About Daniel Johnson Expertise I can answer questions on verse and chorus construction.
I can answer questions on lyric and melody writing.
I can suggest ways to overcome writers block and to spark a creative flow.
I can`t answer advanced questions about notation or music theory.
I can`t answer questions about composing classical music or eastern music.
Experience I am an active songwriter and have been writing off and on for over 35 years. I have written and performed in a wide variety of styles, including folk, rock, pop, bluegrass, country, old school R&B and soul. Over the years I've performed my original songs in a variety of bands, duos and solo in the USA, Canada, Europe and Central America.
Publications I co-author a songwriting newsletter, the Songwriter's Tip Jar and I started an online songwriter forum also called Songwriter's Tip Jar.
Education/Credentials I studied classical music at Penn State University as well as guitar, jazz and theory with several excellent private teachers.
Question Hi Mr Daniel, i am Prashant from India. I've just begun song writing, though i've been singing for the last 5 years. I've been a mediocre rythm guitarist for the past few years and i know only the most common positions for the major and minor chords.
i want to know the purpose of chords. How chords change the mood of the song ( beyond the obvious major and minor moods). and whether there is something like a right chord.
and i dont actually know sometimes whether my song deserves better chords than the standard ones.or whether they fit in. how do i judge this? i really want to use better chords than the regular ones used.
Answer Prashant,
The purpose of chords. I don't know if I can tell you the purpose of chords. I think in terms of these two opposite feelings: chords that feel at rest and chords that feel unresolved.
Here are some other terms that describe the two opposite feelings:
at rest in motion
------- ---------
resolved unresolved
stable unstable
in place leading somewhere
at home coming home
balanced off balance
It's all about context because the same chord can feel 'at rest' in one song and in motion in another, depending on the chords that come before it.
In general major and minor chords feel the most stable, while diminished and augmented chords feel unstable. The more 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, etc. that you add, the more unstable the chord feels. The same goes for adding suspendeds, sharping and flatting notes (i.e. E7b5 or B7#9) and adding a non-chord tone in the bass. Using a chord outside the key also adds an element of unresolved or instability.
So the 'purpose' of a chord in a song might be to give the listener a stable feeling, for example to indicate the end of a verse or the end of the song. Or the purpose could be to indicate restlessness or motion (which leads to restfulness, lack of motion, resolution or whatever you call it at the end of a phrase, verse or the song itself).
A chord can also be used (in a film for example) to create suspense.
If you're not versed in the more complex chords, you can always work with another musician who will write chords to your melody. I know many songwriters who are lyricists and melody writers, but who do not play an instrument, so they rely on a producer or other musician to supply the chords.
