I Want To Write A Song For My Lady.....

Ken · January 13th, 2007, 11:53 AM

Where do I begin?

Do they have a "Songwriters for Dummies" book?

morroben · January 13th, 2007, 12:17 PM

They do have a "Songwriting for Dummies" book. I'm not sure how much help it is, but I've seen it on the shelf. As for chord changes...this is probably viewed as cheating, but sometimes I just look thru guitar magazine tabs and check the chord diagrams listed at the very beginning of them. It's an easy way to find chords that work well together. You don't need to use them in the same progression, or even in a similar way to the song you checked. You can always leave some out or add some of your own, it just gives you a starting point of chords that are in the same key and sound okay together. You can write a fingerstyle ballad out of the chords from prog-rock tune or a make a fast rocker out of the chords from an acoustic strummer. You get the idea. Also, if the song is just for your girl, and not to be played in public, then don't be afraid to get sappy or use "inside" jokes and things. I wrote a tune for my ex one time about how I loved her enough to sit thru Law & Order, with love to spare for CSI (her favorite shows, which I hated). Totally stupid and cheesy but she laughed and I got some for it...and isn't that what it's all about?

January 13th, 2007, 11:53 AM	#1 (permalink)
Ken Banned Tele-Meister Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: North Milky Way Age: 40 Posts: 258	I Want To Write A Song ..... Where do I begin? Do they have a "Songwriters for Dummies" book? Last edited by Ken; May 11th, 2007 at 12:45 AM.

January 13th, 2007, 12:17 PM	#2 (permalink)
morroben Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: california Age: 32 Posts: 2,067 18 Photos	They do have a "Songwriting for Dummies" book. I'm not sure how much help it is, but I've seen it on the shelf. As for chord changes...this is probably viewed as cheating, but sometimes I just look thru guitar magazine tabs and check the chord diagrams listed at the very beginning of them. It's an easy way to find chords that work well together. You don't need to use them in the same progression, or even in a similar way to the song you checked. You can always leave some out or add some of your own, it just gives you a starting point of chords that are in the same key and sound okay together. You can write a fingerstyle ballad out of the chords from prog-rock tune or a make a fast rocker out of the chords from an acoustic strummer. You get the idea. Also, if the song is just for your girl, and not to be played in public, then don't be afraid to get sappy or use "inside" jokes and things. I wrote a tune for my ex one time about how I loved her enough to sit thru Law & Order, with love to spare for CSI (her favorite shows, which I hated). Totally stupid and cheesy but she laughed and I got some for it...and isn't that what it's all about?