Can I Compose My Own Guitar Music?

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For a guitar player, the challenge to write your own songs can certainly be an intriguing one – playing your own music on the instrument that you love. It can also be tremendously rewarding when you get it right.

When you play the guitar, if you are reading from a book, then sometimes you can feel like a robot – you are simply obeying the instructions of another. Writing your own music, however, gives you more freedom and creativity when it comes to playing. Whatever you have in mind, whether it’s a gentle instrumental piece or even writing your own music, it’s a wonderfully creative process that will encourage your ability to understand the rhythms and sounds that you hear every day.

Music is supposed to be free-flowing and creative – both in the notes and in the emotional response from the listener. The magic formula for songwriting does not exist, and that only serves to make it a more exciting process.

Despite the absence of the magic formula, there are a number of tips and techniques that you can learn in order to create your own music on the guitar:

·    Think of a word such as, for example, ‘snow’. Now think of how you would represent snow musically on your guitar. You may start out with just a few notes and mistimed chords, but keep at it. Think of all the things that the word ‘snow’ means to you, and play that.

·    Try some other words – ‘rain’ or ‘sadness’, for example – and try to create something which best represents those words in your own way. You’ll find that you will fuss around with the notes a bit, but eventually you will find a finger-picking motion that you like. It doesn’t have to signify the same word to other people – music is best when it is objective.

·    If you are writing lyrics to go with your music what works for one person may not work for another, so experiment. There are two ways you can approach this: you can start out with the words and apply the music, or do the opposite: start with the music and fit the lyrics around that.

If you’re still struggling, take a look at these more simplified steps:

·    Find some chords that you are familiar with (like G or E), experiment and see what happens.

·    Keeping one finger in place, move your fingers to different strings.

·    Make sure you are listening to the sound produced by the individual notes as well as when you strum.

·    Commit anything you like to memory by playing it over and over again.

·    Now that you have the starting point for your song, build around it and watch the first series of notes evolve!

Relaxing and enjoying it are probably the most important things to remember when it comes to songwriting on your guitar. It’s all part of the creative process when you sing complete nonsense or the first things that come into your mind. Keep going – you’ll find that you will stumble upon a chord (or a variation) that you really like, or a lyric that fits perfectly. As soon as you do, make sure you write it down and build on it.

Looking back over time, some of the most beautiful and emotive songs have emerged from collaborations between two or more musicians. A great tip when it comes to composing your own guitar music is to get a friend to help you. Also, a musically-minded friend can give you some great feedback on how things are progressing.



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