Songwriting Sessions: Writing the music before the lyrics

Some musicians believe that a song should always have lyrics before the music is written. Others disagree. Personally, I sometimes write the lyrics first, and other times I will start with the melody. I don't really think lyrics are so sacred that they absolutely must be written first.

This post is all about writing the music first. My last post was about writing lyrics, so if you'd like to learn more about that, go here (you can always come back to this post after).

If you're going to write the music first, you need to start somewhere. Here are a few ways to get started on writing the music first:

1) Come up with a chord progression: If you play guitar (acoustic or electric), or piano, this is often a good way to start. Start throwing some chords together, find a progression you like, add a little bit of rhythm. and boom! You've got the start of a song.

2) Come up with a melody:  If you're not keen on starting with some chords, why not a melody? Grab your instrument of choice and start plucking (or plinking, picking, etc.) away until you find something you like. You could always sing it, too!

Having trouble coming up with a melody? Might I suggest you start by using a scale? Scales are often the backbone of songs, solos, and melodies, so you really should learn some scales if you don't already know any. (You can learn some scales here if you don't know any.)

3) Come up with a riff (lick/vamp/etc.): This is kind of similar to coming up with a chord progression, but some songs are based on a particular musical idea that isn't necessarily a chord progression. Examples that come to mind are the opening riff to "Walk this Way" by Aerosmith, or the opening riff to "The Man Who Sold the World" by David Bowie.

Whether it's a guitar lick that sounds really cool, or some programmed drum beat or electronic sample, find something that sounds like it could be the main background or musical idea to the song. Then write the lyrics!

Are there other ways of coming up with the music to a song before the lyrics?

Probably, but those are the three ways that I've used. If you come up with another one, let me know and I'll add it!

Happy writing!