Guitar players and song writers HELP..

So here is a question..

How can I write a song?? I've been playing guitar for 4 years ( and yet im not that talented) but I've never been able to write a song ( Which I would really love to) I like. Much less play it for people. They just suck.

My problem is that I can't come up with the chords that sound good. I know that using "keys" helps or is the way to go but It doesn't seem to help my issue.
I tried just picking a random scale and strumming the chords randomly but it just sounded dull and boring.

So to you guys out there.. How do you do it?
How do you find the right cords, the right position to play them on, strumming pattern.. Etc..

I'm really frustrated because almost everyone on my guitar class learned how to do it some were impresive and really simple at the same time and i always ask my self how do they do it.

 

I'm a guitarist who has never taken any music training. All I do is experiment until I come up with something catchy that I like. It doesn't need to be overly complicated to sound good.

I like to figure out the guitar, before I write lyrics ... seems easier, but might not be for you.

If you're trying something basic, but looking for a different sound ... try using a capo, I really like what they can do for you. Helps change it up, while keeping it simple.

 

i agree just try things till they work and can be as simple as three chords picked and strummed in the right order. Then I play that and while playing i think about lyrics

 

I've been playing/writing for a while now. I find that the songs I"m most proud of are ones that just fall from the sky into my lap. They're songs that almost write themselves and I honestly view them as gifts from "above". I could sit there and work for years on one song and it will never be done, never be the way I really want it.

A very famous guitarist/writer told me when we were young that if you want to reach people, it's not about being the best guitarist, but about writing memorable songs. He was 100% right and that way of thinking has carried him into an amazing career. He's now playing alongside his guitar idols on stage, that he once played alongside on his tapedeck in his basement, when we were teens.

Write from the heart, keep it simple, make it catchy.

Here's a link to my songs in case you wanted to check them out:
www.myspace.com/joebeleznay

best of luck!

 

I've come up with some cool songs by just luck basically. I've found it easier to get one guitar part done, then I just mess around until I find something that sounds good.

However, in your case you may want to teach yourself a little bit of theory then try. You can get some pretty good basic beginner guides to music theory. There are certain structures you can use such as chord patterns and that also helps with what chords to use going from a chorus to a bridge or something like that. You can start with the timing you want to use, choose the chords get a strumming pattern and just go from there.

I'll also let you in on a little secret, there are only so many chords and chord patterns in Western Music, every chord pattern has been used over and over again. So really, pick a song you like, get the chords and just change the strumming patterns up or the chord changes, that's a real easy way to get started.

 

I'm guilty of doing this myself,i'll take a song i allready know,change it up a little(sometimes just changing the timeing can make a song sound completly different than the original)and then improvise other parts till i get something i like.This may sound like cheating a bit(but i'm 41 yrs old,so i'll never be on stage with some giant headliner)but it helps you develope your own sound,even if it's started off of someone elses music.