How 2 Rock

hello! I'm in a band but none of us really know what we're doing (not in a "no one ever knows what theyre doing!" kind of way but in the way that we all simply need lessons) - was wondering if you had any insight into how you write songs? Like do you come up with lyrics first and then try and work them into a melody or vice versa? i feel like im just not skilled enough to be able to write good songs - like how do you envision all the different instruments coming together? you're so talented and any insight welcome and thank you!

This is a HUUUUGE question, that idk if I can answer satisfyingly

I write a little bit about my process for lyrics here

As far as the instrumentals, getting a crew of people with good chemistry was inherent to how we actually formed the final versions of song. Everyone knew what our common influences were so they drew from those and their own tastes to write their parts. , I just come to practice with lyrics and my own guitar part. Experimentation is crucial though, so just trust each other, think of the emotion you want to capture with the music, and keep messing around until you mistakenly or on purpose find what your looking for.

It won’t happen immediately. It takes a loooot of work and you gotta really love expressing yourself with music to feel any sort of satisfaction from it. If it’s not fun or at the very least therapeutic I don’t see the point. Ask yourself what your motivation is for making music, and figure out what you want to say.

Dont go in thinking of the final product. Come with a loose idea and be open to it morphing and changing on it’s way to becoming the final version of the song.

Maybe listen to other artists that are self taught, self recorded, and accessible to your experience with your instrument to gain the confidence to believe you can do it too. I found this in Riot Grrl music when I was first starting out but you could also research the bedroom pop girlies, Guided By Voices, Daniel Johnston people in that vein. Incredibly important music from people that weren’t formally trained but that desperately had something to say. I could think of a bigger list of artists that make you think “I can do this too!” or if people want to suggest music in the comments below feel free.

Just listen to a bunch of shit that makes you excited to make your own shit! And write a bunch of bad songs until you inevitably write a good one

Hope this helps

Lyric Writing Process

Q: hey karly, i wanted to ask about your lyric writing process. i love the way you weave small moments and unassuming images into a meaningful collage. i know you’ve mentioned richard brautigan as one of your influences in this before!

i’m wondering how you go about your writing? does it just flow when you sit down to write? do you pick an image/line/theme and go from there?

lots of love from manchester, uk. wednesday songs mean so much to me and my girl friends over here :)

A: Yooooo the writing process I most suggest is something I stole from Jake which he stole from David Berman. Everyday (or in my case whenever I feel like song writing, usually once a week or so) write 20 lines. They dont all have to be usable or good because once youve done this 5-10 times you can just pick out the best shit and weave it together for a song.

Doing it this way really takes the pressure off yourself to write a complete song in one sitting, and also makes it so you can really hone in every line until they’re all words you’re truly proud to be singing. It takes dedication and patience, but if I’m being honest I think patience is something a lot of songwriters lack. Really sitting with and caring about your words makes all the difference in the quality of the lyrics.

I suggest starting by writing everyday just to build the muscle and then after a while you’ll be able to just sit down and write when you feel “the itch”, which you’ll become sensitive to the longer you write.

As far as writing specifically about memories, the way I do this is by picking one memory I want to talk about and try to write all 20 lines of a sitting about that memory. I write out every possible thing I can remember spanning across all the senses. If it is a painful memory it can often be a painful process to re access that stuff so prepare for that. Usually whats left is a really vivid and visceral description of that event.

Then I’ll go back in and weave in some unrelated lines from other writing sessions that fit the tone to keep it fresh and not suffocate the memory.

I also collect a lot of lines from other books, movies, and stuff I hear my friends say and can weave that in as well when it fits the tone. I’ve found references to be a really good method for listeners to relate and empathize with whatever I’m singing about.

Hope this helps !