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Which Comes First - Melody or Words?

4/18/2026

How do you approach writing a song? Does the melody come first or do the words?" These seem like simple enough questions. BUT... are they?

Whenever I am asked how I go about writing music, I hardly know how to answer. Sometimes I get a little sliver of a melody in my head that becomes the starting place. Sometimes, I am struck by a text or a quote or just a random idea I hear spoken somewhere. Sometimes (usually when I am writing a show), I just feel like a certain character needs a song. So I ponder about what that character needs (usually on a long walk), and eventually a song is born. Sometimes, a rhythm gets stuck in my brain and I have to write a song featuring that rhythm.

In short, there are 'way too many possible starting points to say that I have a method for writing a song,

However, the harder part is what to do with that little nugget of inspiration AFTER it comes. How does it go from a nugget to a masterpiece?

A friend of mine sent me a link to hear a song she had "written" using AI. That was eye-opening. Her ideas for a melody and words were rendered beautifully into a country Christian pop ballad. I admit to know nothing about the process of allowing an AI program to bring a song to life. It sounded so well produced, complete with a singer belting out the lyrics

Little men all in a row

The problem for me was that it sounded exactly like so many other songs in that style. It was so "cookie cutter" that I couldn't really enjoy it. Artificial Intelligence is helpful to some extent, but does it really represent what the songwriter intended? My friend had the ideas, but she didn't have the knowledge to write out and produce the work on her own.
(However, she did tell me that for her the words always come first.)

A composer usually doesn't have the luxury of just writing original songs. So much of what a composer may be asked to do is ARRANGE a piece of music that already exists. In this case, the melody and probably the words are already in place. It is up to the arranger to come up with the setting to fit the occasion. Will the new piece need to fit a choir? A soloist? A band? Will it need a totally new style? Will it need orchestration or will it need to be simplified for beginner piano students? So many parameters to consider.

That sounds like what the AI program my friend used was doing. It took her ideas and put them into an existing style. From there, her originality was swallowed up in the parameters of the software program. The fancy orchestration, the wailing singer, the placement of verses, choruses, and bridges, and of course, the ending were very predictable.

By now everybody knows there are aspects of artificial intelligence that we all use everyday whether we are aware or not. Even a music notation software program uses AI. But that doesn't mean that I like AI taking over my creativity. I like to be in control. Currently I am trying to learn yet another notation software program. (One I might actually like and not fight with so much...) I know just enough about music to do what I want to do, but I don't appreciate AI trying to out think me. AAAAARGH!

There was a time when I decided to write a collection of sacred songs, some original and some hymn arrangements done as art songs. They each needed a contrasting style. My goal was to perform them myself (live piano and voice). Here is an original song from that collection that is very different from what I would normally write or perform.

"To Feel His Presence There" from The Praiseworthy Singer Vol. 14

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America's 250th Celebration

4/8/2026

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My brother and I used to play a game as we traveled with our family on trips all over the United States. We practiced naming all of the states and their state capitals. (I grew up believing that my brother was a savant because he was so smart.) We actually got pretty good at reciting all of those states and capitals, and went on to other very random informational games like the multiplication tables. But my favorite was the states/capitals game. It made me feel like I really knew America.

My parents wanted us to get to know American History. One way we did this was to travel around sight seeing lots of historical places. My mother would find books at the library about the historic places she wanted us to visit. She would read to us all about the famous people who influenced the history of those places. (I still don't know how she could read to us in the car without getting car sick.)

Mount Vernon

Some of the people and places we studied about were George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and their estates at Mount Vernon and Monticello; Daniel Boone and places he explored in Kentucky; Sam Houston and the last battlefields for Texan independence; Davy Crocket and the Alamo, and there were so many others. In fact, my mother couldn't pass historical markers by the side of the road without stopping.

Mesa Verde

We also learned about pre-historical sites such as the ruins of the mound builders in Ohio and the ancient cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde. We loved learning about our Pioneer heritage. We visited LDS Church History sites in New York, Ohio, Illinois, and Utah.

I was often surprised at school when we studied about events in American History and I was the only kid in class that had visited those places. I felt grounded and so grateful to be an American. I also learned that I have a great, great (many times great) grandmother who was of the First Nations, the people who greeted the Pilgrims when they came to America. I have always felt ownership of this land! This is my America.

The Book of Mormon writers saw this land in vision. They prophesied about our day. They said that this would be a choice land preserved by the hand of the Lord for a special reason. This was the land where His Church would be restored and grow until it could be taken to all parts of the world, to gather in the dispersed of Israel. It is up to us to protect this land by living God's commands.

Here is a song to help commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the United States of America.

"My Promised Land" SATB and Piano

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Athletic Singing

4/3/2026

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"Messiah" is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel. The text was compiled from the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter by Charles Jennens. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 and received its London premiere a year later. (Wikipedia)

So, 285 years ago, Handel wrote his Oratorio in the high Baroque style. Small string orchestra, a few color instruments (trumpets, organ, timpani), and continuo (harpsichord and bass viol). The chorus was small, too, likely no more than 20-30 singers. And the vocal soloists chosen were required to sing all of the flourishes in more of an Operatic style than the typical Church soloist style (also including women singers, not castrati).

Gates of Paradise at the Baptistry in Florence, Italy

Last night I got to attend a wonderful Performance of the Easter section of "Messiah." The performance space was comparatively small, it was the lobby of the Museum of Art on Brigham Young University campus. The man who pushed for this to happen, had a dream one night of how this could and should happen. He contacted the MOA and found that they would love to host the event in conjunction with some art displays that would be unveiled at the same time, just before Easter. (The reproduction of Lorenzo Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise was spectacular!)

Alex Woods pulled together players and singers to form a string quartet, continuo, organ and soloists from his professor and student friends at BYU and the Orchestra of Ballet West who all volunteered their time. (We came particularly to hear my nephew Dr. Randy Lee play trumpet. He was fabulous!) Dr. Woods decided that the elite choir he envisioned for this concert would be the audience. We audience members of about 250 were delighted to provide!

The selections on the program were not the typical pieces chosen for a "Messiah Sing-In" done at Christmastime. These were the songs and choruses having to do with the Savior's Passion. Powerful. It helped that these musicians were experts in their disciplines. The music was superb. We singers in the audience felt honored to be able to sing with such knowledgeable musicians who also invited the Spirit into their performances.

There is no secret about the fact that singing "Handel's Messiah" requires some very athletic singing. The melismas done at a rather fast clip were challenging to sing. But SO FUN!!!!! (It helps when you have most of the music memorized.) My voice teacher in college used to tell me to sing "Rejoice Greatly" (a soprano solo from "Messiah") every day if I really wanted to keep up my voice. Well, I haven't remembered to do that, but I have been privileged within the last few months to sing "Messiah" at Christmas with the Wasatch Choral, the TSO and Dr. Doug Pew, and now again for Easter with Dr. Alex Woods and our elite chorus of devoted audience singers.

So satisfying for the soul and great for the voice!

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Singing Praises During the Easter Season

4/2/2026

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One of my earliest memories at Easter time was hearing my mother practice her songs for singing in the Tabernacle Choir. My mother had a lovely clear high soprano voice. She was one of just a few voices allowed to sing the highest notes in the choir. I liked to sit with her by the piano and try to sing along. I could sing very high notes, too

Betsy Lee age 5 1/2

When I was 5 years old, she got me up very early Easter morning saying, "I don't think I can sing the high notes today. Betsy can you come sing them for me?" Bleary eyed and not wanting to wear the extremely itchy woolen sweater she dressed me in, I rode in the carpool with her from Provo to Salt Lake City. In those days, security at the Tabernacle was nothing like it is today. My mother smuggled me into the choir loft and I sat at her knees singing away with the choir during the radio broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word because she and I both knew I could.
(That would never happen today!)

For most of my life, though, Easter usually fell on the weekend of General Conference. It was always difficult to provide choral music at church for Easter Day, because of General Conference or because my choir singers would be out of town due to Easter Break vacations. I was usually the Ward or Stake choir director and tried my best to plan Easter Music before or after Easter, but rarely on Easter Sunday.

I am so pleased that this year I got to participate in some wonderful Easter themed concerts and Church programs --- even though Easter Sunday will be during General Conference in a couple of days. I am even going tonight to a Handel's Messiah Sing-In on BYU campus. Singing praises during this most important season brings me such joy.

As a member of the Tabernacle Choir, we always sang Easter-themed choral music at Easter time. One year, we had to have the entire score of Handel's Messiah memorized for the recordings and concerts we gave that Easter. What a choice experience! I love singing praises to my Lord and Savior at this special time of year.

This duet for Soprano and Mezzo is a wonderful praising piece just right to sing for the Easter season. "Come Sing to the Lord"

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Which Comes First - Melody or Words?

America's 250th Celebration

Athletic Singing

Singing Praises During the Easter Season

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