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Generally I find it easier to begin writing a song on my acoustic guitar rather than going straight in on the electric, even if I’m writing a rock song. It’s much better for building chord sequences, come up with a melody and even a rhythm and just keeps things simpler. As a rule of thumb I also believe that if a song works when it’s in this simple format then it stands to reason that it will work when brought into a full band setup with drums and bass. So I’d certainly suggest trying this as a good starting point. Even a punk type of song will work on acoustic guitar if it has a good groove.

Just consider any really great song by a top band or recording artist and I bet you’ve probably heard a great acoustic version of the song whether it’s by the original artist or a group covering the song. A good song will work when stripped down so starting writing a song like this is a good foundation.

Here is something that you may think is a little bit contradictory but less chords in your song won’t necessarily make it easier to write. Like most forms of artistic expression, the less complicated something is the harder it is to make it interesting so you have to work harder at it. Having written many 2 chord songs I’ve come up with a few methods that I use to add interest to my songwriting. You could for instance make the chorus a different rhythm or tempo to the verse or use notes instead of full chords.

But as a beginner I’d recommend songwriting with 3 chords. It’s much easier and many great songs contain 3 chords. The chords do need to work well together though although you’ll be surprised at what chords you can actually use. Simple chord sequences such as D, A and E or D, C, G have been used in some all time classics as long as they are held together with a strong melody and lyric.

You can also use what is commonly known as a ‘turnaround’ with 3 chords which in effect creates a 4 chord sequence. ‘Wild Thing’ by the Troggs is a great example of this where the riff literally ‘turns around’ and repeats the second or first chord in the sequence so you may play a structure such a E, A, B, A.

One trick I love to use in my songwriting is adding a false bass note which completely changes the natural chord sound. An F# bass note with a D Chord is a nice example of this and is used in many songs. Neil Young is a great exponent of this technique and it can be heard in his classic song ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’.

Try some of these ideas to enhance your songwriting

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