Songwriting and the Guitar
With this informative new book you’ll discover how to write your own songs with your guitar. Learn how to use chord progressions, melodies, and alternate tunings, plus get tips from Paul Simon, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Dave Matthews and more!
Hands-On Guide to Video Blogging and Podcasting
After you’ve written your hit song, you can create a presence on the web through blogging & podcasting in order to get your music heard. This book explains the ins and outs of what you need to know.
Songwriting Tips & Resources
Get more free tips and insights on how to create a song. A basic songwriting example is also provided to help you get started in the right direction.
MUSIC TRIVIA:
Elizabeth Cotten, the author of the American folk song “Freight Train,” taught herself to play the guitar at a very young age. Because she was left-handed and only had access to a right handed guitar, she would play the instrument upside-down and backwards! But this didn�t deter her from becoming a successful songwriter and guitar player. However, it didn�t happen overnight. Elizabeth was married when she was only 15 years old and gave up the guitar in order to devote herself to raising a family. She didn’t resume playing the guitar again until some forty years later! After meeting Mike Seeger (Pete Seeger�s brother), Elizabeth began recording and later gave her first concert when she was 65 years old! A promising songwriting career had just begun, which resulted in her being inducted into the musical Hall of Fame.
TOPIC OF THE DAY:
Using Your Guitar to Write a Song
Using your guitar to create a song can be both fun and challenging. Whether you�re writing a song with lyrics or working out an instrumental piece, the creative process can help to improve your overall ability to internalize rhythms and sounds. Songwriting can also help you to develop a greater sense of feeling as opposed to playing from a merely mechanical or �bookish� approach. This happens because you have to depend more on what you hear than on what you see. As you listen to different tones, rhythms and chord progressions, it�s important to take note of how you feel. What sounds do you like, dislike? Because there are no real rules here, you can try anything you want!
Not long ago I began creating a few instrumental pieces for a guitar workshop I was planning to attend. My husband suggested I compose a piece of music using snow as my theme. This got me to thinking about how I could use my guitar to express the feeling of snow beginning to fall lightly from the sky. I wanted a delicate sound to start with, nothing complicated. So, I began with a few notes played high on the 12th fret. Then I gradually descended to the 5th fret, building intensity as I moved down the neck. I had to mess around with the notes a bit until I got a finger-picking pattern I liked. This changed a few times along the way, but became more consistent as the song began to take shape.
Writing songs with lyrics can be similar. Sometimes I start by developing a musical idea or theme on my guitar, but other times I start with the words. Ideas have come to me occasionally when I am just walking down the road. I suppose this is because my mind is free to wander and play with words when I�m relaxed and enjoying myself. Not long ago the following phrase popped into my head while I was meandering along on a sunny day: �Fire, cold as ice.� It sounds strange, but I liked it and ended up writing an entire song around it.
GUITAR TIPS:
If you�re wondering how to write a song, here are a few suggestions:
- Take a chord you are familiar with (such as G, D, A, etc.) and experiment with it.
- Leave one or two fingers in place as you move a free finger(s) to a different string nearby.
- Strum or pick each string and listen to the tones.
- Try a different fret, different string, strum different rhythms.
- If you hear something you like, play it over and over until you have it memorized.
- Use this as your starting point, or theme, and write the rest of the music around it.
FOR MORE INSPIRATION:
Article: Songwriting � Inspiration or Perspiration?
Blog:
PODCASTING � What Is It Anyway?
Thanks for subscribing to the ABC Learn Guitar Newsletter, offering free tips and ideas for guitar players and indie musicians. See you next month!
Musically yours,
Kathy Unruh
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