Music and lyrics

[Benoit]

I'm getting myself into a real big thing right now.

I needed some new stuff to do beside doing scales and coming up with new riffs here and there. I have a good number of songs, mostly unfinished stuff but I needed something new.

I'm a big fan of concept album. I love when an album tells you a story. Anyway, I have my concept and basic story line.

This question goes to people who have written some songs. I'm talking about lyrics and music. If you ever wrote a song in your life I'd like to know how did you manage to get the lyrics and the music together.

Did you write the lyrics first or the music.

Thanks for your help

[Christoph]

I always write the music first and then match the lyrics to the music.

If you're stuck, and you can't figure out where to go next, try composing a melody on your guitar (or piano, etc) to go along with your progression. Then try to match the vocals to the melody.

[chris mood]

Good advice ..........thats what I do.

Try even humming a melody as you strum the chords, the key is to get some creative thinking going on in the brain area.

[lalimacefolle]

I work totally the other way.
I write something close to a poem, and the music seems to get out of the words (the rhythm of the sentences etc.)

I have written melodies, but I always have a hard time matching words to it. I usually come up with a riff by repeating a sentence in my head (I actually talk in my head when I solo, as if each note was a syllable of the words I'm saying).

[chris mood]

You need a phsychiatrist !! -LOL-

[lalimacefolle]

When I'm alone (just the two of us) I feel good.... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....

[educatedfilm]

hehe.. lol Lalimacefollie... but i dont feel unique anymore, I thought i was one of a few people who found rythem in the normal spoken word... (you'll have have to listen to life with out biuldings, which i'm trying to get poeple to d, but still no hope...)

http://www.guitartricks.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=3267

It's not about the music, it's about the vocal and the "plots" of the songs...
There are some great song with tell stories like "house rent boogie" by John lee Hooker, or "sometimes Liecter piggot" by james..
Good luck...

[Benoit]

Thanks guys.

I guess I'll have to find which way fits me the best.

I'll work on lyrics for a while and take it from there.