How to Write Your First Song, Part 1: the Basics of Chords (and Some Music Theory)

I began my foray into writing original songs less than a year ago. In this relatively short time, I have learned a LOT about songwriting and music in general. Though I am a classically-trained musician (which sounds very pretentious, though I guess it is), I didn't really know a lot about the structure of pop music, chords, etc. In trying to write songs, I have done lots of research and learning. From this learning, I present to you part one of this newly-created series that features some essential information and tips on writing your first song.

1. Learn some basic chords (and related music theory).

A guitar or piano would be very useful for this playing and learning chords. Chords essentially are the instrumental/harmonic backing to the melody. Note-wise, the majority of chords, at least the most important simple ones, are triads - meaning the root note, the third/mediant, and the fifth/dominant. Since that probably didn't make much sense, let me explain this a little further. The root note is the most important pitch of the chord, and it's the note that the chord is named after; for example, the root of any type of C chord is, as you can probably guess, C. The third is two notes above the root note (or four half steps/semi-tones for major thirds and three for minor thirds). The fifth is four notes above the root, or seven half steps. For example, a C major chord is composed of C, E, and G, while a Cm (C minor) chord is C, Eb, and G.

An explanations of some terms because that would probably be helpful: a flat (which looks like a lowercase "b"), is a half step below a note (e.g. Eb is a half step below E natural/normal E). A sharp (notated as "#") is the opposite; it's a half step above a note (e.g. F# is a half step above F natural).  Major chords usually give off a pleasant and positive feel, while minor chords are typically described as "sad". Also, major chords are generally notated with just the capital letter (like "C"), and minor chords are written with the capital letter and a lowercase "m" (like "Am").

Along with chords, knowing about key signatures and time signatures is beneficial. Time signatures show how many beats are in a measure and what note gets the note. For all intents and purposes, there are really only two types of time signatures that are used in popular music - 4/4 and 3/4. 4/4 means four beats per measure, devised of alternating strong and weak beats, and it is the used in the vast majority of songs. On the other hand, 3/4 has three beats per measure, and they are STRONG-weak-weak.

Key signatures basically tell you what notes are "allowed" to be used. There is a major and several types of minor key for every note, and each one has it's own set of notes that can be used. The purpose of this seemingly-limiting concept is to make melodies and such sound more musical and less random. The tonic chord is the most important one in whatever key you use - in C major, the C major chord is the tonic, and it's the one that the chords (along with the melody) want to resolve/end on. To know what chords are in each key, you can look it up or just figure it out if you know the key already.

However, just for reference, refer to the following list to know what type of chord (e.g. major, minor, etc.) is each scale degree in any given major key, with C major as an example:

1. Tonic/1st note: major (C - CEG)
2. Supertonic/2nd note: minor (Dm - DFA)
3. Mediant/3rd note: minor (Em - EGB)
4. Subdominant/4th note: major (F - FAC)
5. Dominant/5th note: major (G - GBD)
6. Submediant/6th note: minor (Am - ACE)
7. Leading tone/7th note: diminished (Bdim - BDF: diminished means that it is a minor chord but with the fifth a half step lower - in other words, the fifth is six half steps above the root note)
8. Octave/8th note: back to tonic!

Here is the same list, but for minor keys (with the key of E minor as an example):

1. Tonic: minor (Em - EGB)
2. Supertonic: diminished (F# - F#AC)
3. Mediant: major (G - GBD)
4. Subdominant: minor (Am - ACE)
5. Dominant: minor (Bm - BDF#)
6. Submediant: major (C - CEG)
7. Subtonic/7th note: minor (Dm - DFA)
8. Octave: the same as tonic

I hope this post was helpful! Stay tuned for future posts in this series. If you have any questions, feel free to ask it in the comments.