Hey, songwriters on DU. Do you write the music first, then the lyrics, or the other way around?

[raccoon]

Wish I could compose music, but that's not my thing.

[Throd]

1. Both

Sometimes I have a tune in need of lyrics. Sometimes I have lyrics in need of a tune.

[tridim]

2. I have a "lyrics" Word file on my desktop that I add to periodically

Basically what I do is record the music (2 guitars, drums, bass and sometimes keyboard), usually a few verses and maybe a chorus, but not a complete song. When I have something that I'm proud of I open my lyrics document and look for words that match the feel of the music. Then I start singing over the music until I discover a melody that fits. I'll then record two tracks of lyrics so I have a primary and harmony track to work with. Then I spend hours and hours (days, weeks) arranging everything into a finished song.

I'm pretty sure this isn't a typical way of writing songs, but it works for me. I currently have about 6 work-in-progress songs waiting for lyrics. Some will get dumped, some will progress.

Sometimes I'll come up with nice music and lyrics just noodling around on an acoustic guitar. The Beatles were really good at that, me, not so much.