Writing a Song on the Guitar
If you have moved on from the beginner stage to the next stage
then it will be easier for you to write a song on the guitar.
Here are some tips that will help you:
KISS (keep it simple and straight): Time and time again we
have seen that the most popular tune has been the one that is
catchy and simple. Whether it is Sounds of Silence by Simon &
Garfunkel or Winds of Change by Scorpions; simple tunes are
easier to compose on the guitar and can be done relatively
fast.
Confidence: Confidence is a necessity! When you are trying to
write a song on your guitar the last thing you want is a
fading confidence. Confidence will help you to churn out great
notes.
Try and Try till you succeed: Sometimes it is a tough
experience to write a song on the guitar, which is completely
in tune. Even the professionals sometimes go wrong while
composing the tune on their guitars. So the important thing is
to keep your focus and keep trying till you get the right
tune. Remember, sometimes to get the best sound, you will need
to experiment a lot with different chords.
Borrowing Melody: This doesn’t mean that you use someone
else’s melody as your own. It always helps to listen to
different types of melodies so that you can get an idea of
what you want. This can be used only if you are unable to find
the right tune for a song.
Moving ahead from a Riff to a Song: There are times when you
will come out with a catchy and upbeat riff but then you will
get stuck and not know what to do. There are many people who
face this problem where they don’t know how to further develop
upon the riff created by them. In such a situation, you should
always turn towards other sources. For example: If you have a
band then ask your drummer to provide some rhythms on your
riff and ask the bass guitarist to support you and the drums.
When everyone catches on to the riff, it becomes a complete
song.
One of the most important things is to remember that when you
are writing a song on your guitar it may sound good on the
guitar but if you use the rest of the band then the song will
get a lot of punch. Being in a band makes it easier to write a
song on the guitar rather than doing it solo. For example: if
you have another guitarist on your band then he or she can
simultaneously play melody on thin strings and bass line on
thick strings.
You can have a third guitarist or a bass guitarist add more
depth to the riff that you have composed. A bass guitarist can
add an overlapping sound texture, and then the two lead
guitarists can play to bounce the melodies off each others
guitars.
Creating Hooks: Hook is the catchy and repeated melody that
you will most often hear on the radio. To record a hook on
your guitar, you need to first record any chord progression,
and then while playing it back, hum the melody. This is a
solution for all those who face the problem of getting stuck
after one particular chord progression. You can also keep
repeating the progression till you find a better melody.
There are many ways to go about writing songs on the guitar
but the most important thing is to play carefree and relaxed
because that’s the only time you will get to compose some
great tunes. |
