Tips for songwriting

This was just done in 1 take, using the amazingly good value Mixcraft 5 Home Recording Software ...Learn More About Mixcraft 5>>

I suppose influenced a bit by Bon Jovi, Butterfly Tattoo is an idea I had kicking around for months and could never finish. Butterfly Tattoo was it's original title as there was a lyric in there that mentioned a girl with a butterfly tattoo which I liked, so kept the title but dropped the line as it just didn't fit.

This is a rock song with a catchy chorus and sung live on stage it belts out, especially the chorus as it should be sung an octave higher. I toned the whole thing down for the acoustic because I'd have just wailed like a flee bitten dog otherwise, and there's a middle 8 that I've dropped for this version.

LISTEN TO BUTTERFLY TATTOO>>

***OH YEAH*** Do me a BIG favour when you listen to this one. Just add your own harmony to the chorus...The 'There's always gonna be a new tomorrow...' bit. It'll sound much better:)

For some reason I've done things the hard way. I'm a self taught guitarist, why I didn't have guitar lessons I'll never know, I could afford them. I think I just wanted to torture myself for 30 years. I've also met many other guitarists in my time..have I asked them for help ever?... er NO WAY! So read on and I can perhaps help you avoid all the muddling around I've done and write some complete and meaningful music and turn you into a songwriting genius!



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Of course, you're going to need to know how to play some chords. Unquestionably the best online resource for guitarist at whatever level you play is Guitar Tricks. Not only is it a very active forum .

Until recently I'd been pretty much self taught on guitar. What I found time and time again though was that I'd hit a wall where I wasn't getting any better mainly because I wasn't sure what to practice. That was until I found the best EVER guitar course. If you only take one thing away with you from this songwriting guide then if you're a guitarist make sure it's this:

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I hope you're enjoying reading this page as much as I'm enjoying making it. I realised though that there was something missing from it...unless you're seriously into Bach, Beethoven or Mozart that is. VOCALS! Yes, you can't have a song without 'em.
Let me tell you a short story.

A few years back I was invited to a Karaoke night with some friends. Something that always filled me with horror because I just knew I wasn't going to be able to get out of doing at least 1 song. I remember thinking 'I don't know any songs' so I picked something that I thought everyone would know so they could help me out. 'Angels' by Robbie Williams. Well I murdered those poor Angels, murdered them and quickly found my seat and the security of my beer. Later that evening I was at the bar chatting to a friend who is an excellent singer. He actually said 'well done mate..you sounded quite good you know'. He said your problem is you're breathing without using your diaphragm. He promised to give me a CD that he said would help me. Well I still have this CD to this day and it changed my life as far as singing goes. I now front a duo as lead singer and guitarist and LOVE to Karaoke. What I didn't know that it is now available as a download, so I've updated my copy and ditched my old CD.

Again, I can't recommend it enough. You can find out more about it HERE. One warning...the page is very long, probably due to all the testimonials but the techniques taught are to a professional level.

GET YOURSELF A GREAT VOICE>>

A friend of mine recommended this to me..as usual I nearly didn't bother listening to him, but I'm so glad I did. It's possibly the best and most complete guide to songwriting you can find. The author is a guy called Rikky Rooksby (a rock star name if ever there was one) and he's worked with many top artists.

The information in it's pages is invaluable and if you are either beginning to learn songwriting or an advanced player it has some guides and details that you simply can't do without and would never find out without this book. DON'T muddle on any longer. This How To Write Songs On Guitar provides examples of over 1800 great songs, chord breakdown, and structure. So it may be that one of your songs can follow along the same lines as a classic. I think it's still less than $14USD (less than £11) and you can read more about it's content and more reviews by clicking the links below, but I can tell you now it's 5 STAR.

The best place to review & buy this book is here at Amazon. Please click the link below for your relevant country:

How To Write Songs On Guitar - Revised USA VERSION

How to Write Songs on Guitar - Revised UK VERSION

How To Write Songs On Guitar covers everything you need to know about songwriting, but one thing that it recommends every songwriter should own is a Rhyming Dictionary? Yeah...this actually exists. How did I ever do without it?

Would you have ever thought that Tormented,Unscented and Demented all rhymed together? This makes life Sooooooooooo much easier because you never end up with a writers block. If you can't think of a word then just turn to the Rhyming Dictionary and find one. It's amazing! Yes OK there's some old bloke on the cover but that old bloke just happens to be Sammy Cahn who has written some classic songs for the likes of Sinatra and Crosby. The nice thing about this dictionary is that it also gives a tutorial which none of the others I looked at did,

Again, Amazon is the place to check it out:

Songwriter's Rhyming Dictionary - USA VERSION

Songwriter's Rhyming Dictionary - UK VERSION

Ok, there are a couple of examples of songs I've written on this page using the resources I've outlined above. I don't have a recording studio..but neither do you probably, so you know what, I've stripped them back. Just me, my acoustic and my mobile phone. Easy as that. I'm a firm believer that if a song can be played in a simple form like this then it must have something going for it! However please bear in mind that both songs are written for my band, with bass, drums, keyboard, backing vocals and 90 piece orchestra(ok i lied about the orchestra)..so don't be too critical:)

Skinny Jeans was written about a friend of mine who wears Skinny Jeans...not the best look for a guy me thinks! So it's kind of a micky take. The weird thing is he does seem to do well with the girls, so maybe he's onto something! Anyhow what I like about this song is that it is a pure 2 chord song, YES just 2 chords... a rare breed I tell you. Just give it a try.

The 'How to Write Songs on Guitar' book has a very nice chapter about this by adding interest to a song using complimentry bass notes which give the impression that you've changed key. For example in the chorus of Skinny Jeans I use an open E string with a C chord to try and add some interest. Anyhow have a listen:

LISTEN TO SKINNY JEANS>>

Hmmm...That chorus needs that lovely harmony again doesn't it:)

Want to learn more about songwriting? Then receive my FREE SONGWRITING GUIDE. I'll provide you with some FREE useful tips and ideas for songwriting on a regular basis .
Good luck with the songwriting and don't forget who told you How To Write A Song when you're no.1 in the charts!

L8rs
Shayman

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