Songwriting Basics Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: (05:02) Introduction to Songwriting Welcome to the introductory lesson in the Phase 2 Songwriting series! Most of you are current JamPlay guitar members and are hopefully to the point in your playing where you are able to play chords and string some of them together to make a song.

In my songwriting series we’ll answer some of the most frequently asked questions about songwriting including:

1. How do I get started writing a song?
2. Should I write words first or should I come up with some cool chords first?
3. What chords sound good together?
4. What is the “key” of a song?
5. What is a time signature and how do I figure out what time signature my song is in?
6. How do I take experiences that I’ve had and transfer them into some meaningful lyrics?
7. What are similes and metaphors and what’s the difference between the two?
8. What is a rhyme scheme and what is the difference between rhyme and near rhyme?
9. What’s a melody line and how do I find it in my song?
10. How do I figure out what strum I should use and how does the concept of dynamics come into play in my song?
11. What’s a bridge and how do I write one?
12. Are my songs good?

These questions and more will be answered in the course of my songwriting series and will hopefully help and motivate you to write your own songs. Songwriting can be an incredibly enjoyable experience and can be a powerful and insightful form of expression. But how do you get started? Well, there are two prevalent schools of thought:

1. Start with chords. From my experience, this is the best way to get started writing a song. Most of the chord progressions that I have used in my own songs have come from experimentation and trying different combinations over and over again. Hopefully, most of you have some guitar (or other instrument) experience and hence have some of the tools necessary to start “playing” around with some chords. If not, take a look at my introduction to guitar series available here on Jamplay.com. The beauty of chords is that they can be played many different ways, in many different positions, at different speeds, with different styles of strums or even flat or finger picked. The possibilities are virtually infinite and this leaves the songwriter a great deal of freedom when it comes to composition. We’ll take a closer look at some of the fundamentals of music (i.e. time and key signatures, relative minors, dynamics) later in this series.

2. Start with words. Many songwriters adhere to the notion that you need to have your lyrics down first before you begin writing chords. Despite the fact that I haven’t had the greatest of luck with this method (most of the poems that I’ve tried to transfer to song form have remained poems) many writers stand by this particular method. Writing lyrics first can be advantageous in lieu of the fact that your words are often the primary moving force of the song. Most of the world’s greatest songwriters are excellent lyricists as well as musicians and the words are often the most memorable part of the song. Some would disagree and stand by the “rockin'” lead break or the cool intro, but in the end, the lyrics tend to remain in people’s heads for eternity. We’ll take a closer look at some of the fundamentals of writing (similes and metaphors, rhyme and near rhyme and no rhyme, to be poetic or not to be poetic, etc).

3. Decisions, decisions, decisions...well, the bottom line when it comes to songwriting is that you don’t have to make a decision. You can write in different ways each time you take up a pencil, or turn on your computer. You can write where you want to, with whatever implements you desire, whether lying dreaming in your bed, or strumming guitar by the fire. You see, that’s the beauty of songwriting (especially if you are an acoustic player), you can compose a song wherever or whenever you’re inspired. I have indeed written lyrics on a rock by the river, and written powerful choruses as I lie sleeping in my bed and so can you!

Chapter 2: (01:07) Key Signatures In this chapter, Mark talks briefly about the key signature of a song. Mark does not cover the subject of key heavily in this lesson, but it is definitely something to be aware of and study if the concept is not familiar to you. Check out the Phase 2 Reading Music and Rhythm lessons for detailed information pertaining to musical symbols and music theory. Chapter 3: (00:50) Time Signature Mark talks briefly about the time signature of the song in this scene. Understanding time signatures is extremely important. In this scene, Mark does not cover the subject in depth. However, it is very important to understand how time signatures work when you are thinking in the context of songwriting. Chapter 4: (01:22) Emotion and Experience In this scene, Mark talks briefly about transferring emotion and past experience into song form. Obviously this is a very broad topic with no "correct" answers as nearly everyone has their own method. Many writers find it helpful to keep a journal. Whether or not you can use what you have written directly as song lyrics isn't important, as often times the simple act of writing can spur creative juices, or leave you with something that will inspire future writing. Chapter 5: (01:10) Simile and Metaphor In this scene, Mark discusses the difference between simile and metaphor. This can be a very helpful topic to keep in mind when trying to write more provocative or interesting song lyrics. Chapter 6: (01:33) Rhyming Schemes Mark discusses rhyming schemes briefly in this scene. This is a topic he will cover in greater depth in future lessons. Again, this is just something to keep in mind when thinking about writing a song. Chapter 7: (03:04) Melody Line Mark talks briefly about finding a melody line within chords in this scene. This is a very important skill to have, and for many people can be quite difficult. This is just a brief synopsis of the topic so look for further information on the subject later in the lesson series. Chapter 8: (01:42) Choosing a Strumming Pattern This scene talks briefly about choosing a strumming or rhythm pattern for your song. Choosing a rhythm is highly personal and subjective and can vary greatly depending on the feel and emotion you are trying to convey in the song. Chapter 9: (01:39) Songwriting Dynamics Mark briefly reviews the topic of dynamics in music. When Mark mentions song dynamics he is referring to raising or lowering volume or intensity to convey emotion. Chapter 10: (01:22) The Bridge Section A pop song can frequently be broken into 3 separate pieces - the verse, chorus, and the bridge. The bridge is often a transitional piece that occurs between two verses, between the verse and a chorus, or simply different parts of a song. In many rock songs, the bridge is used for the guitarist to play a solo. Don't worry too much about the technicalities of the bridge right now, just be aware that there are millions of ways to create a bridge and nothing is wrong or right. Chapter 11: (01:08) Critical Reflection Many of you may ask yourself the question "is my song good?" This is a very important and also a very difficult question to answer. Being able to look at your material with a critical yet subjective eye can help you grow as a songwriter. You want to be able to look at your songs and realize what your strengths and weaknesses are without being too picky or negative. Most people are very critical of themselves and can often have trouble seeing the good in their music. It may be helpful to ask friends, family, or even people on the internet for feedback on your songs. Chapter 12: (02:33) The Relative Minor and Chord Selection Starting with Chords
Now that we have talked about common questions and concerns that songwriters have, we will conduct a brief exercise and talk about the concept of relative minor keys. or this exercise let us assume we are going to create a song by starting with the chords. So…where do we go from here? Start playing some chords! So far, what have you played that’s sounded good to you? Have you played any chords that sounded good together? What chords do you know? Do you know their barre equivalents? Do you know all of your minor chords? This may seem like an awful lot of questions especially at the beginning of the process, but we need to establish what tools you have at your disposal. Again, if you think you need to upgrade your skills or perhaps just learn a little more about technique, you can always go to my Intro to Guitar series. If you want to try your hand now and feel ready to dive headfirst into the process, then all the power to you!

The truth is that you can play any chords together and make a cool sounding song, but there’s some music theory that could help you to make some stronger connections and more poignant songs:

1. Relative minors, simply expressed, are the minor chords that go best with their respective major chords. In other words, every major chord has a minor chord which, from both a theoretical perspective and a listeners perspective, goes best with that chord. Technically speaking, the relative minor has the same key signature but a different tonic...but this is not important at this juncture! I just want to give you a new songwriting tool for the process. Later we’ll get into the more technical reasons why one particular major chord seems to go best with one particular minor chord.

Major chords - I’ll give you the relative minors for the major chords right here, but fyi: the relative minor of each major chord is a third beneath the major chord or three half steps. Hence, if you are playing an A major chord on the fifth fret, you would count three half steps down to the F sharp, and then change that chord to minor chord. Simple, right? Even if you don’t fully understand the theory behind relative minors, you can still use the information in the songwriting process. Here is a chart of the relative minors for the seven major chords.

Major Chord - Relative Minor
F Major - D Minor
C Major - A Minor
G Major - E Minor
D Major - B Minor
A Major - F Sharp Minor
E Major - C Sharp Minor
B Major - G Sharp Minor

If you are unfamiliar with sharps and flats, and are having trouble finding any of these chords, go to my Intro to Guitar series, and review lessons 4 through 11. Keep in mind that you will need to have some familiarity with barre chords to understand the concept of relative minors and to use them in the process as well.

Exercise 1
Using the strum or "down down-up down," play F major and its relative, D minor, four times each. Then, play each chord once each. Alternate back and forth between the two chords. Play the two chords as barre chords first (F major on the first fret and Dm on the fifth fret) and then as open chords. Do you notice how well these two chords go together? How do you think you might be able to fit these two chords into one of your songs or would you?

Exercise 2
Using the same strum as above, play the C major chord and its relative A minor four times each. Then, play each chord once each alternating back and forth between the two chords. Again, play the two chords as barres first (C major on the third fret and A minor on the fifth fret) and then as open chords. These are two of my favorites when linked together and can be a very powerful combination when used in a song.

Exercise 3
Using a strum of your choice, play the rest of the major chords with their relative minors. Some of these chords are not easily played as open chords and should be played (at least for the time being) as barre chords. Listen carefully to how each major goes with its relative minor, and how the changes might make you feel. Yes, feel! What are your emotions, if any, when playing through these chords? Make sure you are getting in touch with any potential emotion that comes up while playing chords as this is an integral part of the songwriting process.

Exercise 4
Start keeping a journal, either in your head or on paper of what chords sound good together and how you might be able to use them in the future. Also, go to www.myspace.com/markslincoln if you’re interested in hearing a small selection of songs I’ve written. Chapter 13: (00:43) Final Thoughts Thank you for watching lesson #1 in the Songwriting series! Please remember that this lesson is designed to be a very brief overview and introduction to topics that can be very helpful when composing music and writing lyrics. Stay tuned on the series for more in depth lessons on these subjects plus much, much more!

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