As a guitarist, you know that the guitar is more than just a musical instrument. It’s a way of self-expression. And the most rewarding way to express yourself is by writing your own songs.
But where do you start? Songwriting can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’ve never done it before. In the following I’ll be going through the steps of a common songwriting method that legends such as Kurt Cobain used.
1. Start with a riff
A guitar riff is a series of chords and/or notes played in a specific and repeatable order. Let’s take the chord progression from Blink-182’s “Dammit”. The chords go: C5, G5, A5, F5. The 5 behind the name of the note meaning it’s played as a power chord. Now play around with strumming patterns, changing the chords and playing the individual notes instead. Do this until you find a Riff that sounds good when played on repeat.
2. Start humming
While playing your new riff on guitar, start humming and try to find a melody of humming that sounds good. Don’t worry about any lyrics yet. Just play your riff and find a humming melody that sounds good with it.
3. Find lyrics
Now that you have a guitar riff and a vocal melody, start humming and insert some words that fit to the feelings the music emits. From that base you build out full lyrics, while keeping in the flow. Each finished song should either have a message, an event or a story conveyed through the lyrics. Having in mind what you want to convey with your song will almost completely alleviate any writers block.
4. Song structure
A really common song structure is
Verse,
Chorus.
Verse,
Chorus
Bridge or guitar solo,
Chorus
You need to repeat the previous 3 Steps again with different riffs, vocal melodies and lyrics, to get each part of the song.
Once for the Chorus, once for the Verses and once for the Bridge.
5. (Bonus) Experiment with different guitar techniques:
The guitar is a versatile instrument, and there are countless techniques you can use to add interest and texture to your songs. Try incorporating fingerpicking, slides, bends, palm mutes, pinch harmonics and other techniques to spice up your riffs.
6. (Bonus) Practice, practice, practice and write everything down:
The more you write, the better you’ll get. It is an iterative process where you improve upon ideas you previously had. Set aside time each day to work on your songwriting, and don’t be afraid to try new things. You never know what you might come up with.
If you’re looking for more inspiration and guidance, there are plenty of resources available to help you on your songwriting journey. The following links are affiliate links and I may earn a small comission, should you buy the linked products. Here are a few recommendations:
-
The Songwriter’s Toolkit: This book by songwriter and music coach Neil Monroe is packed with space for riffs, chord progressions and lyrics to help you craft successful songs. Writing is an iterative process and you never want to lose a valuable idea!
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Songwriting for dummies: This comprehensive guide by Jim Peterik covers everything from finding your inspiration to marketing your finished product.
- Drop-Tuned Riff Writing For Metal Guitar: Specifically geared towards metal guitarists, this book offers step-by-step guidance on writing and performing your own riffs using the specific sounds that open up when using a dropped tuning.
With some practice, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a successful songwriter, now that you know a basic framework to follow. Happy writing!
