Learn · songwriting
Songwriting on guitar
A song can begin with a chord, a sung line, or two bars you keep playing. You do not need its whole structure before you start. Keep the part that has character, then give it a contrasting place to go.
Start here
A small exercise
Play the smallest part you would recognize tomorrow. Record or write it down. Then ask what it needs next: another section, a stronger melody, or an ending.
Questions to explore
- How to turn a guitar riff into a songDevelop a guitar riff into a song by keeping its identity, writing a contrasting section, and bringing the original idea back with purpose.
- How to write a song on guitarStart a song on guitar with a playable idea, develop a contrasting section, and let melody and chords shape the form.
- How to finish a song on guitarFinish a guitar song by identifying the missing decision, testing the whole form, and choosing an ending that grows from existing material.