I have been songwriting most of my life and have written over a few hundred songs. I've co-written the ones I enjoy the most!

In this video, I hope to inspire you to co-write a song - even if you're still an advanced beginner guitar player. There are no rules for songwriting, and this easy lesson will help you get started and share some of my best practices and tips. But remember: everyone is different - and that's awesome!

The best thing about co-writing for me is your immediate sounding board in the other person. I often find the line between awesome and utter crap is pretty thin, so having someone to bounce ideas around with means that we can greatly accelerate the writing process.

No Rules!

There are no rules for writing songs, either when you're writing on your own or doing a co-write. Everybody has different strengths and weaknesses, and that's cool.

🔑 Great songwriting celebrates individuality.

Don't feel that you should restrict your songwriting partnership in any way! I find that the major benefit of doing a co-write is being able to decide if something is good or not. It's great to get instant feedback! So, it's quite a faster process for me when co-writing.

Sometimes, people are a little afraid of getting into songwriting and bearing their soul to somebody else - but it's worth remembering that many of the greatest songs of all time have come out of songwriting partnerships!

Great Co-Writing Partnerships

Before getting into some more details, let me mention a few famous co-writing partnerships! Lennon/McCartney is an obvious, and Jagger/Richards from the Rolling Stones too. You've also got Benny/Bjorn from ABBA and Page/Plant from Led Zeppelin. There are loads of great examples out there!

In my band, We Came as Strangers, my job mostly comes up with chords, and the singer's job is to find the melody and the lyrics. When dividing your skill set between your different strengths, everything flows better. ;)

How to Find Co-Writers to Work With

You can find somebody to write with in many different ways. I've always preferred being in a room with somebody - so I'd advise you to look for somebody you can meet with locally. I have written several songs online, but capturing the vibe is much more difficult there! It's much easier when you're in the same room.

💬 Join the Discussion in the JustinGuitar Community! You might find somebody to work with locally or virtually. The JustinGuitar Community has thousands of incredible guitar players and musicians from all over the world!

Before you start songwriting with someone, meet them for a coffee or a beer, chat about your favorite songs and references, and get to know each other's vibe. That will make a huge difference!

Be Positive! :)

Find somebody supportive and kind, and don't forget to be that way. :) Don't be too negative! If you're not nice or too picky, with a negative vibe, this won't make for a very cool song.

💡Learning together is way more fun and productive. You can share expertise!

Be flexible, understanding, and supportive. Nobody wants to work with an asshole - especially in something where you will be sharing deep thoughts and feelings. :)

Agreements

It's important to define some basics before getting started! In the beginning, I'd recommend you do an equal split between the people in the room. Some days, you might feel like you've done most of the work, and others, coffee making. On other days, you'll be the one doing less part of the writing, and that's part of the process. Ensure to even things out between you and the co-writers.

Start Simple

You don't need anything more than a guitar and a bit of paper to write a song. If you want to write modern music, meaning heavily produced music, you'll need to get hip with the tech. Still, for starting, try to write something that works well with just guitar and voice!

First Steps into Cowriting a Song

Here is a step-by-step to help you start writing your first song:

1 - You need a few 'seeds' - they are your starting points.

I have a collection of recordings I make on my phone, and then if I have a writing thing coming up, I listen back to a few so that I have some seeds to share! When I meet with a writer, we usually start with a vibe, maybe a style and what we like… then share some seeds - grab one and start to grow it!

2 - Always record your sessions and new ideas.

I also record everything. Usually with two devices - one master and one that we use for rewinding and checking things and recording chunks of material as we get it. Many times someone sings a bit of melody or a new chord, and it's awesome - but they won't remember it later.

3 - Work out your chord progressions and the basics.

Keep your chord progressions simple when you're starting. Use the diatonic chords of a key as a start - but there are no rules except it has to sound good! :) Start with a verse, then decide on a progression and a melody.

Experiment with some words, write another verse… make sure the melody is the same as the first verse. Think simple! Then, experiment with a chorus. It might help to think of verses where you tell your story, and the chorus is where you invite the listener to connect with their own story!

4 - Defining Your Song Form.

Once you have a verse and chorus, it's time to write another verse. Work with the following structure as a starting point:

Verse - Verse - Chorus - Verse - Chorus - Bridge - Chorus - Chorus.

Once you have the lyrics and form, you've written a song. Congratulations! But your song might not be ready, and you're allowed to tweak and change it. Revising and experimenting is common and often a good idea - though learning when to call it DONE is also a good idea!

Don't Expect Too Much

When you're a beginner songwriter, you'll write some crappy songs, and that's ok. You were crap at guitar when you started - so why would this be any different? ;) Study songs you love is, I think, the best way to learn - but that is another lesson for another time. :)

For now - I hope you keep enjoying this Beginner Guitar Course - Grade 3. Happy Trails!