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How I compose music.
The usual question is what comes first; the lyrics or the melody. My first response is either can be first but when I sit and think about it often they are simultaneous. If I feel compelled to write about a subject, as I was with Sun Rising, the genre of the song is almost dictated by the subject matter. And because music is all about rhythm, the lyrics are written with the desired rhythm in mind and with the genre, beat and rhythm in place you are already halfway to creating the melody.
The reverse is creating a melody first and then writing lyrics to suit. I would mess with different chords on my keyboard playing different riffs over them. Often my mood would dictate the style of song I wanted to create but sometimes I would have a preconceived genre. Whilst playing, a sequence of notes may suggest a phrase to me that gives me the idea I was searching for and from there on in it is a case of developing the song. There is an exception to all of this which is when a composer collaborates with a lyricist. Usually the composer is presented with a set of lyrics for which he is expected to create a melody. Often minor changes are needed to the lyrics of the song to flow, but the better the construction of the lyrics the fewer changes are needed. Indeed well written lyrics almost suggest the melody for you!
I mentioned rhythm earlier and sometimes the right beat and tempo are not always obvious and I solve this by trying out different ones. I have a i5M module that provides different accompaniment based on the styles I choose and the chords I play, and I find this very useful.
There was a time when I was of the opinion that it was the melody and its hooks that counted most and the lyrics came second. This was mainly due to the fact that the poor diction of many singers meant I could not hear the words they were singing, but now I believe the lyrics are just as important as the tune, if not more so.
