JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Songwriter Message Forum Why are there so many lyric-only folks?

FD, for me, the backing track doesn’t need to support the melody. I just need the groove in the particular genre. The backing track functions as a kind of metronome but a lot more fun. It absolutely works for me. I’ve used this method many, many times. Sure, I can come up with a melody just by singing the words over and over in Audacity until I have something that sounds halfway decent to my ears, but it’s much less time consuming with a track to sing over.

I don’t disagree with you about writing lyrics to a melody. It can be tough. That’s why I insist on a leadsheet (and why I rarely write to a melody these days – I prefer the other way around). I’m fine once I have a storyline established; then I focus on the crafting and the choice of words in the usual way.

I agree that often lyrics written to a melody can sound clunky and disjointed, and generally need to be very seriously revised. But they can end up being quite nice. I know a lyricist – and a good one – who, to my astonishment, actually prefers writing to a melody. And her lyrics generally work really well (after a lot of re-writing). I think the key point here is revision.

I find it’s much easier to write to a track that doesn’t yet have a melody, as long as the composer can indicate exactly where the various sections begin and end. I used to enjoy doing those, especially when the music inspired me, and a storyline emerged quickly. (If I didn’t like the music, I declined the request.)