Lyrics First, Or Music First?

[Hodl pu]

I was wondering, what do you guys think is easier? Making Lyrics for a song first then adding music, or making music then adding lyrics to it?

[10571z]

music because the music tells you what the lyrics will be about imo

[ozzfest05]

it all depends if your playing with a band and you are the vocalist or if you play by yourself guitar and vocals, i like writing lyrics first then writing music if im playing guitar and singing but i guess its all preference.

if you write happy lyrics you can write a happy guitar riff but i you write a happy guitar riff it will limit your lyrics if you write them afterwards

[Negative Creep]

I think the music is easier first.

[Floydfanatic]

I was wondering, what do you guys think is easier? Making Lyrics for a song first then adding music, or making music then adding lyrics to it?
i do lyrics first

[Independent_CA]

Music is better first cause it gives a rythym to think about when you're writing lyrics.

[Knifeboy]

I'd find it alot easier to write lyrics first.. But I can't write lyrics worth crap :/

[halfdeadhippo]

I'd find it alot easier to write lyrics first.. But I can't write lyrics worth crap :/
Same here. On the off chance that I manage to get some good lyrics, the music just flows while I'm writing the lyrics.

[Hadji]

I do them both at the same time.

[Knifeboy]

Same here. On the off chance that I manage to get some good lyrics, the music just flows while I'm writing the lyrics.

Exactly.. I find music so much easier to write if I have a set of lyrics to guide me

[mikethecoug]

I find it easier to write the lyrics first.. whenever they come to me, then when i come up with a riff i just work around the lyrics.

[hybridreality]

I tend to write music first, mainly because I don't want to constrict myself with lyrics, as I find the music more important than words.

[moaner]

Always music first. If I write lyrics first they always end up to thr rhythm of whatever's stuck in my head.

[King B]

In my band, our vocalist just has a bunch of lyrics already in his head, and when he hears the right riff they come out.

[the_uber_penguin]

I have a library of unused riffs and musical ideas in Powertab form. I often go through and just have random listens.

I rarely write lyrics with a certain piece of music in mind, but I always find an idea that will fit it in the library (which is always growing) and then I just build on the musical idea and write something to go with the lyrics.

It's best of both worlds.

That makes my order:

1. Basic musical idea(s) (normally either a riff, or a few chords, or even just a bassline)
2. Lyrics
3. Specifics (structure, exact rhythms for riffs, chord progressions for different parts, key changes, whatever the song needs)

[Semple]

it all depends if your playing with a band and you are the vocalist or if you play by yourself guitar and vocals, i like writing lyrics first then writing music if im playing guitar and singing but i guess its all preference.

if you write happy lyrics you can write a happy guitar riff but i you write a happy guitar riff it will limit your lyrics if you write them afterwards


I somewhat disagree. Look at Blind Melon. They had some of the saddest lyrics, and some of the most upbeat music.


That being said, it is personal opinion.

[HitHardDrums55]

it all depends if your playing with a band and you are the vocalist or if you play by yourself guitar and vocals, i like writing lyrics first then writing music if im playing guitar and singing but i guess its all preference.

if you write happy lyrics you can write a happy guitar riff but i you write a happy guitar riff it will limit your lyrics if you write them afterwards
you've obviously never heard Radio by Alkaline Trio...if you've heard Alk3, chances are you've heard that song because it's probably their most played song ever...happiest little guitar part the music is so soft and soothing and happy...the lyrics are horrible look them up sometime

[Clashed]

I just write songs with small beats in my head. If I make up a cool riff I try out different lyrics that I wrote and see which one sounds good with it.

[delinquent]

i find it alot easier to write music first. though ive gone the other way too where my singer has come up with lyrics and ive thought up something that would go with it.

sometimes when i think of some music ill just think of some lyrics while im messing around and playing the riff... and later i build on it from there.

[jakerc]

i usually do music first, because i think its harder for me to come up with a good musical piece than it is to lyrics, and i try to make the lyrics fit well with the song. i guess this is probably a bad way of doing it, but once i get better at songwriting i'll hopefully be able to reverse the process or do it either way.

[Aus_rock_god]

My songs just sorta fall together. Usually I'll be out on a walk or somthing and I'll be thinking about somthing random, and a riff or some lyrics will just occur to me.

If I come up with some lyrics I'll write them down, and I'll come up with the guitar parts later.

If it's a riff I'll work it out on guitar as soon as I get home. Then I'll sit playing the riff over and over again until I come up with some decent lyrics, and the song's finished.

Songwriting for me is easy.

[Vitriolic Rage]

I've wrote music and lyrics separately, and then found some of my lyrics fit perfectly with some music I wrote.

[stjimmy5656]

u should always write the music first because it is much harder to write music to lyrics

[Hadji]

u should always write the music first because it is much harder to write music to lyrics
Or you could do it however is easiest for you. There is no one way that is always the best 100% of the time.