Where your song ideas come from

elser · Post by **elser** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 3:25 pm

Melodies often come to me out of nowhere when I'm trying to get to sleep or just waking up. Or sometimes I'll get some one elses song stuck in my head and then after it stays there for awhile it morphs into something else that is nothing like the first so I keep it for my own. Lyrics almost always come from pure sweat after the musical process has finished. I rarely get lyrical 'inspiration'.

lwj001 · Post by **lwj001** » Tue Dec 25, 2007 2:41 pm

One type of source I use is the digital music libraries of universities. Old songs can give inspiration to new interpretations. here's one source:http://digital.library.ucla.edu/apam/

telaak · Post by **telaak** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 3:30 am

a lot of the time i'll hear a phrase spoken on Tv..overhearing conversations brings ideas as well..I sit in front of a Tv as I strum an acoustic guitar quite a bit..I usually have the mute button on and the close captioning on the Tv has the scroll thing going on..I have snagged complete song ideas from a phrase that cruises by..i've also been knee deep in a song and stuck on a verse when it just mysteriously scrolls by on the Tv..or I see it as a movie title that flys by on the preview channel..weird stuff..but it happens to me a lot..

Mark Kaufman · Post by **Mark Kaufman** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 2:27 pm

I've only recently decided to try to write toward a purpose other than the simple act of songwriting. Most of my "songwriting life" the process always began with sounds...chords, musical riff, a random phrase that "fit" the tone of that music. I never decided to write a song "about" something...that was always dictated by what the music seemed to want, and then I'd pursue the lyrics and the subject in that direction.Since joining songwriting forums I have noticed that the majority of writers are much more concerned with topics and lyrics than I ever have been. Now I find myself trying to write lyrical ideas first, just to stretch the bounds of my songwriting process.So far, it has added a lot more Left Brain to the process...it loses some of the magic. But it must be done...

ibanez468 · Post by **ibanez468** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 11:19 pm

Most often, my ideas just pop-up in my head. If I'm hearin' something in my mind, and it sounds like something could evolve from it, I immediately grab my little digital voice recorder and hum the melody, or bass line, or whatever it is I'm hearing, or play the guitar, bass, or keyboard part, and record it. 'Cause I know if I don't, it'll be gone within minutes. I've got a ton of stuff recorded on the recorder, (as well as cassettes. Have a small hand-held cassette recorder too) so I'll always have something I can reference when I'm ready to create. One of my first forwards came about that way. Laid down a guitar part to make a song, and it sat for weeks. Came back, and used it for a :30 second clip, and was fortunate enough to get a forward.ibanez468

stephen · Post by **stephen** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:24 am

Life and Relationships.

telaak · Post by **telaak** » Sat Jan 05, 2008 11:28 am

Quote:Life and Relationships.that's where MOST of mine come from as well..sucks to have to wait for a life event though..just recently {last 8 years} started to "manufacture" songs..i'm finding those type of songs DO come from life experiences..they're just reinterpreted a bit..

geo · Post by **geo** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:48 am

If I'm stuck trying to come with a certain phrase or production point a quick trip to the throne room normally provides the neccessary results. The shower is another place, I got the genesis of a new song two days ago during a shower.I was watching a VH1 special the other day and Cyndi Lauper said the song title "Time after Time" came from TV Guide. \I also built a whole song around a phrase in a novel, but it was only used as a verse line, not the main hook... Geo

telaak · Post by **telaak** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 1:40 am

Quote: The shower is another place, I got the genesis of a new song two days ago during a shower. GeoI sometimes find that lyric needed to finish a song in the shower..seems the song'll be playing on a loop in my head and somehow the water helps me finish it..then I stumble out of the shower dripping wet and blurt it into my answering machine..good thing I live alone..could look a bit weird

frankfairlane · Post by **frankfairlane** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 5:31 pm

Mine just pop into my head..sometimes while driving........or I get an idea...that comes from whatever I'm experiancing...obvious life things.......small town bar...gossip running wild.....or books I'm reading...or just pick a topic and give it a try....One of the many things I learned at the Road Rally was that all the top writers are prolific...constantly writing ...........some of them over 100 songs a year........that is my new aspiration

Where your song ideas come from

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