How do you start writing?

[DC Cornelius]

What is music? For me it's all to do with the chords. Chord structure is what it's all about to me.

I play around with chords on the keyboard or guitar- create a structure I like then place a melody on top.

Sometimes (though very rarely) I'll get a melody in my head & write a chord structure around it.

How do you lovely people go about it? Just out of interest😉

Peace.

 

DC...

[Rudi]

Rhythm is the catalyst. It may come first or later, but it has to have a groove for anything to work.

Other aspects of time are also of paramount importance, such as phrasing. These time elements are the most elusive to me so I place great importance on them.

 

I can begin with lyrics. I can begin with music. The best stuff always comes quickly. If it drags on too long, I have to make choices and dont like that. Hard long work on music is too contrived.

[Mahesh]

I go with where the muse takes me. Sometimes it starts with a chord progression, sometimes the melody, sometimes the words and the others, a groove. I try to build on whatever of the idea is already there. Sometimes when I feel the words are not sitting right (and I want the words to flow in that certain way), I go back to the groove. Sometimes I find the tension being built in a section doesn't align with the intensity of the tension in the words, I go back to the chord progression then. And so on. If my process doesn't seem to be working, I keep my mind open to divert it to another aspect of the song. Above all of this mostly sub-conscious procedure sits proudly the the idea of cohesiveness to perfectly describe the emotion I'm trying to express.