I only write lyrics, set to basic progressions. The real musicians I work with do the heavy lifting. I’m just there for the vocals. I often feel I shouldn’t call myself a musician, but the players around me assure me I qualify.

I only write lyrics, set to basic progressions. The real musicians I work with do the heavy lifting. I’m just there for the vocals. I often feel somewhat ashamed to call myself a musician, but the players around me assure me I qualify.

Sometimes it comes through complete with all the instruments, arrangements, vocals, harmonies, and lyrics.
Usually It comes through in fragments and I put the pieces of the puzzle together over time. I always keep my phone nearby because I never know when something will pop into my head. I usually make note of the key or beat or words or arrangement. Sometimes i've had something pop into my head at inconvenient moments but I'll stop almost anything that i'm doing to capture the music.

My ideas for a song mostly happen when I am about to fall asleep, which is rather frustrating. Some times I'll think that I'll record what is in my head tomorrow, which never really works. So I've learned to put the basics down in a recording so I don't forget it. Sometimes it's gold and I make something great from it, yet sometimes I will listen to what I recorded as like, wtf was I thinking, this really sucks. You never know until you hear it again.

Usually a riff while jamming the guitar or it'll just happen in my head.
Developed from there.
.
Lyrics - either a phrase will start it or I go through a lyric book I keep for when something strikes me as particularly profound or suitably stupid.
.
Then, I might have the music recorded and just "prepare", put on the head set, hit record and do endless takes winging it til I think I've something usable.
.

For me, it's a crapshoot. No pattern whatsoever.