One of the greatest challenges of songwriting lies in crafting chord progressions to suit both lyrical and melodic ideas, something which requires patience and persistence.
Understanding music theory is also crucial; when guitarists refer to an I, IV, V progression they’re referring to triads that build scale degrees.
Key
As new guitarists can often struggle to identify the key of a song, finding its key can be challenging. There are some methods available that may make this easier: one is by studying chords to see if they are diatonic to their key (which means they naturally occur within that key); two others include using “the I, III, and V rule”, which instructs guitarists on building any major chord starting with first note of scale then third and fifth note from another scale and so forth.
Finally, you should analyze the progression of chords to check for any that are out of key. While this process can be more involved, a clear indicator often emerges such as an out of key dominant or power chord in its final chord sequence being out of key. A guitar key chart will also come in handy; this document shows which chords typically exist in every key.
Melody
Once you reach a level where you can play a chord melody, writing out your melody on paper before beginning can help you see how the chords work with it and help ensure that practicing will become second nature.
Dependent upon your key of choice, chords can match melodies in different ways. For instance, if your melody contains G and you play E and C chords that contain that note (G), then that could work well as both contain G as their note of origin.
Another way of discovering which chords pair well with a melody is by picking up a guitar and practicing open and bar chords in the key of your song. Once you find some that work well, try out more on different strings until you determine which ones sound best or need adjusting; for instance, heavier chords could move them up an octave.
Chords
Your song’s chords serve as the backbone for all its melodic and lyrical ideas, using simple major and minor chords as building blocks to craft a song with clear movement or direction. Songwriters frequently move between these basic types of chords when crafting new compositions.
Chord shapes are created through a series of intervals, and one of the simplest chord structures is known as a triad. A triad consists of three notes with one note an octave above them (for instance E-G-B).
Chord diagrams provide an easy way to visually inspect which strings and frets are being played as well as which fingers are on those frets. An “x” indicates muted strings which should not be played, while an O or circle indicates frets where no fingers are pressing down on those frets, helping keep hands strong by allowing fingers to arch over all strings evenly.
Lyrics
As you experiment with chord progressions to find one that suits your song, don’t be afraid to explore a variety of variations. Even minor chord changes could give your music an entirely new sound; perhaps an open chord instead of power chord or using minor chords where major ones would normally be appropriate can give it that unique flair.
Once you’ve chosen a chord progression you like, it’s time to write lyrics to go along with it. Before writing anything down, be sure to see how your melody sounds over your chord progression and take note of any potential melodies or ideas for melodies that sound good over it.
Keep in mind that even simple three or four chord progressions can go far in a song, contrary to popular perception. Guitar chord charts online will help you identify where these chords reside on frets and fingers for easy reference.