Songwriting And The Guitar

Explains how to create songs to be played on guitar, including advice on such basics of songwriting as structure, rhythm, melody, and lyrics.

Whether you're a beginning guitarist/songwriter or have been at it for a while, you'll find a wealth of tips and techniques for exploring and expanding your musical creativity in GUITAR FOR SONGWRITERS. Guitarist, composer, and teacher Leo Cavanagh is your guide on this tour of chords and chord progressions that will help you expand your use of guitar for composing and accompanying. The more you know about chords and how they go together, the stronger a songwriting tool your guitar will become. From basic chords through power chords, bar chords, and jazz chords, this book uses common progressions and good voicings to demonstrate the possibilities of the guitar. It includes the harmonized scale, chord construction, and various accompaniment styles. Whether you want to play in different keys, find a jazzy sounding progression, or just add that one special chord to a song, GUITAR FOR SONGWRITERS can help.

(String Letter Publishing). With this unique and informative guide, you'll discover new ideas and inspirations for crafting your own songs and making the most of your instrument. You'll gain a better understanding of chord progressions, melodies, alternate tunings and other subjects through a series of expertly designed workshops, and you'll find tips and techniques offered by top singer-songwriters, such as Paul Simon, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Don McLean, Patty Larkin, David Wilcox, Dave Matthews and more.

Thirty years after The Beatles split up, the music of Lennon, McCartney, Harrrison and Starkey lives on. What exactly were the magical ingredients of those legendary songs? Why are they still so influential for today's bands? This ground-breaking book sets out to explore The Beatles' songwriting techniques in a clear and readable style. It is aimed not only at musicians but anyone who has ever enjoyed the work of one of the most productive and successful songwriting parterships of the 20th Century. Author Dominic Pedler explores the chord sequences, melodies, harmonies, rhythms and structures of The Beatles' self-penned songs, while challenging readers to enhance their appreciation of the lyrics themselves with reference to the musical context. Throughout the book the printed music and lyrics of The Beatles' songs appear alongside the text, illustrating the author's explanations. The Songwriting Secrets Of The Beatles is an essential addition to Beatles literature - a new and perceptive analysis of both the music and the lyrics written and performed by what Paul McCartney still calls 'a really good, tight little band'.

Learn how to combine chord sequences, melodies, and riffs to create your own music in any style. You don't have to be a great guitarist to be able to write songs for guitar. Only a basis knowledge of guitar is required, and you will build up your skills and understanding as you progress through the book. More experienced players will find plenty of unexpected, habit breaking chord progressions. You will find exercises to help put theory into practice, and an inspirational catalog of essential playlists from the greatest songwriters of all time.

This book teaches an innovative method called Immersion Composition that drives musicians to engage their creativity by writing as much music as possible in a set time period. After learning to apply the method, elusive moments of inspiration can be summoned on command. The book also explains how to form a group of like-minded songwriters (a “lodge”), presents dozens of tips and games for making the most out of an Immersion Composition session, and shows how to turn brainstormed raw materials into polished songs.

(String Letter Publishing). The world of popular music is filled with singer-songwriters who are not just brilliant wordsmiths but also distinctive guitarists. This eclectic guide from the publishers of Acoustic Guitar magazine covers some of the very best of these singer-songwriters. Here you will learn how these musicians support their songs with inventive accompaniments in a wide range of styles, tunings, and techniques so many cool ideas that you can borrow for use in your own songwriting. Learn to play and write like: Joan Armatrading, Joan Baez, Bruce Cockburn, John Denver, Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Willie Nelson, John Prine, Paul Simon, Richard Thompson, Lucinda Williams, Bill Withers, and Neil Young.

Nothing tells a story better than the story-songs of country music. A Guitar and A Pen presents, for the first time, the literary work of some of the best storytellers in the world: the songwriters who cut and polish tales down to sparkling three-minute gems. A blend of humor and poignancy, these tales range from Kris Kristofferson's charming tale of how an explicit natural rock formation causes chaos in a small farming town, to the domestic drama of a Kentucky family with six daughters, to Charlie Daniels' character-driven fable of money and unhappiness, to Gary Nicholson's riveting tale of an albino African American singer/songwriter who inspired him to be a musician. A celebration of music and storytelling, other contributors include Hal Ketchum, Janis Ian, Mark D. Sanders, Tom T. Hall, Marshall Chapman, and Robert Hicks, among many other notable Nashville luminaries.