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The hardest thing about music happens to be this and make sure it's not copyrighted. I work on playing my guitars every single day coming up with new riffs. I started playing on electric guitars instead of acoustic. Because I love fast paste music since I grew up on 80's hair metal bands when I was a kid. It's easy starting to write down lyrics it's hard to finish the song which is composing on you guitar. My fave tunings are Drop C , Drop D 1/2 step.



Songwriting for guitar



"Each song has its own secret that's different from another song, and each has its own life. Sometimes it has to be teased out, whereas other times it might come fast. There are no laws about songwriting or producing. "



~Mark Knopfler



You can compose or write a song about pretty much anything. No actually not pretty much. You can write a song about anything. The hard part is building a cohesive and meaningful song, from start to finish.



In my opinion, there are at least 3 ways that you can go about starting a song. I tend to follow the first two methods.



3 ways to go about writing a song

songwriting for a topic or a message

songwriting based on motif or phrase

songwriting based on technique

Elements of a song

Whenever you start writing a song, you'll bring in any or all of these musical elements. In this section, you will learn how to use each element of music for your songwriting.



Contrast

Varying your music, whether through rhythm, tempo, or other musical elements.

Dynamics

Not every song needs dynamics. But when songwriting adding dynamics can certainly add a lot of emotion to your song.

Harmony

Every melody needs support. Harmony fills out your song.

Melody

When you write a song, you need a hook. The melody is the hook of your song.

Song texture

Here you'll learn the two different kinds of melodic texture: monophonic texture and polyphonic texture. Take these and work them into your melodies. You can have a lot of fun doing it.

Motifs

A motif is one of the essential building blocks of songwriting. Once you have a motif, a little idea, you can add all the other elements to the song to complete the idea.

Phrasing

Phrasing is your particular style or flavor. But also, it's a combination of motifs. You'll see some examples and learn how to develop phrases when writing songs.

Repetition

When you repeat elements of a song, you reinforce them and help the listener get the feel of your song easier. Repetition is a very useful tool in your songwriting but it can be overdone sometimes.

Song structure

On this page you'll learn some of the more common song structures when you write a song. Of course you can make up your own too.

Songwriting example and study

In this section we'll look at a song I wrote called "A New Flower." This is a song I wrote based on topic or message: the wedding of my friend Kevin Flores. His last name means flowers in Spanish and he was getting married so I thought I'd write a song for his wife and him.



You'll go through the thought process of the composition of that song. This is just one way to do it. Hopefully it will give you an idea of how to go through the sometimes painful process of developing a musical idea to its completion.

Augmented chords

What is an augmented chord?

Augmented chords are unstable, or tense sounding chords. They are typically written as "+" or "aug". They are usually used as a passing chord between to other chords because of the tension in their sound. They also tend to be lead by that sharp 5th to the next half step up.



The augmented chord formula is: 1 - 3 - #5 (or +5)

(basically this is playing 3 Major 3rds in a row)



So augmented triads are as follows: (thanks for the tips Jim in Michigan)

A = A - C# - E#

B = B - D# - F##

C = C - E - G#

D = D - F# - A#

E = E - G# - B#

F = F - A - C#

G = G - B - D#

Diminished Chords

What is a diminished chord

Diminished chords are unstable chords, they are very dissonant. They seem like they lack something, they need something. And usually that something ends up being the major chord a half step up from that diminished chord.



Diminished chords are usually written like "o" or "-" or "dim". And they are usually used as passing chords. You don't stay on them too long. They lead to other chords



One reason for this is that the diminished tends to be a 7 chord, and we'll get into the theory of chord progressions later. But for now just know that, for example, a c# diminished chord would naturally want to lead into a D major chord. Or an Edim would want to go into an F major chord



Now there are really three different kinds of diminished chords that are commonly heard.



diminished triad

diminished 7th (fully)

half diminished 7th

Caged Guitar Theory

Remembering Chords based on CAGED and modal positions

If we look at the modal positions we can see that we can figure out different chord positions as well. Basically this process is based on what is called the CAGED system. All it is really is a different way of looking at what you've already learned in guitar chords.



Basically with CAGED we can create chord forms up and down the fretboard from the formation of the chords C, A, G, E and D in that order. First let's look at the chord formations for each of these chords.

Moveable Chords

THERE ARE MANY FLASH FILES ON THIS PAGE. For some reason, Internet Explorer doesn't like Flash Files in many instances. If it's not working for you, try using Firefox or Google Chrome. Sorry for the inconvenience.



Go to CAGED for more explanation (may load slow lots of pix)



Types of moveable chords

Root 6 Moveable chords

Root 6 chords have their root or tonic, you guessed it, on the 6th string. Below are the forms for the major, minor and the dominant root 6 chords. Keep in mind that these are all moveable up and down the fretboard. Just click on the type of chord you want to see below and the fretboard will show up and show you the Root 6 Moveable chords.

Minor Chords

Playing and using minor chords

Minor chords can be used for a variety of reasons. But for the most part, they express a feeling more intimate sounding than the major chords. I tend to gravitate towards the use of minor chords. Some of the feelings I try to get across though this type of chord are sadness, reflectiveness, mystery, longing, desire, and others.



The structure of the chord is also simple. If you haven't already, go to the Beginner Section and look at the open chord page there. It shows you some great pictures and audio on how to play minor chords.



The minor chord formula:

1 - b3 - 5

So the root is 1, it tells you what chord letter to assign like A, B, C, D , E, F or G.



The 3 is a minor third above that:

A = C

B = D

C = Eb

D = F

E = G

F = Ab

G = Bb



And the 5 is a perfect fifth above 1:

A = E

B = F#

C = G

D = A

E = B

F = C

G = D



So together the minor Chords are as follows:

A = A - C - E

B = B - D - F#

C = C - Eb - G

D = D - F - A

E = E - G - B

F = F - Ab - C

G = G - Bb - D







The chart below shows the pattern for all of the tonics (1) - the minor 3rds and the 5ths on the fretboard.





If you can find the tonic you can find the distance from the minor 3rd and 5th. So any combination of these 3 notes on the fretboard creates a minor chord for that tonic. Look at the chart and try to figure out as many possible fingerings for a minor chord as you can. If you look at the chord charts above, you see them in the chart below.

How to play and use the major chord

By far, the major chord is the most used type of chords in popular music. They carry an upbeat, hopeful, full sound. They lack any hint of mystery, sadness, fear, funkiness or anything of the like.



If you haven't already, go to the Beginner Section and look at the open chord page there. It shows you some great pictures and audio on how to play major chords.



We are able to figure out the position of every major chord based on our intervals and our root note. The root note is what defines the chord. So, a C chord will have C as the root, B chord has B and so on. Very simple.



The major chord family

The major chord family can consist of many chords. The main thing is that the chord has a major 3rd in it. This is what makes it a major chord. But as you will see below, there can be many, many chords that belong in the major category.



What these charts do is take the basic 5 positions for each of the chords and gives you one way of playing them in order to cover the entire fretboard. If you simply learn these you'll have an incredible array of chords and a very strong foundation to be able to nail any chord at any pace up the neck.

The structure of the chord is also simple.



The major chord formula is:

1 - 3 - 5

So the root is 1, it tells you what chord letter to assign like A, B, C, D , E, F or G.



The 3 is a major third above that:

A = C#

B = D#

C = E

D = F#

E = G#

F = A

G = B



And the 5 is a perfect fifth above 1:

A = E

B = F#

C = G

D = A

E = B

F = C

G = D

Guitar Chords

"If it has more than three chords, it's jazz."



~Lou Reed



Guitar Chord Families

There are pretty much 3 families of guitar chords



Major family

Minor family

Dominant family

Each chord family has a distinct feel to it. The more you play and learn the differnet guitar chords, the more you'll get a feeling of each family.



Importance of guitar chords

If you know 3 guitar chords, you can write a song. Actually if you know 2 guitar chords you can write a song. There have been plenty of guitarists to do it.



Playing chords on guitar can be an extremely easy thing to do. But as you become a better guitarists and you start to explore a lot more, you may find that you want to check out more advanced guitar chords. And they can be pretty complex.



But if you have a solid understanding of the basic guitar chords, and some knowledge of the chord theory behind them, it will take you a very long way.



You don't have to know all the guitar chords there are. But if you have an idea how each family of chords works, well then you're on your way to becoming a seasoned guitarist.



Learning Guitar Chords

With The Guitar Suite, you will learn how to form some basic chords, like major chords and minor chords and where to play them on the neck of the guitar. You will also learn a bit how guitar chord families work and the basic feel they have behind them.



If you've ever wondered how to play other more advanced chords like 7 chords, diminished chords or augmented chords, just check out those free guitar lessons too.

"He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards ship without a rudder and compass and never knows where he may cast."



~Leonardo da Vinci



How music theory can help you

Many people play guitar and take guitar lessons without ever really studying the music theory behind what they're playing. That's okay. But if you really want to get the most out of your guitar playing and songwriting, knowing some music theory can give you a lot of musical insight and ideas.



Music theory topics

Guitar Chords

To understand music theory it's important to be able to form chords on your guitar. In this section you'll learn guitar chords: major chords, minor chords, augmented chords, moveable chords, and diminished chords. Of course, with Learn and Master Guitar, you will learn all of this and more in a proven and effective lesson format.

Guitar Solo

Music theory doesn't stop at chord formation. Understanding the theory of music behind the guitar scales is important if you want to be able to solo really well. I'll show you a lot of scale formations here. You'll also learn about intervals. But if you want a more structured and helpful way to learn to solo, Learn and Master Guitar is the best resource I have found to teach you how to apply music theory to your guitar playing.

Advanced Chord Theory

After you have gone through all of the other music theory lessons, check out the lessons on advanced chord theory. Here you'll learn the circle of 5ths, chord leading, and chord substitution.

Adam Gaynor - Matchbox Twenty

Anthony Armstrong - Red

Axl Rose - Guns & Roses

Chad Kroeger - Nickelback

Dan Donegan - Disturbed

Danny Lohner - Nine Inch Nails

Dizzy Reed - Guns & Roses

Jason Rauch - Red

Kyle Cook - Matchbox Twenty

Marcos Curiel - P.O.D./Accident

Mick Mars - Motley Crue

Munky - Korn

Paul Phillips - Puddle of Mudd

Pete Loeffler - Chevelle

Trent Reznor - Nine Inch Nails

Vince Neil - Motley Crue

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Just a helpful tip from a fellow Coven Master.

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Author : Rebecca Johns "The Countess"