[OldCowboy]

First, I have to say that I'm beginning to feel truely humbled by the level of musical proficiency that y'all have expressed so far in this thread. Seems like a musical notion inspires your lyrics, at least a good part of the time. Wish I could claim that, but I can't in the least. Guess I'm more of a word person/verbally oriented/lyricist/alligator mouth/poet wannabe. Anyhow, the idea or emotion or observation comes first, and then I try to put it into a verbal context that feels like it might make a connection with someone else. Maybe it's a story, a series of visual impressions, a turn of phrase, or some combination of those. It's all pretty much right-brained. My guitar helps the ideas flow, and my sincere hope is that the melody I'm hearing hasn't been wholly stolen from someone else. Once the birthing's complete, it gets to be a matter of polishing and refining and learning the damn thing.

[glp2012]

Literally, I...

 

Pick up my guitar and play

Just like yesterday

Then I'll get on my knees and pray

I didn't plagiarize someone else...

[Pinch]

Certainly not by keeping the ideas I record onto voicemail when I wake up with "a song in my head". I press record, sing it and add instructions and what chords. Then chuffed, I go back to sleep, secure in the knowledgeable that I've written a new "Stairway" - at least.

 

When I listen back to it, it's invariably something along the lines if, "play a D note three times. Beep, beep, beep. Crash symbals to taste, then scream 'asparagus!'. Repeat twice. The end."

[Rookery]

Literally, I...

 

Pick up my guitar and play

Just like yesterday

Then I'll get on my knees and pray

I didn't plagiarize someone else...

Excellent

[merciful-evans]

I used to begin with music & then add lyrics.

My lyrics improved a lot when I started working the other way around.

 

After a dry period of being unable to complete a song. I have started to write from a 'groove'; - any rhythm I can come up with.

 

 

 

I do have a muse. The shoes muse. The only problem is that I have to write shoes into the song.

[surfpup]

The best songs arrive quickly I've found. I'm not very good at "working" on them after that. Invariably after a bit I hate them anyway. Lyrics tend to come first though.... at least the "hook".

[rct]

Some lyrical phrase starts it, causing a title. After that it's pretty much done in a little bit. Recorded as I hear it in my head, drum tracks start to finish, rhythm parts(guitar, keys, acoustic guitar), vocs, bass, finally solos and keyboard ambiance if any. I never say "I'll worry about that later", if I sit down to record I know pretty much almost exactly what I'm going to do.

 

rct

[Tman]

Typically don't start out to write, I just play and something may come out that I like then I go from there. Otherwise I may say to myself,"self, hey John Lennon went from a major to a minor in the same key. That's cool, lets try it!" I guess that is theft.

[saturn]

I wish I had a method to write songs.

 

Going back to my teenage years, I've started countless promising riffs, chord progressions, lyrics and other general ideas. But I've never once followed anything to the end. Eventually I usually end up forgetting whatever idea I might have had. I'm not much of a "recorder".

 

I've added some pretty decent leads, fills and musical ideas to some other peoples original songs though.

[btoth76]

Hello.

 

I haven't composed any complete piece yet.

 

Usually, when I come up with an interesting phrase, I write it down. Then, I start to extend it. If I find another phrase that fits, I keep it. Then, - when I get bored with it -, I put it aside and work on another idea.

 

It seems to be a never-ending story, but I am not desperate about releasing a record.

 

Bence.

[kidblast]

If I "try" to write a song, I will almost always fail.

 

once some thing catches me, the song rattles out of my brain in 10/15 minutes...

 

otherwise, it usually doesn't survive.

[Notes_Norton]

badly.

 

I end up not liking anything I write - especially the words.

[quapman]

It's really been a while. Back when we had a bunch of originals the way we worked was get through our 20 or so tunes with no breaks. Just rip through it all.

After we finished a decent rehearsal we were done. Then we jammed. All improv.

We would come up with stuff and add lyrics later. Occasionally the lyrics came first. If we didn't have a hook laying around we would each contribute our parts.

 

It was really a fun way too do it. Everyone contributed. I think we had only 1 tune that was all mine. I wrote all the parts and the lyric. I even scored the damn thing out on sheet. Nobody else read but I just did it for fun.

Man I must have had some time on my hands back then.

[kidblast]

Quap.. same here, did that for about 15 years with the same three other guys. we managed to squeeze about 25/30 pretty good songs out of that arrangement.

 

we all found our "wheel house" in the process. I was really good at coming up with intros, and hooks, the bass player was pretty good at finding the middle 8 sections,

and the drummer would always find the right tempo/and pocket.. the singer would sketch out some words and we'd be able to fill in the rough spots.

[StRanger7032]

badly.

 

I end up not liking anything I write - especially the words.

 

Me too! I gave up attempting to write lyrics a long time ago. My songs were awful! I have some good chord progressions and that's about it. My creative contribution to my band was writing the lead guitar parts after the song was 90% done.

[10K-DB]

I experiment with what I call "TV Twiddlings" Ill be watching a car race movie or chuck norris movie on TV ,,and have the gtr in lap and while I watch Ill just let hands/fingers go wherever,,not even thinking of what Im playing,and many times Ill land on a 2-3 chord progression,,and itll hit me,,Ill remember that,,and add to it later in the studio.

[ChanMan]

Meh.

 

Some come all at once.

 

Some come music first; some come lyrics first.

 

I know... big help, right?

 

 

If it helps, I have far, far more music than I do lyrics at this point.

[G Mac]

For me, it depends on how I want to tell the story. Sometimes the lyrics are the story and sometimes the music is the primary focus. Songs just come how they can. Sometimes they pop out all at once and somtimes they take alot of effort. I agree that my best ones are the ones that come out all at once.

Lately, I've been using the voice memo function on my phone to capture ideas that would otherwise flit away. That has been very useful.

Unfortunately, almost all the bands that I play with are cover bands so, my music ends up mostly sitting on the shelf. I so wish that I had an opportunity to be in an original band but, the cover stuff is my bread and butter. Perhaps in my next life...