Beginners Songwriting – Acoustic Guitar
Generally I find it easier to begin writing a song on my acoustic guitar rather than going straight in on the electric, even if I’m writing a rock song. It’s much better for building chord sequences, come up with a melody and even a rhythm and just keeps things simpler. As a rule of thumb I also believe that if a song works when it’s in this simple format then it stands to reason that it will work when brought into a full band setup with drums and bass. So I’d certainly suggest trying this as a good starting point. Even a punk type of song will work on acoustic guitar if it has a good groove.
And when you think about it, how many classic songs have you heard played in this stripped down manner? Just about every great song will have one version broken down to just a guy or gal and their acoustic and I love to hear a song played in this way. It really sorts the wheat from the chaff in my opinion and is a great way to begin building your songs.
Here is something that you may think is a little bit contradictory but less chords in your song won’t necessarily make it easier to write. Like most forms of artistic expression, the less complicated something is the harder it is to make it interesting so you have to work harder at it. Having written many 2 chord songs I’ve come up with a few methods that I use to add interest to my songwriting. You could for instance make the chorus a different rhythm or tempo to the verse or use notes instead of full chords.
No, for complete beginners to songwriting I believe that a 3 chord structure is the way to go, and it’s what the majority of songs use. You can’t just throw any chords together though so be careful. I’d suggest a nice simple sequence to begin with held together with a strong melody, so D, C, G or E, A, D would be a good start and many classic songs use these sequences so no excuses!
A method you can also use with 3 chord structures is what is called a ‘turnaround’. This is where you effectively change a 3 chord sequence into a 4 chord structure e.g. E, A, D, A. This again is frequently used by major artists…remember ‘Wild Thing’ by The Troggs?
One trick I love to use in my songwriting is adding a false bass note which completely changes the natural chord sound. An F# bass note with a D Chord is a nice example of this and is used in many songs. Neil Young is a great exponent of this technique and it can be heard in his classic song ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’.
So hopefully there are a few ideas there for you to introduce into your songwriting.
If you would like to learn more about ‘chords that love each other’ then stop by Songwriting 4 Guitar and download a free chord guide. Found out why it’s a good idea to begin your songwriting on acoustic guitar. A great guide for beginners to learn how to write Songs On Guitar
