How do you compose music to ur lyrics

[Spies88]

I am asking all u musicians and song writers for advice. How do u create ur music for ur songs. I am a song writer who is lost when it comes to creating melodies and chords for the lyrics. Want to knw wat do u do when creating music

[Paulus]

hehe there's another thread like this on coldplay.com

 

It was more about how you write songs...I suggested not writing definite lyrics before establishing some kind of melody or chords

 

heres what I said:

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Interesting topic as I'm sure there is no "right way" of writing a song.

 

Some people play with chords..and then add lyrics, perhaps humming the melody of the lyrics to start with.

 

Some people write lyrics and then put it music, although I dislike this idea because your songs are likely to have a too-perfect structure. Try finding a Coldplay song that you dont know (perhaps a difficult task ) and reading the lyrics..you'll see that they seem very odd without music.

 

Sometimes you can just think of a catchy riff, as with Talk...of course, they "borrowed" that with permission. I was wondering if Coldplay made Talk version 2 first and then reworked it to the released version. If this is true, then you can see how they used the same chords and same ideas.

 

I prefer a combination of the 1st and 3rd methods - have a tune in your head, whether it be for the lyrics or a riff and start to create chord patterns. From there, add the melody of all the lyrics and, finally, the lyrics themselves. I am no expert though...

 

I've only written two songs that I am half-happy with Lol

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[Spies88]

Oh ur talkin about muziq thas my band mate. The guy is a very sensitive and emotional song writer. But the guy is brilliant. He really writes excellent songs. But we both have the same problem we can't compose music right. But thanx for the advice

[Petra_coldplay]

Well what I always do, just sitting with my piano, and sometimes i play some excisting songs, and otherwise i'm going to try new things, and then a thingie is coming out writing it down, et voila.

I guess you know all chords etc, and otherwise see some music theory :) I did it also.

And well composing isn't my strongest thing, but ican do it. Just do it much times, just don't think and let your fingers play.

And first it's an easy part for example but that's the most music. But keep on practicing.

[Fixed]

I know this is an impossible question to answer, but what's the best approach to have when it comes to writing your own music? Learn a load of songs by other people so you get an idea of chord progression and song structure, or just learn all the chords there are and start playing around. Also I noticed some songs are in a certain key, but there are some chords in the song that don't belong to the 7 chords in that key - is this normal and is it ok to use a load of different chords?

[Emelie]

I think the best way is to probably listen to a lot, a lot of music to get a feel for how songs are built! And read some music theory to learn about keys and cadences and stuff.. But then again, you might not need this at all, just play what sounds good!

[Fixed]

Thanks for the advice :) It'd be great to just sit down and write an amazing song, but for the mean time I'll stick with listening to music and playing chords in some nice funky kind of way. Thanks again!

[Tnspieler1012]

Yeah, I can't say I'm any kind of authority on the matter. But it seems to make more sense to have an idea (mood, story, setting) for a song, compose a rythm for it and then add lyrics around that idea accordingly.

[hobbestheprince]

I am asking all u musicians and song writers for advice. How do u create ur music for ur songs. I am a song writer who is lost when it comes to creating melodies and chords for the lyrics. Want to knw wat do u do when creating music

 

I have a few different methods to be honest. One thing I will say though, and it's something I only recently learned ... never get rid of your ideas. Record them in any way you can. You can end up with a bunch of little bits, but those little pieces can be put together in some fashion eventually. For instance one day you'll be trying out a song that you are writing ... and you'll go, "well, this is a cool verse, but then I need an even cooler chorus." Well, what I normally do is check back to my old ideas and see what I can possibly patch in there ... that way you get one overall really cool song, instead of a great verse/crappy chorus or vice versa.

 

Another thing is talking a long walk and bringing something with you to record your ideas. Sometimes you won't get anything, but there are moments that you'll forget that you are carrying anything and you'll just be humming something or something will hit you hard out of nowhere that you've never heard before. Then (without anyone around so I don't look like an idiot haha) I would hum it or even sing it into the recorder. I'd save it for later, and when I got back home figure the tune out by ear and start adding chords for the feel of the song, etc.

 

Another traditional thing I do is just mess around on the guitar, and then something I play I will eventually like and then I can sing to it. I do this method quite a bit too.

 

One last note ... keep writing. Look at Chris Martin and all of his B-Sides, let alone everything that got SCRAPPED. He is constantly writing and writing and perfecting his craft ... eventually something is bound to sound great if you just keep writing. You gotta have objective people around though ... not a good buddy that goes, "hey man, that sounds awesome" on EVERY song you write. You need someone there to go, "hmm ... well, sounds a bit like THIS song ..." or "well, that's a cool idea but it doesn't really grab my attention."

 

Anyways, sorry for the long post, keep writing and have fun doing it. That's the whole point :)

[hobbestheprince]

I know this is an impossible question to answer, but what's the best approach to have when it comes to writing your own music? Learn a load of songs by other people so you get an idea of chord progression and song structure, or just learn all the chords there are and start playing around. Also I noticed some songs are in a certain key, but there are some chords in the song that don't belong to the 7 chords in that key - is this normal and is it ok to use a load of different chords?

 

I'd do both :) It sounds cheesy, but fool around with some Beach Boys songs on the guitar. Stuff from their later period, not the early "Surf City" type crap. They have some really interesting stuff that will definately open up your ears, and give you tons of chord changes for your songwriting "arsenal." I learned so much theory just based on these guys ... and reading and reading and reading. The more I got into it, the more interesting things got and more questions would pop up.

[PianoRocker]

My way for songwriting is very easy, just play something and what sounds good write it down and work it out.

 

Here are some WIP songs:

http://www.stuff4all.nl/rifff403.mid

http://www.stuff4all.nl/riff404.mid

http://www.stuff4all.nl/riff405.mid

http://www.stuff4all.nl/riff407.mid

 

Those are just what sounds cool while playing, made digital versions and worked it out.

And while working out i use musictheory ofcourse.;)

[miss capa]

When I started writing, I always used to just write lyrics and then try to firgure out a tune, but really, thats as far as it went, and then I discovered my piano! Now I usually start off with chord progressions and work from there, and sometimes I'll write different bits and later realise the all fit together, and they do and usually, that's where my songs come from.

 

I suggest when writing music, simply lets anything go, if you can't find anything good, don't freak. I often find if nothing works, I go do something else, or if I'm really struggling, I think of the structure of a song I like, that usually gets me writing...

 

But music will come naturally to some, and not so naturally to others (hey, we can't all be a Chris Martin, can we?)

[Darlene_Ihnfsa]

ok my case is a bit like Miss Snicket...

 

when i write lyrics i am already listening to music (surely that helps a lot when writing my lyrics), so usually it come also a melody, but really i play nothing, i mean the melody is on my mind but really i never played them.

 

now i want to compose music for them, and i had forgot most of those melodies :confused:

 

i've tried to compose something with some bad music programmes that i have on my laptop and nothing good came out.. :worried:

 

i did a previous study and i have to agree with Paulus said here... i am afraid i am on the second method that he said... so i am only waiting to be back at my place and do what Petra_coldplay said here, just play my instruments and see what comes out from them. :)

 

thanks for all your advices, i'll try those methods Paulus and Petra. :) and i will tell you if them had worked for me or not, or if end following another method i will let you know. ;)

[bleed0range]

To be honest with you... I think the best approach to writing music is not having one. Don't think that there's a "way" to do it. You can write a song from any angle. I just wrote one where I wrote the ending first then went back and wrote the rest.

 

When I write lyrics down first, I generally just sing whatever seems natural and then play chords to satisfy that melody. Then you play with it and see where it takes you.

 

Sometimes as I'm writing the lyrics I think of the melody without a guitar/piano around at all... and then come to that instrument with that melody in mind but it might change.

 

For example, I wrote a song on Piano and then took it to guitar. It completely morphed into another possibly better song...

 

There are no rules.

[Pseudonym]

My advice:

 

What I do is figure out what notes go with the lyrics. Then I figure out the basic chords for all the parts of the song. Then I play through and figure out chord variations, other instruments, effects, etc. Last I just mix it all together and keep trying different things until something just fits perfectly. It works for me, I'd say at least try it. A very step-by-step process.

[james dean]

I have different methods:

 

Sometimes I have a lyrics or a catchline and probably a melody with that phrase turns into my mind and from that i'll work the song out.

Or i hope for inspiration and play a few chords I know sound well or fit my mood or the lyrics I wrote.

I always figure out which chords the artist is using and save that infomration in my head. Than, probably after months, that chord progressions comes to me and I'll write a melody to it.

I always try to write the thing as a whole in maximum 3 hours.