What's your way of writing?

When I write songs, if they're all instrumental themes, I usually do the base, get the tone of the overall thing, and start jamming to that base to see if something comes out!

I have also been in situations where i have a really cool melody, and just add the base beneath it.

That's what i think everyone does... but when i write songs that are ment to be sung (that verb's ok? sorry me from chile) i can get a little lost.

Do you write your lyrics before, and then make up a tune that expresseses that same feeling (melancholy, joy, anger, happiness, love...) or do you come up with cool riffs and then you just try to fit some lyrics on top?

How do you make up the sung melody and riffs? you do it on your head? trying out with the guitar? on a piece of paper?

What about other parts of the song? (the bass melody... the solos ... the ending .. keyboards... you name it )

Writing the lyrics, and just improvising singing whatever on a acoustic guitar... then (if it sounds good) give it a try with the electric, w/distortions
that works fine for me most of the times!
sometimes i just improvise everything and start singing whatever comes to my mind but not so many good songs come out of doing that.!

I would like to hear from you, see what works best for you and start to try new ways of composing!!

There are numerous methods to writing a song. I think which ever method you choose depends on personal preferance, and inspiration. I have written the lyrics first, usualy during one of my great college classes, than set the music to it later. You can also start with the melody, the harmony, or the rythem. Remember that a songe= lyrics + melody + harmony + rythem.

Sometimes i'll be jaming on my guitar and find a chord progression or melody that I like so i'll write it down and maybe put it is a song down the road.

Usualy, which every you write first (the music or the lyrics) sets the mood of the song.

Try checking out the latest tutorial I wrote. I take ya through the steps from coming up with a song right through composing it on the computer.

Writing a Song
http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=8864

yea i know
i've been writing songs for several years now ;)

i was just inquiring ! wanted to see what works best for you... sometimes it's good to change your methods! so i wanted to know.

I find the easiest way is to start with a drum loop and just improvise something on synth or guitar synth. Then start adding overdubs or just use the midi you already recorded to add more synth parts using different instruments.
Then add the guitar and bass parts and start cutting and pasting parts around until you get something that works.
Last step is to grab the thesaurus and rhyming dictionaries and come up with some lyrics.
Hell, I did one song just using playing an A chord on the guitar synth and running it through about 2 dozen patches in SampleTank.

http://s93744050.onlinehome.us/SchmangeOnline/DarkBattle.mp3

It sounds like an orchestra but it only took about 15 minutes.

It all depends on what part of the song I want the majority of the emotion to be conveyed through. If I want a song that will kick you in the face with emotion I will write the instruments first and make sure they're the driving force of the song... the lyrics will be secondary. Sometimes I write good melodies and harmonies in which the lyrics are what I what to bring the emotion to the song. In this case I usually come up with the lyrics first... then I'll make the music go a long with that... without drowning out the message or overtaking the vocals and the lyrics. This is a method that I use most often. Sometimes I'll mix the two... and use the guitar driven part for the chorus and use the lyrically driven parts for the verses... and vice-versa. It gives me options. I haven't been to any songwriting seminars or anything... but that's the way that I do it!

yeah.. me too ... i do practically the same

schmage and what software do you use?

SCHMANGE!! :rolleyes:

Mostly I use a guitar synth, Cubase for recording and ReCycle for making drum loops plus a bunch of VST instruments and plug-ins.
I just started writing a tutorial on songwriting that lists most of the equipment I used:

http://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=8864&s_id=107

looks interesting! ill check it out