Yesterday was John Lennon's birthday. In today's lesson I'm talking about the principle that guides the chord change in the chorus of his song "Imagine." The Prompt: Here's a link to Aron Wiesenfeld's "Bunker" The Musical Idea: https://youtu.be/V5_gd5skYBg It's John Lennon's Birthday, in this video I talk about the musical principle behind the chorus of … Continue reading Saturday Songwriting: Days Like These

This weeks lesson, (about using the last couple of lessons I’ve sent out to name the notes in a C chord*), has me thinking about arpeggios.  An arpeggio is just the fancy name for playing the notes of a chord individually, instead of strumming. When guitarist finger picks, they’re playing arpeggios, but you can also … Continue reading Saturday Songwriting: Flowers in Last Month’s Newspaper

There’s a time honored tradition of switching a chord from major to minor, which means if you’re playing an F major chord in a song, making the next chord you play an F minor.  The worksheet I included today is talking about the difference between major and minor chords.  (It’s just one note!) It ended … Continue reading Saturday Songwriting: A Message

The worksheet I included this week is maybe little music nerdy, but I hope it’s clear and useful. (If you have questions about anything in it, as always let me know so I can improve it!) One of the things lots of songwriters who compose use the guitar can struggle with is creating melodies which … Continue reading Saturday Songwriting: A Red Reflector

Community has always been one of the most important legs on the stool I rest my songwriting on. It should be a no brainer. The more people that join in, the better music gets. But community also to be one of the first things I forget. I was reminded about the importance of community again … Continue reading Saturday Songwriting: Where the Mountain Would Be