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by anonymous on March 5th, 2007

anonymous

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How do you go about composing a song? I'm competent on the guitar, but do you come up with the lyrics first and then the chords or the other way round? (Please feel free to start me off with some lyrics or something aswell if you wish.)

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Answers. 9 helpful answers below.

  • by singwell-is off researching a lot on March 5th, 2007

    singwell-is off researching a lot

    I am a lyricist and songwriter. I think what you have to do is listen to a lot of stuff in the genre you want to compose in (eg country, metal etc) and find out what the music patterns are. AFter a while, you start hearing the patterns as you play random chords. then the lyric line begins to emerge. words are the hardest, but, once again, listen to a lot of songs that say similar things to what you want to say. or find a poem you like and see if you can rework it. remember: the first song is usually a turkey, but eventually you get it. all the best.:-)

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  • by Joshua_Frozen on May 10th, 2007

    Joshua_Frozen

    For me, because I'm pretty good at the piano and guitar, I have a certain criteria..

    Firstly, what is the song about? Rejoicing, being in love, or feeling sad?
    For happy songs, something in a major key like D or G is always good. The beat must be steady and lively.
    For a love song, use a 'softer' major key like B flat or E flat. Using a minor key also works, given that the pace is appropriate.
    For a sad song, I always suggest: start with plucking or a half-down-strum in a minor key.

    Then I determine the lyrics, then the chords.

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  • by Uncle Ludwig on April 26th, 2007

    Uncle Ludwig

    No hard and fast for me when it comes to lyrics first vs. tune. Probably lean a little toward the music first, but word patterns and phrases can spark many explorations, too.

    I generally think in symmetries first: Set up something that requires a response to balance it, then add a hook or something that focuses the direction of the melody toward an important moment. Melodies are informational - they create a sense of "rule" as they unfold, and repeating ideas, motifs, often help establish the rule. Sometimes I think simply of a color and how it would feel if it were a sound. I'm a pianist, so melodic patterns are as easy as harmonic patterns to work out.

    But for it to be artistic, you have to push on the rule you've outlined, so create something interesting, or out-of-the-blue, or simply make a climactic arrival point after a sequence. Sometimes it could be a surprising leap, harmony, rhythmic shift, or word association that stands out as the focal point of the line. It's up to you. If you repeat something over and over for awhile, interest is increased when that repetition is finally broken and "something else happens."

    We live in an era of free form verse, of images without much linking narrative. When writing informationally-interesting lyrics, it's the quality of the word that makes the song. Try running out lists of words from your own memory that relate to a word in your lyric and that have something specific in common. Rhyming would be an obvious connection, but you could even go for common letters (e.g. "starts with t") or number of syllables, or simply synonyms. Use tools here, such as a rhyming dictionary and a thesaurus.

    Say you're writing a love song. You want to use an uncommon word to describe that desperate feeling of longing that sexual love inspires. So brainstorm a bunch of multi-syllable words that are synonyms for "pain": agony, desperation, heartache, achey breaky?, pin prick, abrade, punchdrunk, mule kick, teeth knocked out, a** whuppin', bruis-ed (as two syllables), wounded, crippled, hobbled, limping, and so on.

    None of 'em do much for me at this point, but maybe you see something. Try colors, places, occupations that associate with pain and longing. Run it all past your inner "decider" and explore the paths that crop up.

    Again, look for a story hook in your lyrics. Appeal first to your audience's emotional interest, then to their intellectual interest. In other words, hook their hearts then their heads. Make them want to hear what will follow. An emotional hook is usually about identifying with the situation from experience. ("Been there...")

    The intellectual hook is setting up how it's all going to follow and if it's all going to turn out all right. The payoff is resolving the mystery and fulfilling the emotions. ("Was their 'done that' the same as my 'done that'?")

    Bottom line: in a song, you, the writer, are the guide. Where do you want to take your audience? What do you want them to experience on the journey? And what are the steps to get from one thought to the next? What will they be left with when it's over?

    These are the over-arching organizers that you can refer back to as you explore possibilities within your melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic choices, as well as in your lyrics. To expand your options, listen hard to the works of other writers/composers you admire. What organizers can you detect in their works? Don't just listen in your favorite genre, either. Try out similar observations with other genres you're less familiar with. You may find some pleasant surprises!

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  • by Sarita1 Goes Bollywood on March 5th, 2007

    Sarita1 Goes Bollywood

    I have written lyrics first, I have written chords first. Depends on my mood and if I have something I want to sing about.

    Sometimes I just start playing and words come to me.

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  • by keithold is a prodigal bagger on March 5th, 2007

    keithold is a prodigal bagger

    G'day Cazhead,

    Thank you for your question.

    It depends on the individual songwriter as to whether the music comes first or the lyrics do. In writing Yesterday, the music came to Paul McCartney then he wrote the lyrics.

    In a band situation, various members can contribute words and music. You often see songwriting partnerships where one person does the lytics and the other person does the music. This was common in musicals such as Gilbert and Sullivan or Rodgers and Hammerstein. It also occurs frequently in pop such as Elton John writing music for his songs and Bernie Taupin writing the lyrics.

    You might be gifted at writing music and you might find someone else to write the lyrics and form a partnership.

    Good luck with your musical career.

    Regards


    Wikipedia Yesterday
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yesterday_%28song%29

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  • by Sunny-smiles on October 16th, 2008

    Sunny-smiles

    its harder to write lyrics first and then come up with the melody but personally I find that it makes for a better song. you can taylor the sound to suit the feelings and meanings behind each sentence as opposed to trying to find the right words to fit the music.
    However you will find that some of the most effective songs are composed using only two different chords in the verses and maybe only 2-3 in the chorus. (take a look at "Eleanor Rigby" a song by the Beatles composed using only E minor and C chords"
    the only rule, keep it simple and write the truth.
    happy strumming ^.^

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  • by Kim on September 11th, 2007

    Kim

    Well, I write my lyrics first, and then I just figure out a tune of my own that works well with the lyrics.
    ---------------

    A guitar is good wa keyboard.

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  • by tomsims on October 16th, 2008

    tomsims

    You have some good advice, so I am just going to supplement it.

    I have written some songs, but mostly poetry.

    You start where you start with what comes into your mind and heart first, be it a melody or a set of lyrics.

    There is something inside you that you want to say. Otherwise, why bother? Let that flow and find its expression.

    Hear it inside of you. Don't strain it. Let it flow. Sometimes it happens all at once while you are lifting eights or driving down the road, sometimes when you are messing around on the guitar.

    The main thing is to relax. We can train robots and computers to compose logical musical sequences and words that rhyme. Then, while technically sound, the song will sound mechanical.

    So, play around. Have fun. Give it time. The song is already inside you. Let it come.

    Rich Mullins once said that all the songs he wrote were inside of him. He just had to have the guts to pull them out.

    You will do well. I want to hear your stuff when you start - I am VERY SERIOUS about that.

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  • by satzv on August 2nd, 2010

    satzv

    is it possible to compose a song without knowing any of the string instruments/piano?? I am good at singing and i have learnt Carnatic music for 6 yrs and have good knowledge on various raagas..

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