The music before the lyrics or the lyrics before the music?

[A Poor Musician]

The music before the lyrics or the lyrics before the music?

Which one do you guys prefer?

-A Poor Musician

 

[Thidrek]

Sometimes I have lyrics I want to add music to and sometimes I have just a concept and write the music first and the lyrics afterwards. It really depends.

 

[Warheart666]

don't have too much experience, but first write the write the music and then mold the lyrics around it.

 

[D-KOM]

I think this depends on what kind of music you want to create, for example in the Heavy Metal music the voice makes the melody and the guitar are just for support, but in Black or Death Metal it´s different.
In the song I put online, I was using both methods of songwriting, the main part with the singing is created because of the lyrics I was writing a few days before the finish of the song. ...it depends also on the mood I think...

 

[MetaldudeEric]

It varies for me too. Sometimes, depending on the lyrics I write, I like to write the lyrics first, sometimes I don't.

 

[Hexer]

most of the time, I write the music until im happy with the "song", then I listen to it pretty often until I come up with lyrics that just fit the feeling and everything. after writing the lyrics, I sometimes change a few things in the music to make everything fit together better

but sometimes I already have lyrics and write a song that just fits with them (because when I have lyrics, I usually also have some idea in my head about how I want them to sound in a song, so I carry that idea around until its enough to work out the music for it)

 

[Swampshell]

this band from Norway called Lodden Dritt has some good lyrics and music, check them out.

 

[7 Dying Trees]

Music mostly, then lyrics, and the rearrange the song to fit the lyrics. Also sometimes a good vocal idea can start a song off, but it's mostly music first.

 

[AndySteel]

The songs I write tend to appear when playing guitar. When I'm pleased with song structure, i.e. number of verses, chorus, variations and such, I start writing the lyrics. Sometimes, but very rarely and mainly when writing softer stuff, the song melody comes first, then the lyrics and finally the music.

 

[Nostalgiaplatz]

I used to write lyrics anytime, then I tried the different approach - write the music first then the lyrics....nowadays, I just sing random stuff to come up with the vocal line structure, then try to find words and mold the story from it, it's not the easiest/best way...but it works, with some patience - I learned this tip, from an interview with my fave guitar/songwriter/singer - Carmelo Orlando from Novembre

 

[SuddenDemise]

We Would always do it at the same time, most of my last bands songs would come out of just jamming, and our vocalist would just improvise or use something he had written before hand and try and make it fit with the music, and we would change the music sometimes to fit the lyrics and visa-versa....We would just jam, and if we liked what came out we would practice and practice it, re-construct it and mold it and it would become one of our songs....

 

[97reb]

I used to write lyirc and come up with music a lot of times, depending on the feel of the lyircs. Sometimes, I would have a music idea like a riff and build a song around that. These days, I don't write as many lyrics as i used to, I write more music. My lyrics are harder to come by these days, unless I really try to set aside some time for them.

 

[Intoxicator]

The problem I've found with writing the music first is that you end up with more parts to sing over than lyrics to sing. Sometimes if you write the lyrics first you get the same effect, though, more lyrics than music you can come up with. It really doesn't matter. Whatever works.

 

[Vital Remains]

Being a guitar player definitely the music. I could care less about lyrics really. But i guess to get recognition you need em.

 

[Servio_Abbas_Bellum]

Music. The music is what people are listening for not the lyrics. If you don't have good riffs, no ones gonna give a fuck what you have to say.

 

[Iron Duck]

Different people have different methods. I also use both though. Before when I didn't know how to write music I used to write loads of poems/lyrics/stories. Now that I know and write music frequently, I tend to do that a lot and leave the lyrics for later, but the lyrics are never hard because I had so much practice beforehand. I have so many lyrics not put to music though, so I always try those out first. Once I get over the fact that I can write good music now, I'll probably balance out again.
Check out some of my music in midi format. I wrote this shit out in staff music and the program saves it as a midi. I only have lyrics to one of the 4 posted though.
http://www.soundclick.com/sketalon
Up the Irons!
-Iron Duck