Everyone's Writing Process

[Oldrottenhead]

i thought id give this rather interesting thread a bump.

[DannyB_KY]

ORH,

I'm glad you gave it a bump.

You fellahs are awesome.........

[Hook]

This is a really cool thread. I've been a song writer for around 25 years. I started writing lyrics in the 7th grade ('87 maybe), love songs mostly. I had a friend at church a year older than me and he would write music on piano  and we would work out harmonies together. We formed many bands together through high school (I was drummer in one but mostly lead singer)but I grew tired of seeking approval on my lyrics from 4 other guys and decided I needed to learn guitar. I bought a cheap electric and amp from Sears and a chord chart poster from the music store with a few song books of my favorite albums and set off to be self sufficient. Once I got my chords down songwriting just started happening.
 I also believe that songs come to me and I'm lucky to be able to get it out. I've lost & forgotten so many songs it's rather stupid. I'm a little on the scattered, unorganized, disheveled, easily side-tracked & almost too stupid to be alive side and songs have been the one constant through my life. I stopped playing covers (mostly) and hit the originals hard back then. Did open mikes and played every chance I got, never made a dime but the songs came.I took a back packer guitar on the Appalachian Trail with me when I thru-hiked in 1996. I lived in Nashville for a year in 2000 and played constantly and wrote tons, always working some crap day job. Got an opportunity to buy an established children's entertainment company (clowns) in Tampa, FL not music but I was a professional entertainer making pretty good $ and feeling pretty proud and still writing.
Then came children and your world changes. No time, need sleep, nothing else important! Writing slowed but never stopped. I quickly however learned that I could not justify going to open mics and playing for free any more, so I kinda crawled for a few years. Then I started writing songs for my kids and discovered a whole new side to writing. Just for fun and silliness. It fit my life, career and I a ran with it. Songs had always been serious things to me, even the satirical ones, so it was freeing in a way. I also had a friend here in Tampa in the solo acoustic cover scene, he convinced me to learn some covers and once I started making $ I learned I didn't really care what I was playing as long as I was taking care of my family. I did cover gigs and wrote only kids music for a few years because they came. That side of my music is what predominately supports my family through my performances, not so much my recordings yet but I have made 2 full length CD's.  Within the last year  & more so since actively participating in this site since last Aug.  contemporary, adult tunes have been coming to me. With the fairly recent additions of Banjo, Uke, and Mandolin I've been inspired daily if not more often than that.In my opinion nothing is more inspiring than a new instrument that I can write on.
I have no pattern or structure to my process, I might have once but no more. Some songs come fast some come slow. Some start with words, others music, some come together when I start playing. It's like breathing to me. I'm almost haunted by songs and often find myself neglecting life to write and create, especially lately! It's all about inspiration to me and I am inspired by almost everything, my life, other peoples lives, fictitious lives, festivals.Within the last few years I have tried to grow as a songwriter by challenging my self. When my kids were younger , they would give me an idea for a song and by the morning I would have to be able to play them something. I try to write a tune about whatever book I'm reading, etc. I'm a songwriter if I'm anything. It's what I've done as long as I've really tried to do anything!
Rock on!

[Geir]

i'm gonna have to make this thread unread so I can consentrate on the looooong replies in the mornin' !!

hic

[Hook]

sorry

[Oldrottenhead]

don't be sorry hook, it's a long and interesting thread and your addition to it is very interesting.

often find myself neglecting life to write and create

i can relate to that big time.

[maxit]

.. good bump! for me works this way (now, when younger was different) - I just use to whistle what comes to my head fitting the mood of the day: most of the times I'm whistling/humming some tunes that I know, but other times I find myself creating something (or at least I think so ;-). When it happens I record it immediately with my mobile phone and later on I complete that cool riff with some 'rules' till I have a chorus or verse melody, then add lyrics...

[Geir]

Don't worry Hook, it's a really interesting read !

[bruno]

I've never been one for lyrics - not being a singer, when I have tried, my lyrics always sound awkward and overly complex. I've never got my kicks from lyrics either - I like chords and sounds. I love the sound of someone singing, but lyrics quite often pass me by. So this makes my creativity somewhat simpler, and I've always enjoyed writing with other people. In the past I wrote by brute force, playing and picking up on interesting changes and progressions, some would work, some wouldn't. But would write as a pair. I lost my main musical collaborator and great friend a few years back - and was a little lost from music for a few years.

These days. kids and work means limited time - so I don't have the luxury of endless deliberation - so have to work fast. I tend to work from the beat up. Select a beat/loop. Then I'll play mainly guitar till something works that I like or keys - but something rhythmic, then the lead, and usually finally the bass and perhaps some keys. I find that one thing/idea leads to another - and the piece takes shape. Most of the recent posts have been done in one session, probably 3 hours max - starting with a blank sheet, no song, no ideas - through to final mix. That's why they are short! Normally once I start recording - something will come out, if I'm not inspired - I don't press record. It is for this reason that I love the  BR - it is immediate, unlike PC's which unless dedicate never seem to behave as you would like, and once you've fixed them, the moment is gone.

[Farrell Jackson]

I plunk around or jam away on a guitar, acoustic, electric, or keys but they all produce different song style thoughts for me. The acoustic is usually a mellow love type song or a humorous one. The electric is more rock oriented and the keys...who knows? I try to find an interesting chord structure, or just a cool sounding chord, or maybe a good rock riff then play with it until I get comfortable at playing it. A lot of times while doing this an accompanying idea pops up. Then I'll decide where they belong in the song, like is it a verse, chorus or bridge. I'll hum along or just sing any words that pop into my head to get a good sounding melody. Not always but sometimes those first words become part of the lyric.

Most of my songs have a lyric structure like this: 2 verses, a chorus, another verse, chorus, bridge, solo, chorus. Now the order is subject to change by mixing and matching. Like one verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, bridge, verse, chorus. The solo section is usually the same chords as a verse.  

I write my lyric to match my song layout. I also try to keep my lyric lines relatively the same length.

Sometimes this process happens all at once and other times I separate out the sections and work on them one at a time.

If I'm not completely happy with the lyric, I'll keep them with me throughout the day and make the changes as they come to me. At the end of this process I have a song ready to record.

I'm sure my process is close to the same as many songwriters here.

Now don't think me crazy, eccentric, or odd but I once dreamed a song. I woke in the morning from a dream hearing this cool melody and chords. I immediately got and started playing the song. It became the basis for my song Trippin' Down A Different Road.

Ok......maybe I am a little (((((CRAZY)))))),  

Farrell