Tips and Links For Beginning Songwriters

Alas, I have started the blog I have been planning for a while. In October 2008, I will be releasing my first album. Not more than a year ago I wouldn't have even been able to carry a tune, unless it was on a piano or violin. I don't prefer playing those, and and picked up a guitar. I am learning guitar at a high rate of speed, and am writing songs like wildfire. But I really focused, and am using what I have learned to help others who are like I was.

Like you probably do, I had a lot of questions. Example: "What kind of chord progressions should I use?"

Most of the questions are hard to find answers for. Here's where this blog comes in. Whether you are a guitarist, vocalist, pianist, or a do-it-all-yourself type, I hope this post along with all of my future posts will continue to help you and others.

Fruity Loops AKA Fl Studio
This is the program that opened the doors to my music writing career. My friend, who is a professional musician gave me a copy of the old version. I just fell in love with it. The program is a music creation science lab. It's where you can learn to make professional sounding songs at the click of a mouse.

Pros: Fully interactive interface, numerous add-ons, numerous effects, synths, VST Plugins, instruments, drum kits, and even recording. Not to mention it can be used for every kind of musician with every kind of genre. Free trial download here!

Cons: For those of us less tech-savvy it takes a while to learn. If you do decide to take it on, there's plenty of great tutorials out there that will lead you on your way. The cost of buying the CHEAPEST version is around $130.00 (US). Let me tell you though, it is worth it if you are really down for it.

Band Name Maker: If you still haven't came up with a good name for your band (or yourself if you are solo) there's a few great websites that help you come up with something creative, that fits your needs. My favorite is this one. (I also used some of these for song titles!)

There's also:
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Death Metal band namer
Name Your Band
The Random Bad Bluegrass Band Namer
Rigel 7: Techno Band Namer

Song Structure: This is one of the most important lessons you will ever need to learn to write music. Song structure isn't about being ordinary, it's about making your song come to life. A song is like a house. First, you must build the foundation to build a frame, which in time turns into a song. You must have at least some understanding of structure if you are a beginner. A lot of us (if not all of us) have made the mistake of just jumping into a song. It may be sucessful for few, but not all of us. For instance, I always find it necessesary to start my songs off with some kind of drumming. These guides will teach you the essentials of song construction.

Wikipedia Song Structure
Guitar Song Structure (But useful for everyone)

More useful links:

Learn The Chords You Must Know -Especially useful for guitarists.
Top 10 Mistakes Guitarist Make When Learning Chords
How To Write Song Lyrics

Thank you for reading my first entry, and I will continue to post more about my stuggles and successes. I hope I have helped you, or at least entertained you. Please stop back by!