Help Me

hey im new to music theory but i have spent alot of time learning songs and just playing my guitar and im really good at it and can play about anything but i want to write my own songs now. And i dont know how. Basically all I need is to know what notes I can play over what chords and I will be good. So for example if I play a d5 power chord what are all the notes i can play over that chord. Thanks

If you can play the guitar really well, you could try branching off onto other instruments, so that you can eventually write for more than one type of instrument in the future.

You "can" play any note over any chord, it depends on what you're trying to compose. Any note added to a chord makes it a different chord. It depends on the next chord you pick in the song where you usually can go with a melody, etc. Share some more about what you're trying to accomplish.

I'd recommend the book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Composition".... it's pretty cheap at most bookstores.

Hmmm...

1) Smash that guitar and grab a musical instrument.

2) While you're at it, grab some music theory books. Power chords are nice and useful and they sound great but music's much more than that...

3) Check out the lessons forum...there are helpful, friendly (mostly) people there, willing to help.

4) On second thought, don't smash that guitar...winter's coming and some nice ebony firewood is the stuff!

Hope this helps...

:P

Dude, play Minor Pentatonics like everyone else, it's the way forward.

Over a D5, use the scale, D, F, G, A, C, D.

And if you want to write a riff you can use the power chords where those notes are the root note.

There's also the blues scale which is common, D, F, G, Ab, A, C, D.

That's just some basic scraggy. If you want, you can transpose it all up a semitone, so you're playing D#5 and playing the notes D#, F#, G#, A#, C#, D# over the top of it.

Congratulations, now you're Jimi Hendrix.

I'd recommend the book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Composition".... it's pretty cheap at most bookstores.

I'm getting that on Thursday! :thumbsup:

Hmmm...

1) Smash that guitar and grab a musical instrument.

2) While you're at it, grab some music theory books. Power chords are nice and useful and they sound great but music's much more than that...

3) Check out the lessons forum...there are helpful, friendly (mostly) people there, willing to help.

4) On second thought, don't smash that guitar...winter's coming and some nice ebony firewood is the stuff!

Hope this helps...

:P

Whoa...

Now, I enjoyed an understanding chuckle after reading the first post, like I'm sure others did, but what's this? Guitar isn't a musical instrument? I'm hoping that the lighthearted fooling around implied by that :P smiley extends all the way up to 1) there, or I'm gonna have to start disregarding posts by this gentleman.

Guitars can too be instruments! :angry:

You just have to play something other then that modern, top-40 radio scraggy :rolleyes:

Whoa...

Now, I enjoyed an understanding chuckle after reading the first post, like I'm sure others did, but what's this? Guitar isn't a musical instrument? I'm hoping that the lighthearted fooling around implied by that :P smiley extends all the way up to 1) there, or I'm gonna have to start disregarding posts by this gentleman.

Guitar...a musical instrument...:glare: depends on how you use it. Unfortunately, most times it is as musical as sticking dental floss in your teeth and using it as an 'harp' accompaniment to 'the Swan', the melody being played by hand farts. :P

Point is, I would be hardly pressed to consider the guitar as the ideal instrument if you want to compose. It doesn't have the harmonic capabilities of the piano, nor the expressive potential of 'singing', melodic instruments. It's good for showing-off, but that's another issue.

What about classical guitar? I understand if you're talking about electric guitar but listen to

Even though I ｃｏｎｓｉｄｅｒ the classical guitar repertoire to be second-class, I love this piece!!

But, when I say 'singing' (might be my poor English), I refer to the physical capability of an instrument to allow for control for the full duration of the note (and its ending), apart from the initial attack (e.g. Clarinet, viola, straw flute).

More gorgeous guitar music.

Even though I ｃｏｎｓｉｄｅｒ the classical guitar repertoire to be second-class, I love this piece!!

But, when I say 'singing' (might be my poor English), I refer to the physical capability of an instrument to allow for control for the full duration of the note (and its ending), apart from the initial attack (e.g. Clarinet, viola, straw flute).

If your English is poor then how does one describe the English of most of Britain? I now understand what you meant by singing - and shall attempt to find you some first class classical guitar music :D

Mark, I understand you play the recorder, as well? :) Then you definitely know what I'm talking about.

Thank you for the beautiful music. But, having had the guitar as my primary instrument for a dozen years, I know the repertoire somewhat. Actually, the only pieces I truly enjoyed playing on the classical guitar were re-arrangements for it. The cello suites of Bach, the piano sonatas of Beethoven, estaciones portenas by Piazzolla...

Beethoven Sonatas arranged for guitar? How could I possibly not have known that? I must find some and learn them :D

Yes, I can't remember which exactly, but I'm sure that moonlight sonata has been arranged for classical guitar. Finding them...ok! Learning them? Good luck!