Guitar Nine Columns: Songwriting and Composition

Adding color to the bland, unifying lyrics, and other compositional techniques.

Kevin Ferguson offers guiding principles used to transcribe and arrange Vivaldi (and other Baroque) violin concertos to electric guitars.

The lighter/darker side of the enigmatic diminished tritone, and its infamous interval, the b5th.

The often misunderstood and underappreciated interval - the minor second.

Kole goes beyond rut-busting, with tips on how to surpass all ruts.

Kole supplies you, the songwriter/composer with three tools that will help you kick writer`s block `night in the ruts`.

An introduction to the most familiar way of analyzing and composing music for many of us.

You can get so much from exposure to unfamiliar music styles.

A theory borrowed from psychology but adapted by the author to the musical realm.

Tom Hess with his fourth installment on songwriting, with more advanced, yet simple and overlooked concepts.

Michael Knight looks at some activities for versatile composition and soloing.

The second part of the process and benefits of writing down and charting specific details of the things the composer wishes to express is explained.

Tom Hess with his third installment on ideas on selecting and using a compositional process that works best for you.

Tom Hess with even more ideas on selecting and using a compositional process that works best for you.

The process and benefits of writing down and charting specific details of the things the composer wishes to express is explained.

Tom Hess with ideas on selecting and using a compositional process that works best for you.

Most guitarist are predominantly one or the other. Here`s some ways to achieve some balance.

Tom Hess urges you to get beyond `guitarist` and `musician` to uncover the `artist` within.

Developing riffs and melodies into complete, interesting and listenable pieces of music.

Guitarist A-J Charron is here with his ideas on writing from the heart (not the checkbook).

Ready to quit your day job? Get some thoughts and advice first, from one who`s done it.

If you learn other peoples solos or listen to other people`s music, will it ruin your own creativity? Scott Tarulli gives his personal opinion.

Hess guitarist Mike Walsh has got a great use for your next spare Benjamin.

Interested in an aural and methodical inspiration? Let the Sultan of String show you his thematic ideas.

Let guitarist Alan Lennon take you through the basics of writing songs, starting with the fundamentals of chord progressions.

Creating a harmonic relationship between sections and adding to the sense of forward motion - Randy Ellefson is here with some great ideas.

Tom Hess is back with a second installment on how creativity can be enhanced to improve songwriting and improvisation.

Tom Hess discusses how creativity can be enhanced and stimulated to improve songwriting and improvisation.

Bryon Thompson on discovering new ways of writing stronger and more original material.

How do you write something fast, expressive and musical? Randy Ellefson is here with some tips.

An in-depth look at Fareri`s neo-classical shred debut from the guitarist himself.

Composition angles from the man known as Beurks.

Brazilian guitarist teaches by example in his first Guitar Nine column.

G9er Will Landrum is here to help when you seem to be fresh out of ideas.

Gerry Magee begins his multi-part series on expanding your mind, as well as your fretboard, with the benefits of thinking like a composer.

How to use the song structure method to jump-start compositions.

Arnold Schulman discusses lyric writing for the beginner.