SONGWRITING & MUSIC COMPOSITION 101

Intro

This here is a compilation of several lessons. The contents are very basic and geared toward beginners. Anyhow...


For a rock song, chances are you're gonna be using fifth chords, also known as power chords. These chords consist of a root, the fifth and the octave...

Example: A power chord:
root=A
fifth=E
octave=A

Tab: A power chord:

 

     E:----

     B:----

     G:----

     D:-7-->>>octave

     A:-7-->>>fifth

     E:-5-->>>root

To make these chords major, simply add the third.

Example: A major chord:
root=A
fifth=E
octave=A
third=C#

Tab: A major chord:

     

     E:---

     B:---

     G:-6->>>third

     D:-7->>>octave

     A:-7->>>fifth

     E:-5->>>root

To make these power chords minor, add the third, then flat it.

Example: A minor chord:
root=A
fifth=E
octave=A
flat third=C

Tab: A minor chord:

    

     E:---

     B:---

     G:-5->>>flat third

     D:-7->>>octave

     A:-7->>>fifth

     E:-5->>>root

A "must know" scale for rock is the natural minor scale. To build the natural minor scale you start with the root and move a whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, half step, whole step and then back to your root.

Example: A natural minor scale: A, B, C, D, E, F, G and back to A.

Tab: A natural minor scale:

     E:------------------------5-7-8->>>A-B-C

     B:-------------------5-6-8------>>>E-F-G

     G:--------------4-5-7----------->>>B-C-D

     D:-----------5-7---------------->>>G-A

     A:------5-7-8------------------->>>D-E-F

     E:-5-7-8------------------------>>>A-B-C

To write a song, usually you have some idea of either, how you want it to sound, what message you want to get across or what tempo you want it to be. If you know how you want it to sound, here's an important thing to keep in mind: minor chords/scales have a darker almost sad sound to them, while major chords/scales tend to be happier sounding. The message of a song, could be how you feel about something, it could be about how great your girlfriend is...the message can be whatever you want it to be and usually comes out through the vocals of a song. Tempo is simple; to want the song to be fast or slow...or both.

There are no rules for song structure. However, a common way to do it is: intro, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, "breakdown", chorus, outro. Again, do it however you think it will most benefit the song.

Major and Minor Once Again

Chords are mainly made up of thirds and fifths
major chords use major thirds
minor chords use minor thirds

example:

A major- Root=A
maj3=C#
5th =E

A minor- Root=A
min3=C
5th =E

basically to go from major to minor, you flat the third...

Power Chords

First of all, something that Afro-Raven politely reminded me awhile ago- there are no major or minor power chords. power chords are made up of a root and its fifth (you can also add in the octave if you want). Since the chords are just roots and fifths they are sometimes called fifth chords.

The most common place for power chords to be played are with the root on the low E string...To the fifth of any note on the low E, simply move over two frets and down one fret. To find the octave, you just move over two and don two.

Example: A power Chord. The A note can be found at the 5th fret on the low E sting. The fifth of A is E, which can be found by moving over two frets and down one. Now you've got something like this:

E||-                                              E||--

B||-        This is an A power chord.             B||--

G||-        To add the octave just move           G||--

D||--       over two frets and down two           D||-7

A||-7       from your root note. It should        A||-7

E||-5       be like this >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  E||-5

This is how you can build any power chord...Just use the root-fifth-octave...

Integrating Scales

Scales are an integral part of playing guitar. Scales are used to create riffs, licks and solos. A scale is a series of notes that can be played in any order so long as they stay in the same key. There are thousands of scales. To understand scales, it is essential to first understand where they are. Scales are used to create riffs, rhythm sections created using scales and/or chords, and licks which are solo sections composed using various scales. Exotic scales are variations of the common scales that we know and see in most music. Exotic scales are also, usually, specific to a region. Such as the Iwato scale which is a Japanese sounding scale.
The first mode you will learn out of the Key of C Major will be the C Ionian mode. Each mode in the key of C has a different name. The first mode in the major key is always the Ionian mode. This means if you are in the key of G major, G would be the Ionian mode. The C major Ionian mode position starts at the C note Low E string 8th Fret (This is the same position as the C major pentatonic scale starting at the VIII position 8th fret or C note. The only difference is the two extra notes added. These two notes are the F and B) and the notes are, C, D, E, F, G, A and B.

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The next mode that you need to learn is the Dorian mode. The Dorian mode in the key of C is the second mode. The Dorian mode is the second note of any major key. The D is the second note of the key of C major. The Dorian mode is a popular mode as are all the minor modes. These modes give that darker, sad minor sound. The major modes give that happier sound.

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The Phrygian mode in C Major will be E Phrygian. The Phrygian mode is the 3rd mode of the Major Key. E minor is the third chord or mode of C Major. You can write some really neat sounding progressions using the Phrygian mode. The Phrygian mode in the key of C major would have the notes and chords of: Em F G Am B dim C Dm. This would be E to E in the key of C major. Here's one fingering pattern you can use to play this mode.

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The notes continue in this pattern as you escalate through the different modes.

There are many different ways to go about writing a riff. One way, is to simply use different chord progressions to achieve the intended sound or tonality. Another way is to use scales. Using scales to create riffs is sometimes very tricky, requires lots of practice and understanding of scales and modes, and a good sense of rhythm. There are many different approaches to doing it, and none of them are wrong but some methods are easier than others; There are no “bad notes”, but it is the way they are used which depicts whether something is “good” or “bad”. One approach to it is to first establish a rhythm. Once there exists a steady, established a rhythm, a starting point is needed. The most important parts of your riffs are the beginning and end. This is because these are the parts that get noticed the most. To find a starting point you must first choose an overall tone for the riff. Deciding whether you want it to be a “happy” sounding riff or a “sad” sounding riff would be a good place to start. Major tones are usually happier sounding or brighter sounding then minor tones, which tend to be sad and dark sounding. Once you have established this, you get to the fun part; you start building a progression of notes from whatever scale of key you chose as your starting point.

Building licks using scales is very similar to riff building, only you already have a key and you already have a tone or sound to your song. However, do not get caught up by this. Licks are usually a precession of notes played at a pre-determined tempo. I say “usually” because it is possible to break the rules or to bend the rules. To figure out what scale to build your lick from, you must know what the overall key of the song is. The key of a song or progression is usually determined by the first chord played or the scale which was use to create the riff you’ll be soloing over (a solo is a collection of licks that are strewn together).
Or, you could be wild, crazy and insane and throw in an exotic scale. Most exotic scales are simply different variations of the minor scale. For instance, the E minor scale uses the following notes: E, F#, G, A, B, C and D. However, let’s check out an exotic minor scale in the key of E. The Kumoi scale uses the following notes in the key of E: E, F#, G, B and C#. There are several differences, but the main difference is that the Kumoi scale has only five notes, while the E natural minor scale has seven. Let’s try another; E Hungarian minor scale. This scale uses the notes: E, F#, G, A#, B, C and D#. Again there are several differences. The list of exotic scales is almost intimidating. Here are just a few, Neapolitan Major, Neapolitan Minor, Gypsy, Hungarian Minor, Hungarian Major and the Lydian Augmented. To keep it simple, exotic scales are just more ways to spice up the tone of a song. Incorporating theses scales into your playing will make you stand out and will make you a better player because these scales are usually twice as hard to play then your normal scales.

All in all, scales are an important and essential part of any guitar player’s arsenal of tricks. There are many scales and many variations of those scales. The important thing is not to get bogged down. Learning to incorporate scales into your playing, whether it be through licks or riffs, is essential to establishing yourself as a guitar player.