Note: Some of you have used the following exercise/game to write new music. If so, please leave a comment and share that music. Would love to see what you’ve come up with.
You know the game. You say what you associate with a particular word when the word is thrown at you. For example: Paris: Eiffel. Coffee: Good Morning. Etc etc.
Sometimes when you’re trying to write and the chords are not speaking to you, it helps to listen to how they speak to you. So, I was thinking of what chord types give me what feeling and how could I use that to write songs and perhaps tell a story – or a theme at least.
Major – Home
Minor – Nostalgia
Major 7th – Love
Minor 7th – Joy
7th – Pain
Diminished – Puzzle
Just a few to start with. No need to do that with all the chords (you will go nuts and be very confused). That’s what I feel when I hear these chords play. Varying a chord type will also my perception of it. To simplify: DM7 will feel slightly different than CM7 – than EbM7. If the example was explained with colors, think of the the color red in comparison to burgundy.
How would I write songs or music with that? If I played the progression, a IIm7-V7-IM7 (Dm7-G7-CM7), and tried to state a theme or tell a story, it just might mean – taking the association I’ve made above – “Joy Pain Love”
Doesn’t make much sense, does it? So we need to work on it a little more. Played in sequence, the three chord seems to tell something else – esp. after I’ve decided if the strings should be softly strummed, plucked bluegrass style, or hit hard with a pick.
The night is a little cold and I’m feeling a little nostalgic. My fingers – because my heart tells it to – play the chords gently. A title springs to mind and the seed of a song is born as “When I Remember Your Face.” I think I can work with that.
Just one of many, many, many ways you can write songs.
What comes to your mind when you hear those same chord types? Do you tend to pick certain types over others?
Related: Why Did You Pick Up The Guitar Today?
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Awesome little breakdown of the chords. Thanks a bunch.
You’re welcome, Ash! And thanks for stopping by!
I just finished writing a song that utilizes this style! Thank you!
Nice, Seafroggys! Would you be open to sharing your process?
Emon,
Just discovered your site recently. This is the kind of thing I’ve been looking for recently: how to go about writing new stuff and how to bridge the gap between theory and art. It’s more interesting to me than the thousand posts out there about scales or shredding.
Keep up the good work.
Chris McCarleys last blog post..Sexed Robots
Thank you, Chris, for visiting and for the encouragement! Look forward to your thoughts, feedback, and comments. And…our conversation on Twitter shall continue!
This is a great post about chords and how to use them to write music. I love the way that you used words to describe the different types of chords. Keep up the good work!
Thank you, Jeffrey!
very cool idea, the chord association, is something im going to try.
thank you, dan!
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