Question about writing for instrumental tracks

[jchitty]

I come out of my cubby hole every now and then, and I have my little posting explosions for several days. Then I go back to my cave and write for a couple of weeks.Someone has given me an instrumental track, and they want me to write lyrics for it. I've never done anything like this. I usually just write my lyrics and music together....this will be a pretty big challenge, and I'm hoping I won't disappoint the person.Has anyone here ever written lyrics to instrumental tracks? I know that people can put music to lyrics, and I believe that Hal David could actually write lyrics after Burt Bacharach created the melody, but it seems pretty difficult.If you did do something like this, how did you go about it? I'm not one for meter, etc....I just write, but maybe there's a better formula. To tell you the truth, I just write what's in my head and see what comes out on paper.Anyway, this will be my last post for a while, but I will lurk and check some of the answers if anyone has some advice.Back to the writing cave! See you folks later.

[gongchime]

Get the melody's rhythm in your head. Then go to the newspaper, dictionary, or other text with lots of words and look for a sentence with the same rhythm. The sentence will of course have words in it. See if it sparks something for you. It's just one method. Lots of others. Also, you can write out the entire rhythmic pattern with accents. Decide what the song sounds like and give it a title matching the mood. Then put the accents in suitable words that match the accents in the rhythm. It's just a thought.

[hummingbird]

Yes, I did this recently. It was difficult for me because it felt "backwards" - I usually write lyrics first. However, I got the chorus first by listening to it over and over and looking for a phrase that fit the prosody. The verses were harder, but I did get it. Took me about 5 or 6 days of listening, and getting bits and singing what I had before I polished it off.

[linziellen]

Hey Chits,Sounds interesting! I never used to do this but I actually enjoy doing it now, I often use the internet to listen to music (sometimes with/out lyrics) and write at the same time. It seems to give me an extra boost plus I follow similar rules to the music I'm listening to, so it's helping me to understand song structure.I would put on your head phones(which I personally prefer as there's no escaping, it's just you/music/pen and paper) and let the track play over and over, let it sink in, get a good idea of the mood and the rhythm. Throw words around on your page or if you're like me it will come out in sections. I'm also a "pen to paper" gal, I like it that way!Best of luck and have fun Chits, look forward to hearing how you got on.Lindsey

[devin]

I read this in a "how to write a screenplay" book while trapped at an in-law's house:"There are 4 steps of creation:#1. Exposure to external events (in our case it could be past memories, or your instrumental track)#2. Incubation (let the subconscious do it's thing)#3. Revelation (the act of creating...this is the phase that keeps me up at 1:13am)#4. Evaluation (later critiquing what was written down and deciding what to keep)I listen to the track as much as I can, specifically the chorus. Find out where you want to place the strongest chorus line (hook, etc). After a while the ideas begin to match the mood of the music.Note: once I've studied the melody, it's important sometimes to stop thinking about it for a while. That can be when the inspiration strikes.Once I finally have a hook or song title, I write it in the middle of a piece of paper.Then I decide who the singer is, and who they are singing to.Then I write out a couple dozen things the singer might say in conversation to the listener (I stole this from "101 Songwriting Mistakes and how to avoid them" by Pete and Pat Luboff)By grouping some ideas around the idea in the middle of the paper, some raw material for verse or bridge may come out.I see collaborators of mine get frustrated if they can't fill the page within 30 minutes. The way I try to look at it, is "I waited almost 40 years to write this song...perhaps it deserves a few more hours of work!"In short: bombard yourself with the track, then let it soak a bit. Good luck in the cave!

[Mark Kaufman]

What feels backwards to some feels forward to others. In most of my years of songwriting, I started with music and then added melody and lyrics. Only recently have I been doing it all different ways.I'm not sure if the melody is already there or not...if not, I'd do that first, try to hum a good line that sounds great in an instrumental way. If one already exists, you're off the hook and can proceed to the next part.Once you have a melody, you walk around the house trying different vocal sounds with that melody. Don't worry yet about what the song is about...concentrate on the appropriate SOUND of the words in the main hook. Does it sound better singing a word like "WHY" or does it feel more like "YOU" or "TRUE"? After I get a sense of that I move on to string together a phrase that will give me the appropriate hook. "WHY did you cry..." or "YOU took it down..." or "WE drove away..." Once I have a certain phrase that resonates, that FEELS appropriate to the mood of the music...then the writing starts to fall together. You work the story up, all the time paying attention to the rhythm and feel of the words as they relate to that melody and music.To me, this is the "default" way of writing! Good luck chitty chitty bang bang.

[jchitty]

Thanks for all your tips and suggestions guys!chitty chitty bang bang.

[squids]

Hey chits:Well, I don't have a formula so sometimes the music hits first, sometimes the lyrics do, sometimes both.If it was me, I'd burn a copy of it, and every time you're in the car, pop it in and listen to it, or doing chores or whateva. Doing something else while you're listening will help implant it in your subconscious and that helps a lot.Good luck!

[ragani]

Right on, squids! I love "writing" pieces this way (listening to instrumental tracks over and over), as I used to write melodies this way in my younger days... And then again, sometimes it is a melody that really hits me first...It's interesting hearing so many ideas here from everyone-- what a great thread! Raags

[squids]

Quote:Right on, squids! I love "writing" pieces this way (listening to instrumental tracks over and over), as I used to write melodies this way in my younger days... And then again, sometimes it is a melody that really hits me first...It's interesting hearing so many ideas here from everyone-- what a great thread! RaagsAbsolutely, raags. We're all such invididuals, it makes sense we'd all have some similarities and differences in how we write. I still do it the old school way sometimes, like you talkin' about. It's fun, reminds me to get connected to the tune in a way that doesn't happen other ways sometimes.