I guess this is the right place for a song writing question.....

Denverdave

Denverdave

Resident Ragamuffin
In the majority of the songs you write (if you are a writer) - what comes first - words or music? Or some of both?
 
I have a notebook (and a binder... and my phone Notepad...) full of little lines and song snippets I've written. If I write a cool guitar part, I do diving around in those to find lyrics for it. More often I write out some lyrics, start singing a melody, then have to come up with a part underneath it.
 
I usually do both at the same time, although I think the tune is the main driver. When a song starts to generate in my head, I hear lyrics with it that sort of suggest an overall theme and direction for the song. But I don't polish up the lyrics until all the musical pieces are in place. And sometimes I completely dispose of the working lyrics and go in a new direction.

In my mind, a great song can survive mediocre lyrics, but great lyrics won't save a mediocre song.
 
Tralfaz said:
In my mind, a great song can survive mediocre lyrics, but great lyrics won't save a mediocre song.
Click to expand...

As much as I hate to agree with this since I pay a lot of attention to lyrics you are probably right. Though I would modify that to to a good song can survive mediocre lyrics. To me a great song must have at least a good lyric. But a perfect example. Right now I am learning 'Champagne Supernova' by Oasis for our band - I'm singing it. Love the song. Great melody, great sound. But looking at the lyrics? WTF - they make no sense at all. And reading a invetview with Noel Gallagher he as much as admitted they are nonsense lyrics with no hidden or deep meaning.
 
I used to keep a notebook with lyric ideas when I was writing more rock stuff. With the current album I usually start with a groove and an idea of what I'd like the song to be about.
 
It varies for me. Sometimes I start with a chord pattern and the words come along, other times the words come and then I figure the melody. There have been times when words and melody just seem to pop into my head from nowhere.
 
For my current project, I've been writing lyrics with no music... Then, I work on coming up with various riffs, and choose a set of lyrics for it... A lot of times, I may have some idea in my mind for the instruments when I'm coming up with new lyrics, but usually, by the time I get to really working on putting those lyrics to music, I forgot what I was thinking in the first place...
 
I have a bunch of lyrics around (notebooks, phone, etc). I have a bunch of riffs around.

I have yet to come up with any set that matches in the least. :facepalm:
 
I haven't written a song in a good few years, but I used to do lyrics first, then build music around it.
 
Lisa keeps a notebook with lyrics, titles, phrases we like, and she tries to match them with any music I come up with.

Sent from my blissfully peaceful garden.
 
If I'm writing alone, it's music first 99% of the time. Specifically, chord progression/riffs, followed by melody. Occasionally, both will come simultaneously.
 
I have no set formula. Sometimes the words come first, followed by a melody that fits with them. Other times, a complete musical piece will come together first that invites its own lyrics to match the "mood" of the piece.

For a long, long time the vast majority of my songs, strictly in terms of the music portion, began with a bass line. I am all about building songs around a bass part that is more melody than anchor. From there, it was usually pretty easy to put a guitar part or two over that complimented the bass line while providing a surrogate anchor.

Over time, I learned to build songs around guitar or key parts as the first ingredient. Sometimes, I have even had a drum part in my head turn out to be the first ingredient to an eventually completed song.

The moral of the story, is that I don't confine myself to any formula or plan. I just let the songs come regardless of where they get their start.

Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 4
 
I remember one time my bass player and I wrote a song around a somewhat disjointed bass line he had come up with.
I came up with a guitar riff that had nothing to do with what he was doing, but it fit so well. Eventually, it became a song about the Salem Witch Trials.
A certain illicit fungus was consumed during the writing process.
 
Both for me. I will write lyrics out without a melody or chord structure and then try and retrofit and I will also hash out a chord structure and melody and then write lyrics over it. I think the better songs come from the lyric writing first, or at least in my case, they are more engaging.
 
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