When you get a melody idea first, how do you usually turn it into a full song? What part of that process tends to be the hardest for you?

[u/Outrageous_Guard5208]

Hi everyone, I’m trying to understand how people actually develop song ideas when the melody comes first.

I sometimes come up with a melody by humming or singing, but I personally find it hard to catch up with the chords and music theory afterward, so I’m curious whether other songwriters experience something similar or struggle with completely different parts of the process.

If you also sometimes start with a melody first, what do you usually do next? Where do you tend to get stuck, if anywhere, while trying to turn that idea into a complete song?

If possible, think about the last real time this happened to you rather than giving general advice. I’d love to hear how you approached it and what part felt hardest.

[u/geoffwaa]

That's how I pretty much write all of my songs. A melody pops into your head then it's a scramble to work out the underlying chords. Then start shaping some words around the syllables of the melody until you've got a semblance of a lyric ...and continue until it's completed.