How do you compose your songs?

[Pedro]

I know this is a question so many times asked but it I would like to know how do you compose your songs? Lyrics first, music later or music first, lyrics later? And what about the music, do you come up with the melody first or the chords?

My way of creating songs always starts with a guitar jam and then maybe some random words and phrases creating the melody. Sometimes there is a melody haunting me for days until I record with the Micro BR.

Well and what about you?

[Oldrottenhead]

i have no set formula, sometimes a song appears in my mind fully formed, then i have to work out how to play it, sometimes i cant work out how to play it, coz im a pish musician. other times i have a lyric or theme going on which inspires the music or vice versa, wot im trying to say is, is if the muse is there grab it by the throat and dont let it go, thats the great thing about the micro br , you can get an idea down or saved before you forget  about it.

[Pedro]

i have no set formula, sometimes a song appears in my mind fully formed, then i have to work out how to play it, sometimes i cant work out how to play it, coz im a pish musician. other times i have a lyric or theme going on which inspires the music or vice versa, wot im trying to say is, is if the muse is there grab it by the throat and dont let it go, thats the great thing about the micro br , you can get an idea down or saved before you forget  about it.

You can't imagine the amount of ideas that I lose that way. My ideas are so fast, sometimes it happens that I completely forget even before turning Micro BR on.

[13STARZ+]

Make it up as i go along, play a series of chords along to a drum pattern for 3 or 4 mins, then add a bassline to whatever i have done.
and everything else clicks from there.

[Pedro]

Make it up as i go along, play a series of chords along to a drum pattern for 3 or 4 mins, then add a bassline to whatever i have done.
and everything else clicks from there.

I do that too. In fact thats what I like to do, no praticing or studying theory, just jam with some chord progression.

[Pedro]

Recently I also found a cool thing: http://www.intermorphic.com/tools/noatikl/index.html

Its a software called noatikl that generates music, real music, with chords, melody and rhythm. Its random notes and chords but not something completely random, something with sense. I think this is a great source of inspiration.

[larrivee]

WOW that is a loaded question.....

I would have to say that it always comes to me in a different manner. Sometimes I'll just be strumming and happen to fall upon 3 or 4 chords that sound really cool together. Other times I actually hear a melody in my head and have to figure the rest out. Once I was trying to learn a song and reversed the chord progression and wrote my own.

Writing a song is such a personal thing that I don't really think that anyone can say that they write them all the same way. For the most part, melody comes before lyrics.  I have notebooks of phrases and thoughts that I have at my disposal when I get to that point. One thing that I can say is that I never follow a pattern. In other words great songs don't always need a bridge or solo.

Sit back and listen to what you are working on. If you heard it on the radio would you change the station? Follow your instincts and forget everything else - you may be surprised with the results!

[guitarron]

mostly by just noodling away-thats why i wanted something portable like the mbr as oppsed to my sonar setup-some of my best performances are when i'm just farting around
sometimes i like to start with a beat-that can be ifectious-
no set formula for sure

[Pedro]

Sit back and listen to what you are working on. If you heard it on the radio would you change the station? Follow your instincts and forget everything else - you may be surprised with the results!

What do you mean? Put ourselves in a listener position and try to imagine what comes next and create from that point of view?

I do that too. I don't have anything written, but I have some chord progressions and melody phrases I usually do.

PS: Welcome!! 

[hewhoiscalledj]

Well for the longest time, I would wrap my head around an idea or feeling and then pick up my acoustic guitar or play around with some piano. Once I developed a basic chord/rythym progression that captured that idea or feeling, I'd record it (on my old Korg Pandora) and then either tweak it some more with different chord voicings, strumming patterns, etc and eventually write the lyrics and then fill in the drums and bass and guitar filler/lead.

Just recently, I've decided to change that age old pattern and start writing with a drum machine. I figured I would get a completely different sound or song structure if I developed the song's groove with drum and bass. I wouldnt say that this will completely replace my tried and true methods, but so far, I've come up with music that I never thought I could have done in the past. Just having a different, unique drum beat has inspired my ability to play guitar and capture new emotions or ideas in different ways. It's really quite awesome. I suppose song structure has been my weakness in songwriting but I'm working on that now.