Tips On How To Write Songs

M=major m=minor #= Sharp

Today we’re going discuss some simple tips on how to come up with riffs on Guitar. First thing we’re going to do is pick a scale. Let’s just start with the major scale.

Since we have our scale picked out now, now let’s pick a key.

Let’s chose G major, so now have our scale and key pick out, now it’s time to write out the chords that are in this key. In this key we have GM, Am, Bm,CM,DM,Em,F# Diminished. Today though we won’t be using diminished in our song writing. Next let’s chose three of those chords, how about GM CM and DM ,after that let’s choose a time signature.

GM

CM

DM

We will just stay in 4/4 time for today, what 4/4 time means, that there is 4 beats in 4 measures.

Now we have our time signature picked out , let’s figure out what kind of note values we’re going to use, well just stick to quarter notes and eighth notes for todays song. Your probably thinking what’s a quarter note or an eighth note? Well a quarter note means it gets one note per beat, it’s generally counted link 1 2 3 4.

Eighth notes are taking quarter notes and subdividing into 2 notes per beat and that’s counted like 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and.

The last piece of this, that we’re going to talk about before we start building our song are called quarter rests. A quarter rest is basically when you don’t play for one whole beat.

Now the last part lets start creating our song, you probably think “man theres only like three chords here how on earth can we write a song with just three chords”. So now lets take chord GM, strum it for 4 quarter notes, just using down strokes. After that lets change to CM for 1 measures of quarter notes and 1 measures of eighth notes. Then let’s change to DM, play DM for 2 quarter notes and then rest for 2 quarter rests.

Now repeat that lets say twice, see now have whats called an intro. The next is whats called the chorus , let’s go back to our three chords and put them down in a different way whether we use more rests or use a combination of quarter notes and eighth notes. Do that for 4 measures two to four times. The next piece is verse, do the same process what we just did and then go back the chorus, next create an ending with the same process. Boom we just wrote a song, granted this is just the tip of the ice berg but this is a more structured way to song writing. In closing if you’re looking more tips on how to write songs come visit my website at Guitar Lessons In Lewiston ID.

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