Jack Kaulfus
I usually start with an idea or a particular lyric, and then build on that. I usually start with an idea or a certain turn of phrase that I’ve been thinking about. When I listen to music, I tend to pick out lines that I wish I’d written, or certain chord progressions that I think are inventive and satisfying. I’ll look up that song in particular and study the chord progressions, time changes, lyrics, etc, and try to figure out what makes that song so appealing to me. Then, I’ll try to do something similar with my own style. For instance, when I was first learning to play guitar, I was listening to a lot of James Taylor. From his song Carolina In My Mind, I learned a particular melancholy chord progression (G, Em7, Asus4, A7) that I has made an appearance in a few of my songs. My songs are structured differently, and have much different lyrics, but the mood that chord progression created was similar. Once I’m going, I can usually tell if I have something worth sticking to if I’m a) thinking about it the next day, or b) can’t wait to get back to my guitar to figure out how to finish it. A great many of my songs don’t make it past the first few lines or verses, but I write everything down and save it so that I can go back through my notebooks and pick up old lines and chord progressions from abandoned songs and use them in new ways. That way, I have sort of a compendium of personal musical work that can be put to use anytime I need it. Those notebooks are also storage spaces for emotional experiences, and it’s good to be able to look back on them and reflect how I’ve changed. I’ve patched together quite a few songs based on reflection that way. Because I’m not a professional, I’m never under deadline, and that helps to alleviate the anxiety when it comes to songwriting. If I write something good, that’s great. If I don’t, it’s also no big deal. I also write, now, thinking of what my band would like to play, and that has made me stretch in ways I’d never imagined. Having a band to work with can add new life and vision to a song that I’ve previously abandoned, and their encouragement has made me a better, more adventurous writer.
Julia Ward
I keep the voice memo app on my phone busy with little ditties, write notes in my notebooks (and on random scraps of paper), mess around on the guitar or piano to find chord progressions I like, that kind of thing. If I'm feeling really pressed for time, I assign myself a genre and give myself a time limit. Then, I just do it. Generally, I start with a chorus, and I'm usually trying to capture emotions rather than narratives, but that's my thing. Lots of people like to start with a hook or chorus, or some kind of musical phrase. Each song is different. Knowing the basic structure of a song (verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, verse, chorus) gives me a great framework. The song may not end up staying within that structure. (I might not do a bridge or forsake choruses altogether, or add a pre-chorus or whatever), but that gives me boundaries, which I find very helpful to my creative process.
Bayley Stewart
I start by writing one lyric or a few lines. The melody comes next, then I write more lyrics (typically a chorus), then I assign a melody to the lyrics, then I fiddle with chords.
I usually start by just playing random chords to get a feel for what I'm writing, or if I a melody in my head ill try and figure it out on the guitar or piano. I figure out the Key signature and just play random scales until i find something that I like for a base for a melody.
Charlie Dover
Know the mood of the song you are creating. You either want to start with a certain melody, a certain harmony, or a certain atmosphere that you are displaying. Then build from there. You want to create the main theme, phrase, or idea that the rest of the song will be built around. Then you want to build your song around that certain phrase. If your song has lyrics, those come last.
Angus Sewell McCann
So many different starts! A scrap of a melody, a lyric idea, a story, or a hook. It depends, but usually I'll get the verse first. Then I'll try for a pre-chorus, and then a chorus. I'm also a big fan of dummy lyrics. "Yesterday" by the Beatles was once "Scrambled Eggs," after all!
Benjamin Weiner
I either start by making an instrumental or words just come to me to suit whatever situation i want to write about. if i didn't already, i record the instrumental and clean the lyrics up.
Chloë Hancock
I put myself in the mood of the type of song I want to write about, then I just improvise. I normally pick a chord progression at the beginning. Then I try to vary different play-style using my selected chords. Then I try to add rhythm to it and try to see which tune is best for the mood of the song. then I add the (relevant) lyrics. Then I find the build-up chords for the bridge because it's the climax of the song and then add a rhythm into it, and then finally lyrics.
Anonymous
I usually begin by sitting down at the piano and doing a fair amount of free-form improvisation in an attempt to find the mood or vibe of the song. This can take a number of forms -- sometimes the tone of the song will be captured by a rhythmic groove, or by a melody, or a series of chord changes. When I find something that feels "right," I jot it down, and then step away. If I still like the idea when I come back a few hours or days later, then I know I've started a song! In my experience, coming up with the original idea is the "fun" part. Finishing the thing takes a certain amount of stubbornness and perseverance. I'll usually open up a journal or a Word document, and start tinkering with lyrics, fitting lyrical ideas into the emerging form. Then, I sing it a LOT. I sing to myself while I'm driving quite often, which is helpful because it keeps me from looking at my notes and forces me to sing the developing song from memory -- something that happens a lot is that I'll remember the lyrics or melody "wrong," but the mistakes will be improvements that I've made subconsciously.
Tyler Mabry
Generally I star out by having a melody in my head, or a lyric that I really like. I sort of develop one around the other until I have something that's coherent. I always try to have a pen and paper nearby. Sometimes lyrics were written down weeks, or even months apart, but I wind up putting them together to make the song. After that, I just practice, practice, practice until I find a vocal melody and chords that work together.
Samuel Griffin
When in the car listening to the radio I start to make up my own lyrics. I then repeat the new lines a few times so I can latter remember and write down the begining to the song. I continue adding lines to the song and hopefully come up with a good chorus. One a basic draft is complete I then add the music via guitar.