This is the first time I have posted on this part of GN, but that is because it is the first time that I actually decided that I would like to write songs as opposed to creating guitar parts for them :D
I have listened to some of my favorite songs, and like the pattern of the big pre chorus leading into the main chorus but in terms of theory, and chord progression ideas, I really need help on what the best way to approach this is in my writing.
What common/ general rules apply to writing a pre chorus, then chorus chord progression?
I know this is like asking how long a piece of string is, but what ideas do you guys use??
"I like to play that guitar. I have to stare at it while I'm playing it because I'm not very good at playing it."
Noel Gallagher (who took the words right out of my mouth)
Hmmm...tough one, Al. Trying to think of songs I've written with a pre-chorus....and how I went about it. I came up with a couple of them, both in the key of A....one starts with an E chord, then B, then E, then G before starting the actual chorus with a D chord. The other's just B, E, B and E then E7.
I think what you might be looking for, basically, is tension and resolution....tension in the chords leading up to the chorus, then resolution in the chorus itself.
Try fooling around with a chord progression for the verses, then the chorus next.....then try fitting the chords for the pre-chorus in.
I have to say, though, that's not really the way I write....I tend to go with lyrics first, fitting a melody to the lyrics as I go then finding the chords that fit that melody. Maybe you could try that? Or, if you're short of lyrics, try writing an instrumental bridge between the verses and chorus, then fit the chords to that?
A good book to invest a few quid in at this stage of your learning curve might be David Hodge's "Complete Idiot's Guide To The Art Of Songwriting," co-written with a guy called Casey Kelly. I was hooked by the end of the first chapter, where Mr Kelly explains how a producer told him three simple rules of songwriting....the first time he tried to write to this formula, he came up with a song that he thought was a throw-away joke, but which got covered by about 30-odd different artists!
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
