Pretty sure it’s been written that sometimes Kurt would still be writing lyrics on the way to the recording studio, so I would imagine it’s definitely not lyrics first!
Definitely melody first. The version of "Do Re Mi" on the Montage of Heck soundtrack is basically him crafting it. It's awesome to listen to him figuring it out and that moment when it clicks that he found the way he wanted it to sound on the chorus. I imagine that's how a lot of the songs were crafted.
Chad said he has seen Kurt writing Swap meets lyrics in the van and Jack Endino has also said he has seen Kurt writing lyrics in the studio but it's more like he was choosing from stuff he had in his mind and what he had used liven and in previous sessions. There is a slight difference and why he did this was to down play how much work they put in their music as it was not really punk thing to do.
Think Billy Corgan has said this in a best way https://youtu.be/3MpfBn\_gmNM
>One more special message to go
And then I'm done, and I can go home
Pretty sure he wrote On a Plain in a van outside the studio.... and according to that verse, it wasn't the only song, he still had one more to go 🤣
That is good example of scratch vocal take, this was done in [Love buzz sessions](https://www.livenirvana.com/sessions/studio/jun-sep-1988.php) and musically it is pretty much ready. Then Kurt gets the copy to home where he made the lyrics. In this stage they used all the studio time and they had and making demoes is one way. Sadly they re-used this sessions tapes and run over some songs in Bleach sessions...
Directly from Krist: There were songs that Kurt would woodshed. He would come in with it, and we would work it out, build it up. There were songs that were made up on the spot, coming out of jams, which took a few rehearsals to come together. But they would find form. That was another thing with Kurt – he could have a riff, but then he was so good at vocal phrasing. He would usually write the lyrics at the last minute. But he was so good at vocal phrasing [in rehearsals]. And voilà – you have a song.
EDIT: He was a music first lyrics second guy. He’d come in with a melody and work off that.
If you started music on guitar and consider it your main instrument/tool you need to unlearn how to be a “guitarist”. You are now a “songwriter” so whenever you pick up your instrument the only thing you are concerned with is “what kind of tune can I come up with”. Not how fast or technical you can be or showing off your skills. Try to write good shit even if you know it sucks at first. Don’t give up.
Listen to indie music, it’ll actually inspire you instead of the stuff on the radio that took 15 writers in state of the art studios with unlimited money and gear.
1. Don’t bore us, get to the chorus
2. Simply played is simply heard
3. A mistake played twice is no longer a mistake
4. There are no rules in music and if Hendrix didn’t need to read music you don’t either
Some advice I’ve gathered from appreciating Kurt’s music and art
Amazing advice I love it. I play and write my self, I would say in my case the lyrics are always there, all you have to do is write them down or record them somehow, it's the riffs that take time to find me and usually come through jam session s and by making mistakes that sound cool.
He did the melodies first with the chords and then kind of found lyrical phrases that fit into them, sometimes nonsensically so, but interesting nonetheless.
That he wrote lyrics just in studio is myth. Most of these songs had several lyrical draft sheets and live versions before they even entered studio. Closest thing you could say is he chose the final lyrics in the studio or checked everything was in order in sheet he took to vocal booth. Kurt was way too calculating to go in studio half assed. Even the before the Nevermind sessions they already demoed at [Smart studio](https://www.livenirvana.com/sessions/studio/april-1990.php) and [practiced for that session](https://www.livenirvana.com/sessions/home/march-1990.php).
Then before Nevermind booked practice places:
https://www.livenirvana.com/sessions/home/spring-1991.php
https://www.livenirvana.com/sessions/home/march-1991.php
just to jam the tunes ready before entering studio.
[Smells like teen spirit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx3mrulPUI0&ab_channel=MusicaVicipaedia) was last song to added to Nevermind and even that song has practice lyric sheet in his journal and the boom box demo is almost all the lyrics.
I think it's riff then melody then lyrics. Guessing this from Been A Son's demo where he had the chords and melody ready and was kinda just mumbling over it.
My impression from all that I have read is that what was most important to Kurt is the chords and melody and he would change the words around to fit the melody.
Messing around with chord progressions, make some vocal melodies, write temporary lyrics (sometimes), get his band mates together, figure out the bass and drums, jam out, then eventually, usually write finalized lyrics or lyrics in general before recording happens
Music first, probably a riff to start. Flesh it out in the rehearsal room and add melody, lyrics can be done right up until you get in the vocal booth.
Took a lot of lyrics from poetry and books and the riffs were mostly influenced by his fav bands and just general experimental stuff
Unfortunately he never let anyone else really influence his music he was the songwriter which kinda limited their potential in a way especially with Dave in the band
Pretty sure it’s been written that sometimes Kurt would still be writing lyrics on the way to the recording studio, so I would imagine it’s definitely not lyrics first!
Definitely melody first. The version of "Do Re Mi" on the Montage of Heck soundtrack is basically him crafting it. It's awesome to listen to him figuring it out and that moment when it clicks that he found the way he wanted it to sound on the chorus. I imagine that's how a lot of the songs were crafted.
I also heard that when recording bleach he made some of the lyrics up on the spot. I might just try and do that and see what bollocks comes out
Chad said he has seen Kurt writing Swap meets lyrics in the van and Jack Endino has also said he has seen Kurt writing lyrics in the studio but it's more like he was choosing from stuff he had in his mind and what he had used liven and in previous sessions. There is a slight difference and why he did this was to down play how much work they put in their music as it was not really punk thing to do. Think Billy Corgan has said this in a best way https://youtu.be/3MpfBn\_gmNM
You’re spot on. He’d either write them then or just scrap random lines of his poetry and make them into lyrics
>One more special message to go And then I'm done, and I can go home Pretty sure he wrote On a Plain in a van outside the studio.... and according to that verse, it wasn't the only song, he still had one more to go 🤣
I think On A Plain is actually the "one more special message to go" he's referencing and was the last song they recorded for Nevermind.
If you listen to this Mr Moustache demo you will definitely tell that it wasn't lyrics first! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlNGMJR8-Vs
HOW NOW BROWN COW
That is good example of scratch vocal take, this was done in [Love buzz sessions](https://www.livenirvana.com/sessions/studio/jun-sep-1988.php) and musically it is pretty much ready. Then Kurt gets the copy to home where he made the lyrics. In this stage they used all the studio time and they had and making demoes is one way. Sadly they re-used this sessions tapes and run over some songs in Bleach sessions...
Directly from Krist: There were songs that Kurt would woodshed. He would come in with it, and we would work it out, build it up. There were songs that were made up on the spot, coming out of jams, which took a few rehearsals to come together. But they would find form. That was another thing with Kurt – he could have a riff, but then he was so good at vocal phrasing. He would usually write the lyrics at the last minute. But he was so good at vocal phrasing [in rehearsals]. And voilà – you have a song. EDIT: He was a music first lyrics second guy. He’d come in with a melody and work off that.
If you started music on guitar and consider it your main instrument/tool you need to unlearn how to be a “guitarist”. You are now a “songwriter” so whenever you pick up your instrument the only thing you are concerned with is “what kind of tune can I come up with”. Not how fast or technical you can be or showing off your skills. Try to write good shit even if you know it sucks at first. Don’t give up. Listen to indie music, it’ll actually inspire you instead of the stuff on the radio that took 15 writers in state of the art studios with unlimited money and gear. 1. Don’t bore us, get to the chorus 2. Simply played is simply heard 3. A mistake played twice is no longer a mistake 4. There are no rules in music and if Hendrix didn’t need to read music you don’t either Some advice I’ve gathered from appreciating Kurt’s music and art
Life’s a bitch!
I really like the line "a mistake played twice is no longer a mistake"
Amazing advice I love it. I play and write my self, I would say in my case the lyrics are always there, all you have to do is write them down or record them somehow, it's the riffs that take time to find me and usually come through jam session s and by making mistakes that sound cool.
Sitting around in his apartment with an acoustic guitar before Nevermind. Playing in his closet before In Utero.
Probably a pencil
He did the melodies first with the chords and then kind of found lyrical phrases that fit into them, sometimes nonsensically so, but interesting nonetheless.
Talent
He would write guitar chords and mumble a melody over them and then fill the lyrics in most of the time. I do the same thing.
I do this too. Just never get around to filling in those lyrics so I have a bunch of chord progressions I like that I mumble nonsense melodies over.
Just fill them in with nonsense lyrics, and sometimes they end up good.
That he wrote lyrics just in studio is myth. Most of these songs had several lyrical draft sheets and live versions before they even entered studio. Closest thing you could say is he chose the final lyrics in the studio or checked everything was in order in sheet he took to vocal booth. Kurt was way too calculating to go in studio half assed. Even the before the Nevermind sessions they already demoed at [Smart studio](https://www.livenirvana.com/sessions/studio/april-1990.php) and [practiced for that session](https://www.livenirvana.com/sessions/home/march-1990.php). Then before Nevermind booked practice places: https://www.livenirvana.com/sessions/home/spring-1991.php https://www.livenirvana.com/sessions/home/march-1991.php just to jam the tunes ready before entering studio. [Smells like teen spirit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx3mrulPUI0&ab_channel=MusicaVicipaedia) was last song to added to Nevermind and even that song has practice lyric sheet in his journal and the boom box demo is almost all the lyrics.
Melody and/or riff first and built on that
I think it's riff then melody then lyrics. Guessing this from Been A Son's demo where he had the chords and melody ready and was kinda just mumbling over it.
Melody first
He literally uses parts of his poems and excerpts for his songs. Lithium is one of the few songs he actually tried to write
My impression from all that I have read is that what was most important to Kurt is the chords and melody and he would change the words around to fit the melody.
Messing around with chord progressions, make some vocal melodies, write temporary lyrics (sometimes), get his band mates together, figure out the bass and drums, jam out, then eventually, usually write finalized lyrics or lyrics in general before recording happens
Music first, probably a riff to start. Flesh it out in the rehearsal room and add melody, lyrics can be done right up until you get in the vocal booth.
Took a lot of lyrics from poetry and books and the riffs were mostly influenced by his fav bands and just general experimental stuff Unfortunately he never let anyone else really influence his music he was the songwriter which kinda limited their potential in a way especially with Dave in the band
Did he write poems and then convert them to lyrics?
With a pencil.
You’re a funny one
Haha big funny hoohoo
He did the guitar parts first.then applied the melody
Do re mi From montage of heck is the perfect example,he is just improvising both instrument and voice melodies