Approaching Songwriting

[xTbs]

Hey everyone. I have been messing around with songwriting this past little bit and though my weak point by far is lyrics, I was wondering how everyone approaches writing their song.  I kind of wanted to compare and contrast, see if there is another standpoint I could view it from. 

 

For me, once in a blue moon i'll be singing along to whatever random song that pops up on my vehicles usb and Ill randomly come up with maybe a short phrase. At that point I figure out a good chord progression to accompany it and work out the musical side, then I mess around with the lyrics until I have some form of song. The problem with this is, as I have already done up my music prior to the lyrics I find that I side with it more than the lyrics and it impacts the quality of said lyrics. The other problem I find is that I end up overlooking the fancier yet crucial parts of the music. (Stops, Intro, Riffs and Solos, Vocal Dynamics, etc) So when I'm done with everything, I have a song yet it ends up very plain. I become very biased towards the material I have made and then I don't have any way of adding/changing to accommodate for these extra tidbits. 

 

I would definitely like to gain some other perspectives on how to approach this.

 

Cheers!

[MonoStone]

I do the music, before the lyrics, I focus on the melody and flow of the vocals before writing proper words ... so I just sing nonsense to get the melody and flow...then I write words to fit that, sometimes keeping some (or sometimes a lot) of what seemed like nonsense 'words'  that I'd babbled out, as sometimes a few tweaks is enough to make it work. Sometimes I totally rewrite the jammed words if I want to say something else or if I didn't find anything worth keeping from that 'jam'. 

 

I do that partly because it's what comes naturally but also because the flow and melody is just as, if not more than, important as the words. It depends what kind of music you're making too I suppose to some extent, but whatever type of song...if the words don't flow and the melody isn't good then even the very best poetry is worthless as a lyric.

 

I guess some people can write words first and then make the music to fit but the result has to be the same in terms of the best melody and flow possible. And if you write all the words first then I think you have to think further ahead and actually build in some dynamics and think about how things will flow....rather than just writing a poem.

 

Getting dynamics into the vocals is more natural for me working my way too. So when I jam out some vocal nonsense I'll just go with the flow and pick things up with more pace and power or soften things down or leave more space where it feels right. I think maybe that's harder if you write the words separate to the music because then you're constrained by the number of syllables, whereas if you're just jamming it then you find that some parts will pick up the pace (more syllables) or slow it down (less) or leave more space etc...depending on the feel of it all.

 

So if you 'mess around with lyrics' in a similar way to me, then I don't see why that would cause you a problem...apart from the typical issues most of us face like running out of ideas or just not feeling inspired etc sometimes. But if you tend to work on the words separate to the music, even if the words aren't written 'first' as such, then maybe try doing it the way I do... see if it works for you... I guess it has to feel right for you personally, as writing songs (in my opinion) works best when you honestly feel it.

 

As for the construction/arrangement/dynamic to keep it all interesting and not on one level... I think that's the easy bit IF you enjoy it. Especially with a DAW it's just easy to experiment with dropping instruments out or bringing new instruments in, and creating intros and so on... so I enjoy that part. IF I think I've got a really good song then I'm excited to arrange it, or sometimes if I think I've got a slightly dull song then I know I can get some life into it with the arrangement.  You obviously understand the need for the interesting arrangement/construction (or you wouldn't notice when you didn't have it   ) so the only thing holding you back there must be the desire to work on that aspect??

 

That's how I do stuff anyway... but it's whatever works for you isn't it. 

 

And all that said... I do still sometimes find that I've come up with a song that is going nowhere, but I don't put that down to my approach at all...it's just that some songs just don't work out. Sometimes the chord progressions or lack of inspiration or motivation or ...something lacking...  just make a 'plain', or rather boring, song. I think that must apply to all song writers/artists. And sometimes I also come up with something a bit crap, plain, whatever...and once that's stuck in my head it can be hard to get away from it... and so if I feel like I've done that (which sometimes takes me time to realise) then I put the song either on the shelf to try again later, or in the trash.

 

Hope that's some use to you as an answer anyway.

[Todd M]

I usually have some kind of riff, or even drumbeat before my lyrics come. Lyrics come to me in bunches at any givin time. I text them to myself and use those texts to write songs. Pretty simple.  I don’t ever really “try” to write a piece of music. It just happens. 

[MikeRobinson]

I've always held on to two principles – applicable to songs as well as other creative things:

 

• "A Song Is Never 'Done.'"  There's always something new that you can do to it.  There's always something else that you wish that you had done – and, lo and behold(!) there's now absolutely nothing that's keeping you from doing it.

 

• "Venus was never a songwriter."  We've all seen the painting.  There she is, still standing in the clam-shell from whence she just emerged, perfectly-formed (and totally-starkers).  No decisions to be made – just sit back and admire her, because she could never be more perfect than at the moment when that clam-shell miraculously opened.  Real creativity is not like that!

[TCgypsy]

The single best advice I have read so far is to LISTEN to other artists that have something that inspires you. By listening, I mean CRITICAL listening such as analyzing the drum patterns, the way the bass line moves, the vocals and harmonies in context with the tune, the arrangement, etc. - every little facet of that tune. By doing this, you will begin to hear better which will ultimately help you write better.

 

Learning a little theory never hurts either. I am sorry to rain on you lyricists out there but it is the MUSIC that makes a song in most cases. Great lyrics are just the icing on the cake. There are many many songs that people know and love where they couldn't tell you any of the lines in the lyric other than the hook. On the other hand, your music better be compelling or no one is even going to get to the point to listen to those lyrics that you penned. Of course, having both great lyrics and great music should be the goal.

 

The final thing is just DO IT. The more you write, record, and analyze what you did (especially in context to similar 'pro' songs) the better you are going to get.  The analysis part is key but you can't analyze something you haven't done so get more songs done!

 

Peace,

TC

[gradual]

You say that you focus on the music so much, that when it comes time to work on lyrics, you have trouble making them fit. They become sort of an afterthought.

 

So then, do it the opposite way. Start with lyrics. Really hone in on getting those right before adding any music to them. Because, I'm guessing that as a musician, you consider music to be the "fun" part, and lyrics are just a hard slog you must go through to turn it into a song. That probably isn't an unusual view. Most songwriters who are also musicians seem to start with music or melody, which I've observed from posts in this and other forums. I don't find that surprising. Songwriters write songs because music is our first love. Many of us may like literature or poetry fine enough, but if we were as deep into that as we are music, we'd write books and poems instead.

 

I'd say I'm the same way as most songwriter/musicians. I pay more attention to music than words, so to guard myself against lyrical laziness, I will generally start with lyrics first, and get those to a point where they're pretty solid. (Also because one of my favorite songwriting teams Elton John/Bernie Taupin work this way, and the method seems to have worked for them.)

 

But that doesn't mean I find lyric writing not to be any fun. Coming up with cool rhymes and turns of phrase can be inspiring. I find as I am working on lyrics, ideas start coming to me for the phrasing and rhythm of the words, so I've already begun thinking musically before I even go to an instrument. Words have their own inherent musicality. I begin to imagine the different musical possibilities for them, which can be exciting.

 

If you're more lyrically inclined than musically inclined, I would suggest doing it the other way. Start by coming up with a melody and making sure it's strong and memorable. Then when it comes time to writing lyrics, they will flow that much better.

 

I suppose the ideal scenario would be coming up with music and lyrics at the same time, but I would say most of us aren't always lucky enough for things to just fall into place that way. It would be nice if they did.