Question for composers

Most of my composition is orchestral stuff, so i start that wiht the keyboards, can fiddle around with it..sometimes pick up my cello.

but as for my rock stuff...

It depends..I dont sit down to write, thats how things end up sounding forced and basically crap.

So it depends what I'm playing when an idea comes a long

maidenrulez wrote: I just get weird music in my head and try to play it either on keyboard,bass or guitar

Likewise, but normally these "ideas" occur when I am out & about or driving & by the time I get to the keyboard the idea has gone or is "different" - SO... I now carry a dictaphone into which ideas can be hummed as & when they occur (awkward in business meetings I admit  ). Seems to work for me...

M

I think that every good song is based upon a strong melody, and it's not important which instrument plays it. I've read that many musicians actually use their voice when trying to find melodies ... they sing or hum the melody and record it. Then they begin to work out chords and accompanyments for the melody, and try to find related/supporting/contrasting other melodies, and eventually a new song is born. But IMO the core of each brilliant song is always a simple melody.

When you start writing a song do you always start off with your instrument of choice? And if you play multiple instruments is there one you usually start off with?

I'm curious because, as solely a guitar player, i almost always write the guitar part first, even if the guitar isn't the main feature of what i'm writing. Next year i'm going to a music school where it's a requirement to learn a bit of keyboard since it's a universal medium basically and i'm also probably going to use bass as my secondary instrument (guitar obviusly being my first). I'm very interested to see how this changes the way i write music. I know it will benefit me because i'll have a wider understanding of each instrument and how they all work together in different situations etc. I'm just eager to see the outcome