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Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? Janice & Bud #466477 04/10/18 05:07 AM Songwriting
Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,007 BC Ember - PG Music OP PG Music Staff
OP Ember - PG Music PG Music Staff Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,007 BC	Originally Posted By: Janice & Bud Pardon the ramble...not a great answer to your question... Cheers Bud Not at all! That was a very enlightening answer, I think! I totally get what Janice is talking about now. Also I feel like "vocal dancing" sounds beautiful, even if it was meant as a critique. Keep up the great work with all your guys' song writing. Cheers, Ember

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? rockstar_not #466480 04/10/18 05:09 AM Songwriting
Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,007 BC Ember - PG Music OP PG Music Staff
OP Ember - PG Music PG Music Staff Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,007 BC	Originally Posted By: rockstar_not For songs that have lyrics, lyrics are first almost always. For instrumentals, I have less structure. The only songwriting training I have ever had was Pat Pattison’s class from Berklee. That class is 90% about writing lyrics and song form. Maybe even more than that. I credit Noel96 from here for turning me on to that class. The other resource that I continually mine which is more song form and chord/melody structure is Matt Blick’s Tickets To Write website which catalogs all of the tricks and tactics the Beatles used in very digestible ways. I’m not ashamed to admit that I have gone to that well many times for inspiration. Those both sound like useful tools to help with songwriting. That website sounds really fascinating and like its a gem for people learning to write songs or hone their skills, newbies and experienced songwriters alike. Cheers, Ember

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? Ember - PG Music #466493 04/10/18 05:55 AM Songwriting
Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 12,845 Pensacola, Florida jford Veteran
jford Veteran Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 12,845 Pensacola, Florida	I was just listening to a great podcast interview with Todd Purdum on National Public Radio's Fresh Air program about his new book on Rodgers and Hammerstein and the influence of the musical Oklahoma on Broadway. When Richard Rodgers wrote with Lorenz Hart, Rodgers would write the music first and Hart would then supply the lyrics. When that relationship ended (both because of Hart's alcoholism and ultimate death) and Rodgers began collaborating with Oscar Hammerstein, and they switched. Hammerstein would write the lyrics and then send them to Rodgers to write the music. Now, of course, Rodgers had been studying the play and had ideas already in his head before he got the lyrics, but he made the comment that he went deeper into the music by having the lyrics to guide him. Given that Rodgers and Hart's collaboration was very successful, as was Rodgers and Hammerstein, it's clear that it can work both ways. John Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 12TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 12TB SATA BB2026/UMC204HD&404HD/Casios/Cakewalk/Reaper/Studio One/Notion/Dorico/Noteworthy/NI/Halion/IK http://www.sus4chord.com (under rehosting/construction)

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? Ember - PG Music #466528 04/10/18 08:40 AM Songwriting
Joined: Jan 2013 Posts: 1,335 The Heartland....Kansas chulaivet1966 Expert
chulaivet1966 Expert Joined: Jan 2013 Posts: 1,335 The Heartland....Kansas	Originally Posted By: Ember - PG Music Now I am curious what everyone else's methods are. Do you use sheet music and write out what you want to do first? Do you jam by yourself or with others and write down chords as you play them, then apply lyrics (if at all) to them later? Or do you start with lyrics first and work on the sound to match later? Or perhaps something else? I'd love to know! Personally.... I've written songs with all approaches mentioned here and by subsequent posters. The most important aspect of putting a song together is the subject matter/story line. Once I've nailed that down anything can drive me to continue to a finished product. Could be a chord progression I've been putzing with, hook line lyric. Sometimes I finish lyrics first, sometimes chord progression or arrangement is completed first and I'll structure further lyrics to that. I'm not a love song/crooner/ballad kind of writer. But, in a recent one (last year) the line She Sizzles came to my pea brain. It stuck with me and after a few weeks I finished up the lyrics for it and the music was structured around the lyrical arrangement. So....I really have no propensity toward either of the various song writing approaches. It's interesting to hear how everyone finishes up their song writing efforts. Back to topic..... Last edited by chulaivet1966; 04/10/18 08:41 AM. https://soundcloud.com/chulaivet1966/the-story-of-life-ken-lasine-on-guitars https://www.youtube.com/user/chulaivet/videos

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? Ember - PG Music #466600 04/10/18 01:48 PM Songwriting
Joined: Apr 2016 Posts: 470 Ireland H Hugh2 Journeyman
Hugh2 Journeyman H Joined: Apr 2016 Posts: 470 Ireland	Hi Ember, I cant really do lyrics first so it has to be the music.I could write lyrics first but id have to make them fit the music not the music fit the lyrics.However usually I make the music,then listen to it about a zillion times (lol) and the lyrics come while im listening.Put it this way if I wrote the lyrics first and then made the music it could turn out like a pro jockey riding a donkey rather than a pro jockey riding a stallion ,once I think I have a stallion to work with I go look for the jockey to ride it ,urs Hugh

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? chulaivet1966 #466608 04/10/18 02:41 PM Songwriting
Joined: Dec 2016 Posts: 16 S SilverBeat Enthusiast
SilverBeat Enthusiast S Joined: Dec 2016 Posts: 16	Write how ever you feel like writing and change things up. There's more than one way to rock

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? Ember - PG Music #466616 04/10/18 04:24 PM Songwriting
Joined: Feb 2018 Posts: 12 Los Angeles, Cauliflower ManInTwoSocks Newbie
ManInTwoSocks Newbie Joined: Feb 2018 Posts: 12 Los Angeles, Cauliflower	My songwriting process involves reverse engineering. First i write my acceptance speech for my Academy Award for best original song. Next i read reviews of the song in Rolling Stone and other important music media. Then i check how well my song has done on the Billboard charts and check my royalty statements from my publisher and BMI. Next i reread the listing in Taxi or MusicXray that led to my song being placed in that film. Next i use Reaper and Adobe Audition to do the mastering. Next i use BIAB to do the musical arrangement. And then, finally, i write the song. Last edited by ManInTwoSocks; 04/10/18 04:28 PM. Matador is beautiful,a symphony of style Excitement is ecstatic, passion places bets Gracefully he bows to ovations that he gets But the hands that are applauding are slippery with sweat And saliva is falling from their smiles Phil Ochs- Crucifixion

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? jford #466714 04/11/18 06:51 AM Songwriting
Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,007 BC Ember - PG Music OP PG Music Staff
OP Ember - PG Music PG Music Staff Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,007 BC	Originally Posted By: jford I was just listening to a great podcast interview with Todd Purdum on National Public Radio's Fresh Air program about his new book on Rodgers and Hammerstein and the influence of the musical Oklahoma on Broadway. When Richard Rodgers wrote with Lorenz Hart, Rodgers would write the music first and Hart would then supply the lyrics. When that relationship ended (both because of Hart's alcoholism and ultimate death) and Rodgers began collaborating with Oscar Hammerstein, and they switched. Hammerstein would write the lyrics and then send them to Rodgers to write the music. Now, of course, Rodgers had been studying the play and had ideas already in his head before he got the lyrics, but he made the comment that he went deeper into the music by having the lyrics to guide him. Given that Rodgers and Hart's collaboration was very successful, as was Rodgers and Hammerstein, it's clear that it can work both ways. Thanks for sharing that link! I am definitely going to have to remember that and give it a listen later at home. It sounds really fascinating and perfect for the topic! Last edited by Ember - PG Music; 04/11/18 06:52 AM. Cheers, Ember

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? chulaivet1966 #466716 04/11/18 06:54 AM Songwriting
Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,007 BC Ember - PG Music OP PG Music Staff
OP Ember - PG Music PG Music Staff Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,007 BC	Originally Posted By: chulaivet1966 Personally.... I've written songs with all approaches mentioned here and by subsequent posters. The most important aspect of putting a song together is the subject matter/story line. Subject or story is a big thing for me with music. I am curious to hear how artists like the Decemberists write their songs and what their methods are, as they can really weave a good story! And they rarely sound the same. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the topic! Cheers, Ember

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? Hugh2 #466717 04/11/18 06:56 AM Songwriting
Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,007 BC Ember - PG Music OP PG Music Staff
OP Ember - PG Music PG Music Staff Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,007 BC	Originally Posted By: Hugh2 Hi Ember, I cant really do lyrics first so it has to be the music.I could write lyrics first but id have to make them fit the music not the music fit the lyrics.However usually I make the music,then listen to it about a zillion times (lol) and the lyrics come while im listening. That's definitely a fair and good method to use. Whatever you process is, if it works for you, then it's valid. Thanks for sharing! Cheers, Ember

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? SilverBeat #466718 04/11/18 06:57 AM Songwriting
Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,007 BC Ember - PG Music OP PG Music Staff
OP Ember - PG Music PG Music Staff Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,007 BC	Originally Posted By: SilverBeat Write how ever you feel like writing and change things up. There's more than one way to rock I whole heartedly agree with this! That was a big reason why I started this topic and posed the question. I wanted to see what everyone's person process was. It seems that songwriting is just as personal as the music itself. This has been a very eye opening thread for me! Cheers, Ember

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? ManInTwoSocks #466719 04/11/18 06:59 AM Songwriting
Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,007 BC Ember - PG Music OP PG Music Staff
OP Ember - PG Music PG Music Staff Joined: Jun 2017 Posts: 3,007 BC	Originally Posted By: ManInTwoSocks My songwriting process involves reverse engineering. First i write my acceptance speech for my Academy Award for best original song. Next i read reviews of the song in Rolling Stone and other important music media. Then i check how well my song has done on the Billboard charts and check my royalty statements from my publisher and BMI. Next i reread the listing in Taxi or MusicXray that led to my song being placed in that film. Next i use Reaper and Adobe Audition to do the mastering. Next i use BIAB to do the musical arrangement. And then, finally, i write the song. I had a good laugh with this one! I actually laughed out loud. Thanks for sharing this strategy with us! Cheers, Ember

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? Ember - PG Music #466951 04/12/18 11:10 AM Songwriting
Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 17 Michigan ZUrlocker Enthusiast
ZUrlocker Enthusiast Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 17 Michigan	I have written a few dozen songs, most of which were part of a rock opera. So I started with some basic themes and some ideas about an overall story. But when it came to writing songs, it often began with an electric bass line. Then I'd figure out what chords on guitar could work with that bass line (mostly trial and error assuming the bass was playing a root note and testing Major and Minor chords). Then I would try to figure out what part of the story I could tell that fit with the song and then I'd go write lyrics. I have a lot of trouble figuring out the vocal melody and I still don't have any clear idea of how that gets done. In some cases, the singers greatly improved on my scratch vocals. Once in a while I would start with guitar chords and sometimes the whole thing would come chords, melody and lyrics all in 15 minutes. But that's pretty rare. Here's a song that started with a bass line which sounded creepy and that became the inspiration for the song "The Creeper" which starts the whole story... https://soundcloud.com/zurlocker/the-creeper Last edited by ZUrlocker; 04/12/18 11:22 AM. Music at http://www.soundcloud.com/zurlocker

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? Ember - PG Music #467008 04/12/18 04:35 PM Songwriting
E eddie1261 Unregistered
eddie1261 Unregistered E	I would say it's 90/10 that I write lyrics first. One recent exception was "Titles" where I wanted to do that industrial/trance tune and given the nature of the music bed for the song, the music had to be first. Usually though the lyrics come first. I get asked from time to time "Where do your song ideas come from?" My answer has been the same for a long time. Songs are stories set to music. Stories can either be fact or fiction. I don't do fiction well. Most of my songs are "relationship" songs, and I am notoriously BAD with relationships so many of my songs are "We tried. We failed. Buh-bye." songs. The big band thing I did was about the last girlfriend I had (and she will be the last!) where I actually said the words that were the hook to her. "I don't care where you go, as long as you're gone". One from my CD was called "When The New Wears Off." I was out for the evening with a woman in 2009 and she spent the whole evening going on and on about moving away to be with the latest Mr Wonderful who was going to make her a star. Meanwhile, she can't write, she can't play and she can't sing. And after we parted ways for the evening I said out loud to myself while driving home "Man, she will be back in a couple of years when the new wears off." When I got home I went upstairs and that song was written in about 20 minutes. The last one, Livin' On Wheels, I explained in a thread that I was laying in bed one morning after the dog had awakened me to go outside (at 6AM!!!) and I thought "Man, I have so many things to get done before I'll be living on wheels." Another quick write. Sometimes I struggle with the lyrics being cohesive and still maintain the proper sense of prosody. The cadence of the lyrics has to fit the cadence of the music, and that can call for a lot of tweaking, like "How else can I say this to make it fit?" And that's usually how it goes for me. Lyrics tend to determine genre, and the cadence of the lyrics dictate how long the phrases will be, thus the Real Band style I look for. Last edited by eddie1261; 04/12/18 04:36 PM.

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? Ember - PG Music #467048 04/13/18 01:33 AM Songwriting
Joined: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,913 Colorado Springs, CO, USA R rockstar_not Veteran
rockstar_not Veteran R Joined: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,913 Colorado Springs, CO, USA	One thing worth mentioning is that songwriting takes practice as much as any other endeavor for which one is interested. With practice it becomes more natural. With practice fear of embarrassment fades. With practice it becomes something you can teach and should try to do so. I cannot recommend enough the free songwriting course from Berklee college of music which focuses on lyrics and song form. Again, many thanks to Noel96 for turning me on to this class. I’ve had several years of enjoyment now using the concepts from that class; getting to a point where if any idea hits me as one I want to dwell on for a bit, I have confidence I can turn that idea into a set of lyrics for a song without much trouble. Through practice. My Songs, photos, writing,etc. My Sound Cloud

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? rockstar_not #467063 04/13/18 04:01 AM Songwriting
Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 20,610 Australia Noel96 Veteran
Noel96 Veteran Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 20,610 Australia	Originally Posted By: rockstar_not I cannot recommend enough the free songwriting course from Berklee college of music which focuses on lyrics and song form. Again, many thanks to Noel96 for turning me on to this class. I’ve had several years of enjoyment now using the concepts from that class; getting to a point where if any idea hits me as one I want to dwell on for a bit, I have confidence I can turn that idea into a set of lyrics for a song without much trouble. Through practice. Scott, Like you, I still find Pat Pattison's approach brilliant. No-one else teaches lyric writing insight and strategies like he does. I've been to many of his seminars now and every time I go, I always pick up something that I didn't know before. The tools that Pat has given me have proven extremely useful over the years. I'm the same as you in that I've also discovered that if something catches my attention, it's not that hard to turn it into a set of workable lyrics. All it boils down to is knowing what to do and having an approach in mind. And this is where Pat's strategies really shine. I'm also a huge fan of Andrea Stolpe's book. Andrea is a student of Pat's who has taken his idea of object writing and has developed it into a songwriting strategy called "Destination Writing". I've found Andrea's approach incredibly productive. Pat's books and Andrea's book are the ones I keep on returning to time and time again. I just keep on reading and re-reading them. If anyone is interested in these books, they are... 1. Writing Better Lyrics (2nd Ed., Pattison) 2. Essential Guide to Rhyming (2nd Ed., Pattison) 3. Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure (Pattison) 4. Writing Better Lyrics & Songwriting Without Boundaries (Pattison) 5. Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Story Telling (Stolpe) The Book Depository has them at pretty good prices at the moment. All the best, Noel my latest song: He’s An African Rhino (2018) MY SONGS... Audiophile BIAB 2026 audios on Soundcloud

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? Ember - PG Music #467157 04/13/18 03:37 PM Songwriting
Joined: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,590 Hong Kong L lambada Expert
lambada Expert L Joined: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,590 Hong Kong	I have been, perhaps that's the problem.:-) Windows 10 Home 20H2 Build 19042.487 BIAB 2021 (Build 818) Intel(R) Core(TM), i3-4160, CPU @3.60 GHz RAM 16 GB, 64 Bit X64-based processor Zoom UAC-2 (USB 3 interface-built in midi) VoiceLive 3 Extreme, Sputnik Valve Condenser Mic

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? Ember - PG Music #467160 04/13/18 04:25 PM Songwriting
Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 17 Michigan ZUrlocker Enthusiast
ZUrlocker Enthusiast Joined: Jan 2018 Posts: 17 Michigan	I also found Pat Pattison's Berkeley course on Coursera to be very helpful in developing lyrical structure. Music at http://www.soundcloud.com/zurlocker

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? Ember - PG Music #467270 04/14/18 03:49 PM Songwriting
Joined: Aug 2014 Posts: 8,517 North Carolina David Snyder Veteran
David Snyder Veteran Joined: Aug 2014 Posts: 8,517 North Carolina	Interesting thread. I tend to differentiate between songs and compositions--because they require two completely different processes for me in terms of music and lyrics. A song, to me, is something you can do on a piano or acoustic guitar with nothing but a vocal and it will sound great unplugged. For those works, I have found that you can't try to write a song. It either lights upon your head like the proverbial butterfly or it does not. The harder you chase it the more it flies away. But if you sit still...as they say. For SONGS, the words and music come to me at the same time almost all of the time and the ones I like usually take 15 minutes. Then there are artists who do COMPOSITIONS. I would put Yes and Rush into this category. They spent months figuring out each part. When I take a whack at a composition it also takes a while to put everything together. I love compositions and I really enjoying listening to Close to the Edge by Yes all the way through in one sitting, but I can't say as I have ever walked around humming anything from it. I find myself walking around humming songs all day though. When I "interpreted" Clifton's Vietnam song (which became 1969) a few nights ago I didn't write anything down at all, or even rehearse, because I didn't feel like it. I simply propped a tablet on the music stand under the mic with the words from the forum original in front of me, plugged in, hit record, started strumming and sang what came to mind. What happened in between record and stop was what I printed. Sometimes I think it is best to just go ahead and do it--tap into that Divine Muse--and just go for it. It is really easy to overthink a song. To me a song is like love--just let it happen or you will spoil the mood. David Snyder Songwriter/Renaissance Man Studio + Fingers https://davidsnydersongs.com/ https://spoti.fi/359Gigs www.davidsnydermusic.com/ www.reverbnation.com/davidpsnyder www.soundcloud.com/david-snyder-gigs4 https://www.songtradr.com/user/profile/david.snyder

Re: When writing a song, do you write the lyrics first? David Snyder #467680 04/17/18 06:21 AM Songwriting
Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 728 Colorado Buford Journeyman
Buford Journeyman Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 728 Colorado	Hi David, Very insightful look into your approach to your music. Thanks for posting this. Best, The Buford BIAB 2018 ULTRA https://soundcloud.com/bob-buford https://www.youtube.com/user/hawgly https://www.songtradr.com/user/profile/bob.buford

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April 28, 2026

XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!

All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!

It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.

What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?

XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!

Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!

The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.

The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.

The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.

Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.

The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!

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