song writing - guitar

hello everybody, lately while writing/improving songs ive noticed myself running into the same chord progressions. i really dont want to have my songs to sound to similar. any other musicians ever run into this problem??? if so, any ideas on how to work away from it??

 

read up on theory. i bet your chord progressions roughly end up as:
I, IV, V
or
I, VI, IV, V
so write them down before playing. example:
I, II, I, VI, IV, I, III, V
it might work.....

also add extra bits on, like 7ths, sus4s, #9s and anything weird you can find. that changes things a lot

different ways to play: simple as play it high or low, arpeggiate or strum. change rhythms: syncopated, straightforward, strong and riff-like or whatever

any ways you can change anything, write it down and save it for when you right next

 

Yeah, a 7th turn around is nice... or a Gsus4 inestead of a G brightens it up a little... and it doesn't really take much effort. I can play more instruments than I can even remember, a lot of the time. The things I've come to value the most that add a little spice to it... sevenths and fourths. I also tend to like walking up to an F# from an F (F#=G)... little things like that.

 

When I write a song, I usually put the lyrics and melody together before I knuckle down to the chords. Which makes it hell on the other members of the band, because one verse won't necessarily be played like the other.

 

My advice is to listen to many different musicians and you will be influenced by them. I have done this, and I find I have songs sounding like Neil Young to The Rolling Stones to Violent Femmes. Also, your songs are all gonna' sound similar in the way that they all contain your personal touch.

 

Neil Young seems to be obsessed with Em.

 

But... Em is such a fucking awesome chord.

 

Exactly...

 

I don't think he's obsessed with it. Greendale is nearly all in the key of D and he has loads of songs in G and A too.

 

ive actually taken a lot of theory classes so i know exactly what you are talking about. never thought to do it before though so thanks for the idea!!!

 

i would also like to thank everyone else for their input!! i think it will help me out a lot. honestly when i put this post up, i didn't think i would get so many responces so fast, and i really appreciate it. i love the forums!!

 

look at the chords the beatles use, mix and match them and youll start to get a better feel for chords and what mixes sound like what

 

when in doubt, add 7

 

and thank you for praising me, billisgod420 (i know)

 

Or a 6th, 2nd, or 4th.

 

it happens to the best of us, bill.

i agree with george and floyd soul. expanding your palette of musical variety and switching up the original chord.

btw katie....Em is a wicked chord. my favourite chord is Am tho.

 

right now my favorite chords are C7 and Bm7, you guys were right theres just something about 7ths, i love it, oh and by the way my songs have already been getting better and more original!!! thanks again everyone!!

 

Try experimenting with open tunings and perhaps adding the melody line into the actual chord progression. It really adds a lot of flavor to a relatively simple progression otherwise.

I'd also like to say that I'm obsessed with Eminor like you can't even believe! That and Dminor. Its aweful. But you can't force these things.

 

My favorite chord is B7... that chord rocks :H

 

I live for seventh turn arounds and funky little jazzy things... I've been doing folk/jazz stuff lately. Weird.