Lyricists

FUBAR · Post by **FUBAR** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:12 am

How do you go about writing lyrics to music? Do you finish the song first and then apply the lyrics to fit the already moulded song? Or do you write music around your lyrics? I have no trouble writing lyrics, I have a ton but it's really difficult to take those and make them work for my bands songs, it'd be really easy if I wrote riffs but I cant play

tweek · Post by **tweek** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:31 am

music around the lyrics. this way, you can create tabs that somewhat have the same flow as the lyrics do.

long4theblur · Post by **long4theblur** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 3:59 am

I do both really. Sometimes I'll sit down and just write a song, then kinda of figure out a flow for them, and put a guitar line to that and it just goes from there.

But now that I have the ability to record, I have handfuls of complete songs with no lyrics whatsoever, so I take them and kind of just hum a beat. Buying a couple of the "Fuel" singles helped me with that, they had the demos of the song on there.

BabyKiller · Post by **BabyKiller** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 4:12 am

what's fun and good for the song, in my experience, is to write the lyrics, put a melody to them (or vice versa) and then add parts around the lyrical melody.

DBS · Post by **DBS** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 9:28 am

im awful at writing lyrics. when i'm writing a song, i play all the new riffs ive created and see which ones gel together best. when im done, ill record the guitar and then put a melody on top of the music. this is how i prefer to do it, as i am a musician more than a song writer. doing it this way tends to fuck up the lyrics youve written though, and you have to change words so they fit in with the melody.

Pfl?yd · Post by **Pfl?yd** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 11:22 am

I only do instrumentals. I win!

SuicideNote · Post by **SuicideNote** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 12:33 pm

I write lyrics usually when I'm pissed off or bored at work. I then apply these lyrics to music that I have written separatly.

I think that this way completes the circle of possible ways to write songs. I guess there is no best way to do it, only what works for you.

If I were a vocalist only, I'd probably start by humming a melody and then think of some nasty lyrics to fit or try to fit in some preexisting lyrics.

Gnarkiller · Post by **Gnarkiller** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:20 pm

When I write shit I get really drunk, it makes the proccess easier and more creative... so drink up fubar

BassPhemy · Post by **BassPhemy** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 2:31 pm

I have a notepad and a notebook full of stupid one liners, phrases, song titles and song ideas. I don't sit down and write a page of lyrics. If I'm writing a song or going over a song someone else in my band has written, I may find a line that fits or would sound cool, and I write around that.

In closing: lyrics are overrated.

Spoke · Post by **Spoke** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 6:19 pm

BassPhemy wrote:I have a notepad and a notebook full of stupid one liners, phrases, song titles and song ideas. I don't sit down and write a page of lyrics. If I'm writing a song or going over a song someone else in my band has written, I may find a line that fits or would sound cool, and I write around that.

In closing: lyrics are overrated.

I'm pretty sure Alexi Laiho thinks this way too.

FUBAR · Post by **FUBAR** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 8:36 pm

BassPhemy wrote:I have a notepad and a notebook full of stupid one liners, phrases, song titles and song ideas. I don't sit down and write a page of lyrics. If I'm writing a song or going over a song someone else in my band has written, I may find a line that fits or would sound cool, and I write around that.

In closing: lyrics are overrated.

Lyrics are really important to me.

BassPhemy · Post by **BassPhemy** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 1:43 am

Spoke wrote:
BassPhemy wrote:I have a notepad and a notebook full of stupid one liners, phrases, song titles and song ideas. I don't sit down and write a page of lyrics. If I'm writing a song or going over a song someone else in my band has written, I may find a line that fits or would sound cool, and I write around that.

In closing: lyrics are overrated.
I'm pretty sure Alexi Laiho thinks this way too.

Too bad hes no good at it.

BassPhemy · Post by **BassPhemy** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 1:44 am

FUBAR wrote:
BassPhemy wrote:I have a notepad and a notebook full of stupid one liners, phrases, song titles and song ideas. I don't sit down and write a page of lyrics. If I'm writing a song or going over a song someone else in my band has written, I may find a line that fits or would sound cool, and I write around that.

In closing: lyrics are overrated.
Lyrics are really important to me.

If you can become a good lyricist, my hats off to you. Its hard to find something new to write about that hasn't been written 1000 times before in the exact same way. Also, keeping a flow and not having the same rhyme scheme and also not sounding stupid is hard as hell.

long4theblur · Post by **long4theblur** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 3:14 am

BassPhemy wrote:
FUBAR wrote:
BassPhemy wrote:I have a notepad and a notebook full of stupid one liners, phrases, song titles and song ideas. I don't sit down and write a page of lyrics. If I'm writing a song or going over a song someone else in my band has written, I may find a line that fits or would sound cool, and I write around that.

In closing: lyrics are overrated.
Lyrics are really important to me.
If you can become a good lyricist, my hats off to you. Its hard to find something new to write about that hasn't been written 1000 times before in the exact same way. Also, keeping a flow and not having the same rhyme scheme and also not sounding stupid is hard as hell.

It's all about the rhyme scheme

In rock/metal rhyme schemes are so simple that I can usually tell what they're going to say before they say it. I try to make mine a little more complex. Then I lace the track and lock the flow.

Gnarkiller · Post by **Gnarkiller** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 3:23 am

The answer to your question is.... welcome... to tomorrow. (take drugs and write down shit)

BassPhemy · Post by **BassPhemy** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 4:01 am

long4theblur wrote:
BassPhemy wrote:
FUBAR wrote:
BassPhemy wrote:I have a notepad and a notebook full of stupid one liners, phrases, song titles and song ideas. I don't sit down and write a page of lyrics. If I'm writing a song or going over a song someone else in my band has written, I may find a line that fits or would sound cool, and I write around that.

In closing: lyrics are overrated.
Lyrics are really important to me.
If you can become a good lyricist, my hats off to you. Its hard to find something new to write about that hasn't been written 1000 times before in the exact same way. Also, keeping a flow and not having the same rhyme scheme and also not sounding stupid is hard as hell.
It's all about the rhyme scheme

In rock/metal rhyme schemes are so simple that I can usually tell what they're going to say before they say it. I try to make mine a little more complex. Then I lace the track and lock the flow.

Yeah, when you can predict what they're going to say, well then they've failed at their job. Throwing rhyming out the window all together is very underrated.

Hunter/Killer · Post by **Hunter/Killer** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 4:46 am

i have a lil notepad with phrases written down, have it around when im stoned. builds from there into a 'song'. it then goes into songs that me and my friend (lead) write
we all throw in lyrics, but the drummer is real good at doing it. he was in jail and he wrote alot, had a couple of books down we still go into

DBS · Post by **DBS** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 4:54 pm

FUBAR wrote:Lyrics are really important to me.

FUBAR · Post by **FUBAR** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 8:14 pm

DBS wrote:
FUBAR wrote:Lyrics are really important to me.

What? They are, the only band I listen to with bad lyrics is Exodus

Gnarkiller · Post by **Gnarkiller** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 3:29 am

FUBAR wrote:
DBS wrote:
FUBAR wrote:Lyrics are really important to me.

What? They are, the only band I listen to with bad lyrics is Exodus

It dunt matur for DBS as long as the gitars rox hrd

Chewbacca · Post by **Chewbacca** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 7:35 am

FUBAR wrote:How do you go about writing lyrics to music? Do you finish the song first and then apply the lyrics to fit the already moulded song? Or do you write music around your lyrics? I have no trouble writing lyrics, I have a ton but it's really difficult to take those and make them work for my bands songs, it'd be really easy if I wrote riffs but I cant play

I don't think there is any set way of going about it. Whatever feels right I suppose. Sometimes I think of a good line which in turn creates a riff of sorts in my head, a starting point as it were, although usually I write the music and then put the lyrics to it, maybe with a few minor changes to make them fit.

stoic · Post by **stoic** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 5:45 pm

chewy, whatever the fuck method you and jizzy do for making lyrics. you need to Costanza entirely cuz it can't get worse.

"more tiiiiiiiiiiiime. more tiiiiiiiiiiiime".

sorry.

PABassPlayer · Post by **PABassPlayer** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 11:28 pm

I write down the wacky shit in my head, hand it to my guitarist and say "Make a song out of this"

He usually says "Fuck You", wads it up and throws it at me.
I have written many bass lines in my band, but not one song....Fuckers!

Bob Heebert · Post by **Bob Heebert** » Tue Jan 17, 2006 12:21 am

tweek wrote:music around the lyrics. this way, you can create tabs that somewhat have the same flow as the lyrics do.

that is only if you write the melody first. i go with the bass being wrote first and use the rythm to create the lyrics.

Chewbacca · Post by **Chewbacca** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 12:45 pm

stoic wrote:chewy, whatever the fuck method you and jizzy do for making lyrics. you need to Costanza entirely cuz it can't get worse.

"more tiiiiiiiiiiiime. more tiiiiiiiiiiiime".

sorry.

I hated that song.

Panterachat

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