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I’d always begin writing a song on my acoustic guitar, mainly because I think it’s way easier to organise chord sequences, work out melody, a good rhythm and get a good song structure without over complicating matters. I also think that if a song sounds good just stripped down to the very basics, then it’s generally going to sound good in a band situation, and to add others instruments and maybe move it on to an electric guitar is way easier. So my first tip would be to get the song sounding good on an acoustic guitar whatever genre or style you play.

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!

I would suggest 3 or 4 chords is a much easier prospect for a beginner to work with. Of course you have to make sure the chords work well with each other. Yes you could try and be experimental and come up with some wacky chord sequences but I wouldn’t advise this as a beginner. Write something simple, maybe around a 3 chord structure such as G, Bm, D or G, C, D.

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?

A really neat thing I do often is adding a false bass note to change the sound of a chord. This can be really effective and also give a professional touch. Artists such as Neil Young and Pink Floyd and Kings Of Leon use this technique. If you listen to ‘Use Somebody’ an E bass note is use on top of a C major. Great sound!

I hope there are some nice ideas there that you can add to your songwriting

To find out more about songwriting on guitar then visit songwriting4guitar.com, Beginners Songwriting, and LearnSongwriting On Guitar Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service