"Writing
The Perfect Riff Part
2"
Jordan
Warford here, Editorial Manager for Guitar Tips.
Thanks
for tuning in to this week's edition of our Guitar Tips newsletter.
Join us as we continue our series on creating original riffs. This
week we will cover how to choose the proper chords to back up your
riffs and how to link them together to make a song.
In
this edition:
In
addition to the above, you can also look forward to learning about
a great site that has a lot to offer you.
Our
Feedback Booth is taking a break for this edition. Be advised, we
are currently looking to start up our Guitar Tips Feature band once
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from all skill levels. This could be the start your band has been
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With
all of that in mind, let's get started!
Taking
The Next Step
Looking
at chords.
I
remember how intimidating writing music was to me when I just started
out on guitar. It wasn't easy and before I knew it, my lack of knowledge
soon caught up with me. The biggest frustration I encountered on
a regular basis was creating a great riff and going nowhere with
it.
After
a few months, I was left with dozens of riffs and no songs. If this
sounds familiar to you, you are not alone. It is a common problem
amongst guitarists of all ages. The solution is much simpler than
you may think.
When
writing music, the foundation of the song is in the bass line and
chord progression. The riffs that you have seen from our previous
lessons are simply the icing on the cake. Riffs are appealing to
our ear but don't give us much to work with when it comes to writing
a full song with verses and a chorus.
When
you create a chord progression, you open up a whole new world of
possibilities. Why? Simply put, you have more options available
to you that will help keep your music interesting. Let's be honest,
no one wants to hear the same riff played over and over again with
nothing to back it up.
Unfortunately,
many beginners have the superstition that chords are hard to link
together and that they have to be complicated to create a unique
song. This could not be farther from the truth. The reality is that
the greatest songs in history had the simplest chord progressions
and the catchiest riffs (as stated in our previous newsletter).
You
can use simple chords and still create great material, but there
are a few things you should know before you really dig in.
Choosing
chord progressions.
Choosing
chords that are in the correct key can be a challenging adventure
when you don't know music theory. For most us, we end up finding
chords that sound good together by trial and error. This can limit
you in many different ways by constricting you to the same chords
over and over again.
Found
below is a chart that gives you all of the most common chords for
each key. Look down the first column to find the key you would like
to play in. Then simply look to the right to see all of the chords
that you have available to you!
As
a side note, most chord progressions sound quite nice when you use
the root chord (one of the chords from the first column) with its
relative minor chord (found in the relative minor key column). Technically
speaking, they are both the same key signature with a different
order of chords.
We'll
save the theory behind chords and the building of chords for another
day. In the meantime, practice stringing together chords in the
same key. Enjoy!
Key
(Major)
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Relative
minor Key
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C
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Dm
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Em
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F
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G
|
Am
|
Bo
|
Db
|
Ebm
|
Fm
|
Gb
|
Ab
|
Bbm
|
Co
|
D
|
Em
|
F#m
|
G
|
A
|
Bm
|
C#o
|
Eb
|
Fm
|
Gm
|
Ab
|
Bb
|
Cm
|
Do
|
E
|
F#m
|
G#m
|
A
|
B
|
C#m
|
D#o
|
F
|
Gm
|
Am
|
Bb
|
C
|
Dm
|
Eo
|
F#
|
G#m
|
A#m
|
B
|
C#
|
D#m
|
E#o
|
G
|
Am
|
Bm
|
C
|
D
|
Em
|
F#o
|
Ab
|
Bbm
|
Cm
|
Db
|
Eb
|
Fm
|
Go
|
A
|
Bm
|
C#m
|
D
|
E
|
F#m
|
G#o
|
Bb
|
Cm
|
Dm
|
Eb
|
F
|
Gm
|
Ao
|
B
|
C#m
|
D#m
|
E
|
F#
|
G#m
|
A#o
|
Shaking
things up.
Many
of the chords seen in the chart above are played as open chords.
Naturally, this can become dull with time. To branch out into a
new direction and sound, you can play the above chords in various
places on your neck via movable chord shapes.
A
movable chord is essentially a shape that you hold with your fingers
and move up and down the neck of your guitar. They are extremely
useful and serve as a great way to learn the notes on your fretboard.
Here
are some of the common movable chord shapes:
iiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiii
The
first shape shown above is a Major chord with the root on the 6th
string. The root is what names the chord. Learn the notes on your
6th string and you'll be all set. For example, holding that shape
on the seventh fret of our 6th string gives us a B Major because
the note on the seventh fret of our E string is a B and we are using
a Major shape.
The
second shape show from the above diagrams is a minor chord with
the root on the E string. The same rules apply as the previous chord.
If we play the minor shape on the 7th fret, we get a B minor chord
because the note on the seventh fret of our E string is a B and
we are using a minor shape.
The
third shape from the above diagrams is a Major chord with the root
on the fifth string. If we play this shape on the seventh fret of
our 5th string, we will get an E Major chord because the note on
the seventh fret of our A string is a E and we are using a Major
shape.
Lastly,
our fourth shape from the above diagrams is a minor chord with the
root on the fifth string. If we play this shape on the seventh fret
of our 5th string, we will get an E minor chord because the note
on the seventh fret of our A string is a E and we are using a minor
shape.
All
of the above chord shapes allow you to use a different set of tones
to accompany your riff. The two different Major and minor chord
each have their own feel and quality. Experiment and have fun play
with the different chords. You now have a great starting point for
many songs to come.
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Review
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Conclusion
That
raps up yet another edition of our Guitar Tips newsletter. We hope
you enjoyed this week's article. Creating your own chord progressions
doesn't have to be hard or frustrating. Before you know it, you
will find yourself thinking of the chords you would like to play
without the use of a chart.
Join
us next time as we dive into the world of home recording. Learn
what it takes to create a CD or tape from your bedroom! It's an
issue that no musician will want to miss out on.
Until
next time, keep on rocking!
WRITTEN
BY ELMORE MUSIC
If you've always wanted to learn to play the guitar but
never had the chance, give me 17 minutes a day for 90 days
and I'll show you how to play virtually any song you want!
Visit http://www.guitartips.com.au
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