How To Write Songs On Acoustic Guitar

I've found that writing the basic idea for a song on my acoustic guitar is a much more successful way to song write no matter what type of music you are into. It makes sense to me that if a song can sound good when just played at a basic, no frills level like this then it's certainly going to work in a full band situation complete with drums, as and maybe keyboard. When played on acoustic guitar then it's also much easier to set a rhythm, tempo, chord structure and melody. So try it and see how you get on. You'll be surprised at the cool things you can come up with.

And when you think about it, how many classic songs have you heard played in this stripped down manner? Just about every great song will have one version broken down to just a guy or gal and their acoustic and I love to hear a song played in this way. It really sorts the wheat from the chaff in my opinion and is a great way to begin building your songs.

Now you may find this a bit of a surprise but using less chords in your songs actually makes it harder to write. Yes, that's correct and the reason for this is that a lack of chords means that you are forced into adding interest into your song in another way. Try it. I've now written several 2 chord songs and believe me it's a real challenge. There are ways to add a spark but it's not easy. You can try a tempo change or a rhythm change for verse or chorus or switching the chords over to try and create interest. Give it a go!

Now, for complete beginners to songwriting I believe that a 3 chord structure is the way to go, and it's what the majority of songs use. You can't just throw any chords together though so be careful. I'd suggest a nice simple sequence to begin with held together with a strong melody, so D, C, G or E, A, D would be a good start and many classic songs use these sequences so no excuses!

A method you can also use with 3 chord structures is what is called a 'turnaround'. This is where you effectively change a 3 chord sequence into a 4 chord structure e.g. E, A, D, A. This again is frequently used by major artists...remember 'Wild Thing' by The Troggs?

This next tip is a real beauty, and I use this all the time, maybe too often at times but I love the effect of it. It involves adding a false bass note to a straight chord. This technique can be heard in songs like 'Use Somebody' by Kings of Leon which uses an E bass note on a C Chord, or 'Wish You Were Here' by Pink Floyd which uses an F# bass note on a D chord.

Try some of these ideas to enhance your songwriting

 Songwriting 4 Guitar