anyone got any practice tips for song writing? such as answers to, what should I practice to make my musical knowledge bigger and make songwriting more effecient? should I get to know my scales better? that seems plausible, but I could also see why I would just leave them on paper and use them when I need.

something that worked for me was learning new songs that weren't necessarily in my musical style.

like ... metallica, or something like that.

and then once you learn the songs ... twist them around into versions that DO fit your style.


i think creating variations in familiar pieces can help develop interesting new ways of looking at how certain chords can fit into certain styles of songs.



i think the magic of good songwriting is being able to blend various influences together.

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Learn beach boys songs.

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i second this. you can't beat learning from the best american rock 'n roll band. well, yeah.. i guess you can beat that. learning from the beatles would be just as good, if not better.

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dude the beatles would be way better

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Learn the beach boys, beatles, metallica, waylon jennings...whatever and whoever interests you, learn their songs. Try singing and playing guitar at the same time. Write lyrics everyday, even if they suck. Record simple chord changes, riffs, song ideas into a recording device and sing over that. Record yourself singing your songs often. There's many different things you can do to improve your songwriting. I'm just throwing out random ideas.

The bottom line is: write a lot of songs. No matter how simple, compex, sh!tty or brilliant they appear to be. You will learn something from the very act of creating.

i still say beatles would be way better.......

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um...OK.

Both are quite nice.

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Beach Boys > The Beatles

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Buy a fat book of chords. Try the Grimoire chord encyclopaedia.

Now pick an obscure chord that you have never seen or used before. Now strum it and try to base a progression around it. Even if its only strumming the chord up and down the neck.
Try playing a capo, or with an alternate tuning.

It works for me.

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+1000

Listening to any "good" songwriters and working out what makes their songs "good" (and "good" should always be based on your opinion if you want to develop your own style) will help, but you'll only get better by doing it yourself. As a comparable example, you wouldn't tell someone to practice guitar by reading books. You have to practice whatever you want to become better at.

And make sure you enjoy it.

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Beach Boys the best american rock and roll band? I thought that title went to chicago (before they went soft rock).

I've been working on writing stuff lately, listened to some chicago stuff for inspiration, beach boys, drive by truckers, and lots of ben harper stuff, some of his songs are real neat and you don't have to delve real deep to get the just of most of his lyrics.

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im suprised no one has started the "hey no way the stones are better htna the beatles" argument yet. it is a tough call for me. i like the stones better i think tho. they do alternate tunings and more wierd stuff than the beatles so it may be benifictial to learn the beatles and the stones stuff. the beatles are way more musically together and their songs are more well written, but the stones are jsut fun, and more indulgant.

Listen to Lovin' Spoonful too. They are in my opinion the best songwriters. Booker T and the MG's also created great songs that aren't complex at all.