Lyrics, Melody, or Chord Progression First?

[jimk]

There are a number of song writers on the RRF, and I got to wondering how different individuals go about the process of writing a song. I find the lyric to be the most difficult part of song writing, so I generally tackle that first. Once I have the lyric just the way I want it, the meter will begin to suggest a time signature, and melody. Last comes the chord progression.

How do each of you handle song writing?

JimK

[tennis_nick]

It totally depends, sometimes it's one / the other / both at the same time.

I find the ones that start with just lyrics get shelved, the ones that have both at once become favorites.

[winston]

I am probably alone in this since most of the time when I write a song I write everything at once........because in reality I have already developed the structure, the arrangement etc., based on how I hear the song in my head. Then I will use the melody and the chords to get the phrasing right for the lyrics. I hope this makes sense to you Jim.

[ozover50]

Chord progression is about as far as I go..... I need a collaborator or two for the rest!!

[jimk]

I am probably alone in this since most of the time when I write a song I write everything at once........because in reality I have already developed the structure, the arrangement etc., based on how I hear the song in my head. Then I will use the melody and the chords to get the phrasing right for the lyrics. I hope this makes sense to you Jim.

Yeah, it makes sense. The reason I deliberately write the lyrics first, is because those songs where I've tried to write lyrics & melody all at the same time prove to be the most difficult to edit, or even re-write. The melody becomes laminated to the lyric.
JimK

[ajish4]

Well,

While I don't consider myself a "writer" I have written about a dozen tunes for church, even one Christmas song.

For some reason, the words came to me first. Then I went back with our guitarist for the chords....

Everyone collaborated and would add their own parts and the song would be born!

I like having everyone having a hand in the process... I haven't put one together in a long time, but it sure was a fun
process while it lasted.

[kiramdear]

Ummm, all of the above, but at least two out of three?

It really depends for me on which song you ask me about. Sometimes it's a snippet of words with a melody, sometimes it's a piece of a chord phrase that gets fleshed out, the only pattern I see in my own writing is that it takes parts of two out of those three elements to get me started and then it catches fire. If I just have one of those things I'm liable to table it for a while, but when a second element finds its place then the rest snowballs into a song. But then sometimes after some meditattion it springs complete from my brain to my fingers in a flash. I just never know where it will come from.

[jimk]

Fascinating stuff here, everyone. I hope others will join in the discussion. The creative process interests me very much.

JimK

[sloop_john_b]

For me, it usually works one of two ways. Either I come up with a cool chord progression first, or I come up with a phrase or a line or two that I like and just sort of hum it while strumming.

[weemac]

Usually a chord progression first that may become an instrumental,
I then write some bad poetry that may become a good song, with me it's very rare...

Eden.

[StringTheorist]

Usually, for me it starts with a chord progression, which suggests a melody, which together suggest a mood or emotion, which suggests the lyrics.

I'll record the chord progression and listen to it in the car, etc. until I've hummed a melody that I like, then I start to come up with words. On a couple of occasions, I stopped at the melody and just did it as an instrumental tune, even though I'd originally been thinking it would be a song.

I find the lyrics for me to be the hardest thing, and the thing I'm likely to be least happy about in the finished song. I have a few songs I wrote that I never play now because I've never been happy with the lyrics, but I love the music. Lately, I've been looking at those with the idea of writing new words, to salvage them.

Some of my original songs (including an instrumental) can be found here: http://www.stringtheoristsband.com
Sorry, no ricks on the recordings (yet), since I just got my Ricky.

[Scastles]

Interesting question, Jim. It's on the line of which came first, the chicken or the egg? For me it starts somewhere between chord progression and melody. One leads to the other, or vice versa.

[cjj]

The only thing I've ever been able to do is come up with a decent bass line for stuff other people have written...

[jdogric12]

Great question but it is impossible for me to answer. It could be any of the above. Constant revisions may sound tedious, but will allow any order or combination.

[customxke]

It usually starts with heartache. After that I work on the whiskey. The song comes last.