Songwriting Tips For Writing Songs On Guitar
Today I’m going to give you a few ideas to help you begin writing songs on guitar. When writing music for guitar (or any instrument), it is to your advantage to look for ways to emphasize the qualities that make the instrument unique. This is especially useful when writing songs with many different instruments involved so that each instrument stands out on its own. With this in mind, here are a few ideas to consider while writing songs on guitar:
Tip #1 For Writing Songs On Guitar: Use Open Strings In Chords
Due to the way a guitar is tuned, there are many possibilities for creating a variety of interesting chord progressions. One way to take advantage of this while writing music for guitar is to use open strings in your chord patterns to create a smooth transition from one chord to the next. For example, when playing chords such as barre chords or any other chords that contain no open strings, un-fret the note being played on either the “B” string or high “E” string (or both) and play it open instead. This will provide you with many new chords that you can use to mix into your normal chord progressions. Some interesting examples you should try include:
C# minor barre 4th position, changed to open B and open E strings (becomes C#m7):
C major barre 3rd position, changed to open B and open E strings (becomes CMaj7):
Tip #2 For Writing Songs On Guitar: Create A Vocal Sound
One of the most unique qualities of guitar is its ability to imitate the human voice. In order to achieve this voice-like effect with your notes when writing music for guitar, you must emphasize the notes you play by using vibrato technique. This technique is created by playing a note and then (while still fretting it) moving your finger from side to side or bending the string up and down to modulate the pitch. Additionally, you can use vibrato to add intensity to the melodies you write and help sustain notes for longer periods of time.
This technique will take some time to master, but it is an excellent tool for creating a higher degree of expressiveness in your music. When trying this on your own, keep your vibrato ‘in tune’ by consistently returning to the original pitch after bending the string.
Tip #3 For Writing Songs On Guitar: Use Different Guitar Playing Styles
While writing music on guitar, musicians will use either a pick or their fingers to play the notes. While neither method is better than the other, they both have their own unique sound and can be used effectively in different situations. For example, playing guitar with your fingers has a very ‘soft’ sound and could work well during a quiet passage in a song that involves playing the individual notes of a chord (arpeggios). On the other hand, playing guitar with a pick is much louder, and could work well for strumming full chords in the middle of an emotional chorus.
Additionally, you can get a very different sound in the guitar music you write by simply using various types of guitars. There are three main types of guitars including: electric, acoustic and classical. Each one of these guitars has its own unique sound. No matter what style of music you write for, you can benefit by trying out each one of these instruments.
There are many more factors to consider when writing music on guitar; however, if you simply use the 3 tips mentioned on this page, you will be able to greatly enhance the quality of the guitar parts in your songs!
Start writing great songs using the techniques in this songwriting course .