After the first attempt, even the most seasoned guitar players realized that songwriting is a horse of a different color. Don’t be disheartened by the new challenge and its learning curve. A well-composed song is a permanent reflection of you as an artist.
In this post, I’ll share five handy (interconnected) tips that will help you turn a good guitar riff into a great song. Of course, my method isn’t the only way to go about it. But I learned it from the pros and found it to be immensely helpful.
So, with the hope that you can accomplish your creative goals with it, let’s get to it.
Is it helpful to try to write lyrics for an existing popular song motif?
I really appreciate the chance to answer readers questions. One think I believe is helpful is many questions are never asked. Since that never are asked there is no opportunity to answer them. That is why I like reader questions. Many times the question asked could be the one that will help you with your songwriting efforts. (more…)
Using Popular Song Motifs to Write New Songs was last modified: July 27th, 2018 by John Pape
Great melodies are crucial to great songs. This video will show you how you can easily come up with a solid, memorable melody. you’ll learn an easy technique for writing effective, singable melodies your listeners will be singing, even after your song is over.
Use A Musical Motif
Some of the things that I found very useful for songwriting is the use of a musical motif. A motif a short musical phase that is used as a foundation for a melody. For a motif to work it must be repeated several time in the song section. In the video Anthony creates a musical phase based on the motif. The phase is then altered and modified to create some variations. The first variation is to add additional notes to the original motif. The second variation is to shorten the phase by removing some of the notes from the motif. (more…)
Songwriting – How to Easily Write a Strong Melody was last modified: January 6th, 2020 by John Pape
Don’t forget to relax and breathe once in a while. When the chips are down, get some ice cream. You’ve got your whole life to figure out what you want to do. Just take it step by step, and every so often you’ve got to get away. Do something different. Go ride a bike. Go climb a mountain. Do something that gets you out of your room. As a musician you should be expressing aspects of life in your music. So go out there and have something to come home and write about.