PA Songwriters'/Composers' Association

Dayvenkirq wrote: Here's my method: 1) Take everything you have to say, group together related thoughts for a lyrical theme of a song. 2) Re-shape those thoughts into somewhat more poetic, less everyday-sounding lyrics. Follow the scheme MAaB MAaB C B ... or ... MAaB MAaB C AaB A (where M - an intro tune that can also be used in the middle of a song, A - musical idea for the 1st verse before chorus, a - musical idea for the 2nd verse before chorus). 3) When the lyrics are finished, ornament them with music, be that soft/hard rock (electric guitar-driven) or ballad-type music (acoustic guitar or piano). And so, before I get to the musical part of a song, I need to have a good idea of what the lyrics will be like.

That's interesting, lyrics first. I've tried that a couple of times before, never really worked for me. Generally, I either come across a melody/riff/idea/progression while messing around, or maybe while intentionally looking for a particular sound, and then build off that in some way.

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I spose I may as well put up on old example. This was actually my composition for my last year of high school, so you know, but it's the last thing I completed (3 and a half years ago), the piano riff/ostinato and string melody are the last things I'm proud of writing, and it's just a midi performance by Sibelius (I'm not putting up my poor playing and mixing efforts from years ago). I reached a point not far into the piece where I had no idea where I wanted to go, but I needed to finish it on time, so I more or less did a couple of prog rock cliches (which in an orchestral setting are slightly less cliched) so it's hardly a great example of achieving all you want to with an idea, but there you go.  It sounds more like an overture to film music, given the (mandated) short length, than anything else really, and you might find it interesting, or might not.

The piano riff/ostinato that the opening (main section) is based on was originally intended to be part of a prog rock song of some kind, but then I needed something for a composition so I used this. Written messing around at the piano. The progression repeats with the melody (written on Sibelius, rather than at the piano, I think) added in the strings, and then again with a brass countermelody, before switching to the major and ending fairly triumphantly.

The short, quiet section with pizzicato strings and woodwind bits I wrote at the piano again (and the strings echo the rhythm of the piano ostinato), and it was the last bit I properly liked before I had no idea where to go. So then the cliches: the 7/8 'Arabian' trumpet & flute melody, a typical bass riff comes in underneath and is then left by itself; itbecomes a 'pedal point groove' staying put with the chords change over it and the original melody is restated/developed over the top. It leads into a quieter piano section beginning with the restatement of the countermelody in the flute, then a piano & cello section with frankly has nothing to do with anything else and was from another song. Then the opening section comes back and repeats itself with some variations, and then closes out with celeste.

So with the exception of the piano bit towards the end, it's all pretty much based on the piano riff & string melody. 

n.b. Given that it's a years old composition that was completed with an 'I'll just do whatever' attitude, in a style I don't really intend on replicating anymore, I'm not specifically looking for constructive criticism on it or anything, just throwing it up there.