So a little while ago, seeing as how I’ve had next to no formal training in either songwriting or playing guitar, I decided to do a little research myself at the bookstore. I was looking to build my chops in either realm by studying, in a very informal and overall slow way, the techniques involved. I was thinking I could digest a little of this information and stir it in with the natural techniques I already have (does this sound good? great, it is good. Is this a striking lyric to me? Awesome, let’s use it).
Rikky Rooksby wrote a neat little book called How To Write Songs on Guitar. The simplicity of the title caught my eye, especially as it pertained to both of the things I was looking for. Mostly, I was looking for a fresh, outside perspective on writing and playing, coupled with very formal schools of training.
I got both. Rooksby included a complete chord dictionary, scattered throughout the book in categorical chapters. He explained, in a crash-course kind of way, the theory behind song structure and chord sequences. He has chapters devoted to writing a good lyric (and the pitfalls to avoid), and melody, rhythm, etc.
But what I liked most of all was his ‘Other Strategies for Songwriting’ found tucked away at the tail end of the first introductory chapter. In this bullet list, was included the technique of arbitrarily choosing some limits to your songwriting. i.e. writing a song:
- that is only two minutes long (check)
- that starts with a chorus
- that has an odd number of bars in the verse or chorus
- that is a sad song with only major chords
- that increases in tempo
I like the idea of those restrictions. When you can’t find the muse in such a wide, overwhelming world, narrow your scope and force it to find you.
I’m looking to come up with a more extensive set for myself, and try using one of the techniques to write a song or so a week. It’s a challenge, but therein lay the fun.
