This post is probably more suited to r/musictheory
>For example if I have 8 syllables in my first bar thats a possibility for 8 different notes.
You can have as few or as many notes as you want.
>the first bar should always set the key correct?
Incorrect. There's no "should" for this type of thing.
>Which is technically the mood
Mood and key are not related.
I know that for the most part, I can have as many notes as a human voice can articulate in a bar. I was just using 8 as an example.
I think I get what you mean by there is no should but it still does initially set the key right?
And thats strange, I still think mood and pitch are related, maybe not key I understand what you are saying. But the selection of different pitches gives the song a different feel. If its all un pitched for example it’d be like describing the feel of a drum set, which doesn’t have the range of expression a pitched instrument does.
Most pieces sound pretty much the same if you transpose them. Classical songs, for example, were often published in editions for high, medium and low voice, differing only in transposition (e.g. up a third). There are exceptions due to technical issues (a remote key can be difficult or un-resonant on specific instruments), but there just isn’t a strong association of pitch and mood.
Hi OP! You're asking a lot of "should" questions. Unfortunately, but also amazingly, everyone's process is different, so there's really no way we can answer for you.
However, I will say it's very common to write the lyrics first, then write a melody afterwards. Not everyone does that - I often do both at the same time - but it works well. However, doing rhythm separately from pitches isn't very common, that might not work super well for you.
I wouldn't worry much over staying in key, or even establishing a key early. Focus on getting the right mood through pitch, rhythm, and articulation, and then on developing your music in an interesting way. The key will come about naturally if you just pick a set of notes and stick to them for a while.
Plenty of songs do not clarify the key in the first measure. Beethoven started plenty of pieces with several measures of ambiguity before confirming the key.
It’s rare for vocal melodies to have quite so many different notes per bar because it can cause a sort of “vocal gymnastics”. Plenty of songs use a single pitch for a whole measure or more while letting the rhythm carry the momentum and allow space for unwritten, naturally occurring embellishments and so on.
Try to sing your lyrics before putting any notes down and see what rhythms and melodies feel natural with the cadence of the words, *then* play around with scales and emotion if it needs extra help.
It’s kinda a weird way to ask. You should know the key BEFORE you wrote any note.
Lyrics - I ASK “what does this word or phrase SOUND LIKE (in notes) others might compose melody first than write lyrics. And I bet you get more help at music theory.
This post is probably more suited to r/musictheory >For example if I have 8 syllables in my first bar thats a possibility for 8 different notes. You can have as few or as many notes as you want. >the first bar should always set the key correct? Incorrect. There's no "should" for this type of thing. >Which is technically the mood Mood and key are not related.
I know that for the most part, I can have as many notes as a human voice can articulate in a bar. I was just using 8 as an example. I think I get what you mean by there is no should but it still does initially set the key right? And thats strange, I still think mood and pitch are related, maybe not key I understand what you are saying. But the selection of different pitches gives the song a different feel. If its all un pitched for example it’d be like describing the feel of a drum set, which doesn’t have the range of expression a pitched instrument does.
Most pieces sound pretty much the same if you transpose them. Classical songs, for example, were often published in editions for high, medium and low voice, differing only in transposition (e.g. up a third). There are exceptions due to technical issues (a remote key can be difficult or un-resonant on specific instruments), but there just isn’t a strong association of pitch and mood.
Hi OP! You're asking a lot of "should" questions. Unfortunately, but also amazingly, everyone's process is different, so there's really no way we can answer for you. However, I will say it's very common to write the lyrics first, then write a melody afterwards. Not everyone does that - I often do both at the same time - but it works well. However, doing rhythm separately from pitches isn't very common, that might not work super well for you. I wouldn't worry much over staying in key, or even establishing a key early. Focus on getting the right mood through pitch, rhythm, and articulation, and then on developing your music in an interesting way. The key will come about naturally if you just pick a set of notes and stick to them for a while.
Plenty of songs do not clarify the key in the first measure. Beethoven started plenty of pieces with several measures of ambiguity before confirming the key. It’s rare for vocal melodies to have quite so many different notes per bar because it can cause a sort of “vocal gymnastics”. Plenty of songs use a single pitch for a whole measure or more while letting the rhythm carry the momentum and allow space for unwritten, naturally occurring embellishments and so on. Try to sing your lyrics before putting any notes down and see what rhythms and melodies feel natural with the cadence of the words, *then* play around with scales and emotion if it needs extra help.
It’s kinda a weird way to ask. You should know the key BEFORE you wrote any note. Lyrics - I ASK “what does this word or phrase SOUND LIKE (in notes) others might compose melody first than write lyrics. And I bet you get more help at music theory.