These little videos, of course, are only detailing TWO of the zillion ways to get a "song" up and running, but hopefully someone gleans something out of them:
In part 1 of this 2 part series, I show how to spice up a basic chord progression with Secondary Dominants, Modal Interchange, and different chord inversions.
Metamorphosis of a I (C) – IV (F) –V (G) progression in C:
01. C – G – C – F – F – C – G – C
02. C – G7 – C – F – F – C – G7 – C
03. C – G7 – C7 – F – F – C – G7 – C
04. C – G7 – C7 – F – Fm – C – G7 – C
05. C – G/B – C7/Bb – F/A – Fm/Ab – C/G – G – C
http://www.ultimate-guitar.tv/songwriting_lessons/dales_songwriting_video_part_1.htmlIn Part 2 of this Video Series, I demonstrate how familiarity with different artists' playing styles (James Taylor, Chet Atkins, Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley, Paul McCartney, John Frusciante, Jimi Hendrix, and more) can shape a progression (the chord sequence from Part 1: C – G/B – C7/Bb – F/A – Fm/Ab – C/G – G – C) into something that has an actual vibe, useable for the basis of a real song.
(The point is, try using the inspiration of your own guitar heroes to get beyond "the chords" and personalize their sound by varying voicings and right/left-hand approaches.)
http://www.ultimate-guitar.tv/songwriting_lessons/dales_songwriting_video_part_2.htmlEnjoy!!!!! (PS: Each one is under ten minutes long. And the 2nd one has more actual "playing.")
Dale