Composing music, what do YOU do? (All forms of music welcomed)

[CapnSev]

I get out the Bass Grimoire and pick a scale of the day, then get it stuck in my head until a cool riff comes out. I'm a riff junkie when it comes to writing. Writing words is a different story. Unless I have a good idea, I turn on the TV and write a song about the first phrase I hear.

[KFrost2008]

I haven't wirtten much, due to the fact that I don't know much theory. All of my stuff is in my head right now. The sounds that I can picture sound pretty crunchy together, but I listen to a lot of prog rock for inspiration, so that makes sense.

[Martin Bormann]

For lyrics, I typically just write music with a set syllable, and later come back and put words in. I don't think many listeners actually listen to the words (more specifically the meaning) anyways.

[RAZubieta]

For me since my knowledge of chords and progressions is very limited I usualy start with a key signature, change a note or two if I don't like the way it sounds with the other ones. (for the most part I usually change half-steps since I don't try to write that much metal stuff) Then I end up with a odd key signature and start writing riffs from that. I'm hoping once I understand chord progressions and that whole buisness my music will at least flow better.

[tZer]

Originally Posted by Martin Bormann

For lyrics, I typically just write music with a set syllable, and later come back and put words in. I don't think many listeners actually listen to the words (more specifically the meaning) anyways.

I agree that in most popular music the actual substance of the words is less important to the overall appeal of the song as is their shape, color and texture.

But I also believe that of you are fortunate enough to craft a hook that captures the ear, the substance of the words steps up a bit in importance.

[Edit: removed tons of extra stuff...]

I guess all that lengthy blah, blah, blah is trying to say "start simple and work hard to keep it that way". In my opinion, it's far easier to write an overly complicated piece (Rush, Yes, Tool etc...) than it is to write a simple, hooky piece (R.E.M., The Cure, The Beatles, etc...) - maybe not easier to play, but easier to fill the air with tricky riffs and licks than to put a simple, but very memorable hook out there.

[Ach]

I am recording improvisations, and trying to play as fast as i can, with mind free as possible. than listen to it to seek "maybe something sweet overhere". Usually it is a catch tune to start, which stars my inspiration.

[The Owl]

Favorite scales of this Owl: Whole tone, melodic and harmonic minor,

One favorite soloing trick: Take a given key like A for example, some very interesting tensions can be bought forth by playing in the key a whole step above (B in this case).

Writing is a wildly varied process for me, sometimes an idea will come from a chord sequence, other times a melody will come first and then harmony and chords will gravitate around that, sometimes a rhythmic pattern/drumbeat will get it started, and even ideas have come from unlikely sources like birds , mechanical and natural sounds that aren't even musical as such or even a painting (impressionist tend to get my attention the most).

[supermonkey]

I usually write pop/rock songs, and have a very strong sensibility for pop structures. But I have always tended to be on the progressive end of that spectrum; I use jazzier chords than most of the "rock guys" I know, love to mess with odd meters, flirt w/ atonality, etc. But I've got material I've written ranging from 2 minute pop ditties to 15 minute prog-rock epics to technical solo bass type pieces (mostly from when I was a younger cat with "something to prove").

Clearly I'm the only player here who has written him or herself a 7 minute bass wankfest....

Anywho, ideally I can start with a melody, or a fragment thereof, or at least a lyric idea, and run with it from there. As I (hopefully) mature as a writer, that's how I'd like to begin every piece I write; I've come to believe the melody to be, under almost any circumstances, the most critical element of most "popular music".

That said, I find that I have very frequently relied on farting around with stock or semi-stock chord structures to start with. Hell, how many rock songs are I-IV-V? I try not to live in that box, but sometimes rock'n'roll compels you....

I've also discovered a great love for improvising with a band and seeing what comes out. You can treat a jam as a sketchpad and develop ideas from the jam into one or more actual songs. Or you can just consider the jam itself a song that can never be repeated.

I was in a band that released a well-received CD of material created in the latter vein back in 2003. We recorded probably ~10-20 hrs of jams total. I mixed them all as played, then our drummer did a surgical editing job to get rid of the stuff that just didn't work, to create some artificial "transitions", etc. It got some pretty amazing reviews, to my surprise.

I guess I ultimately agree with the previous poster who mentioned that the initial inspiration is the trick. Once I've got a musical bit in mind, things will eventually fall into place for a song.