3♣ Use up some ink and paper

3♣ Three of Clubs in The Rock Songwriter’s Deck: 52 Ways to Write a Song

When writing a song -- or creating anything -- we naturally want the results to be great. Why set out to create something average? But the pressure to produce great stuff is a burden on the creative process. It's hard to be inventive when you need guaranteed results. At worst, you might find that you can't write anything at all, for the fear that you might create something that isn't good enough.

The Three of Clubs gives us an antidote to perfectionism and writer's block. Start with several blank sheets of paper, and keep writing until you have filled them up! Your new goal isn't to create goodness, it's to end up with a page full of stuff -- new stuff that you just wrote.

At worst, you'll create something bad, and you can throw it out. But if you persist, you will eventually, without even trying, come up with a brilliantly fresh idea. Those ideas are hanging around, waiting to come out -- but they can only emerge if you're actually writing, and only while you're not paying full attention to what you're doing.

Paradoxically, it can be easier to write ten songs than it is to write one song. When you're writing one song, that song alone carries the weight of all your hopes and ambitions, and your writing gets bogged down. But if you're going to write ten songs, there's less pressure on each of them, and you can speed through the process.

Take on the Three of Clubs' challenge. Empty out your pen, and fill up the page with new songs. Are they good songs? It doesn't even matter! You can decide that later -- right now you're busy writing.

J♠ Your brand, your song

J♠ Jack of Spades in The Rock Songwriter’s Deck: 52 Ways to Write a Song
The Jack of Spades pulls us into the realm of marketing and image-making. Though it might seem strange to think of a rock recording artist as a brand, that is exactly what successful music marketing people do. A recording artist is a product line with a brand and image just as much as pizzas or televisions are.

If you've never done a branding exercise, here's the short version: What are some of the qualities values, and images that you (ideally) want people to think of in connection with you as a famous rock star?

Bruce Springsteen has (among other things) New Jersey and working class; ZZ Top has beards and classic cars.

What are your things? Make a short list, and then write a song about one of them.

If it seems cynical and wrong to let marketing considerations guide your songwriting, let me suggest that you think about it in exactly the opposite way. Let your artistry expand beyond songwriting and performing to encompass image-making and marketing. Use your inspiration and your creative process to create yourself as an artist and public persona. Your songs should fit that persona, because they come from the same creative wellspring.

So take up the Jack of Spades' challenge: write a song this week that's perfectly matched to your branding.

Chord phrases in 11 other popular keys

Not every song is in C major or C minor. If you need help transposing all of this week's useful chord phrases into other keys, use the Chord Transposition Tool. It works online and on paper.

120 useful chord phrases in C minor

Yesterday we gave you 200 chord progressions — or chord phrases — in C major. Today it's C minor's turn. And the minor key always gets the short stick. There are only 120 chord phrases in this list. But don't worry — with a little ingenuity you can invent plenty more.

1. Cm - - -
2. Cm - E♭ -
3. Cm - Fm Cm
4. Cm A♭ Fm Cm
5. Cm E♭ Fm Cm
6. Cm Gm Fm Cm
7. Cm B♭ Fm Cm
8. Cm Gm A♭ Cm
9. Cm B♭ A♭ Cm
10. Cm B♭ A♭ E♭
11. E♭ - - -
12. E♭ - Fm Cm
13. E♭ - A♭ Cm
14. E♭ B♭ Fm Cm
15. E♭ B♭ A♭ Cm
16. Cm - Gm Cm
17. Cm - G7 Cm
18. Cm - B♭ Cm
19. Cm - B♭ E♭
20. E♭ - G Cm
21. E♭ - B♭ Cm
22. Cm - Fm -
23. Cm A♭ Fm -
24. Cm E♭ Fm -
25. Cm - A♭ -
26. Cm E♭ A♭ -
27. Cm Gm Cm Fm
28. Cm B♭ Cm Fm
29. E♭ B♭ Cm Fm
30. Cm Gm Fm -
31. Cm B♭ Fm -
32. Cm Gm A♭ -
33. Cm B♭ A♭ -
34. Cm E♭ B♭ A♭
35. Cm E♭ Gm Fm
36. Cm - Gm -
37. Cm - G -
38. Cm - B♭ -
39. Cm Fm Cm Gm
40. Cm A♭ E♭ Gm
41. Cm B♭ Cm Gm
42. E♭ B♭ Fm Gm
43. Cm Fm Gm -
44. Cm Fm B♭ -
45. Cm A♭ Gm -
46. Cm A♭ B♭ -
47. Cm E♭ Fm Gm
48. Cm E♭ Fm B♭
49. Cm E♭ A♭ Gm
50. Cm E♭ A♭ B♭
51. E♭ Fm Gm -
52. E♭ Fm A♭ Gm
53. Fm - - -
54. A♭ - - -
55. A♭ - Fm -
56. Fm Cm Fm -
57. A♭ E♭/G Fm -
58. Fm E♭ Em -
59. Fm Gm Cm Fm
60. Fm B♭ Cm Fm
61. A♭ A♭ Cm Fm
62. A♭ Gm Cm Fm
63. Fm Gm Fm -
64. Fm B♭ Fm -
65. Fm B♭ A♭ -
66. A♭ B♭ Fm -
67. A♭ B♭ A♭ Fm
68. Fm - Cm -
69. Fm A♭ Cm -
70. A♭ - Cm -
71. A♭ Fm Cm -
72. Fm - E♭ -
73. A♭ - E♭ -
74. A♭ E♭ Fm Cm
75. Fm E♭ Dm7-5 Cm
76. Fm Gm Fm Cm
77. Fm B♭ Fm Cm
78. A♭ B♭ Fm Cm
79. Fm Gm Cm -
80. Fm B♭ Cm -
81. A♭ B♭ Cm -
82. Fm B♭ Gm Cm
83. Fm - Gm -
84. Fm - B♭ -
85. A♭ - G -
86. A♭ - B♭ -
87. Fm Cm Fm Gm
88. Fm E♭/G A♭ B♭
89. Fm E♭ A♭ G
90. A♭ Cm A♭ B♭
91. Gm - - -
92. G - - -
93. Gm - G7 -
94. B♭ - - -
95. Gm - Cm Gm
96. B♭ Cm Gm -
97. Gm Fm Cm Gm
98. B♭ A♭ Cm Gm
99. Gm - Fm Gm
100. G - A♭ G
101. Gm A♭ Fm Gm
102. Gm - Fm -
103. Gm - A♭ -
104. B♭ - Fm -
105. B♭ - A♭ -
106. Gm Cm Gm Fm
107. B♭ Cm Gm Fm
108. B♭ Cm B♭ Fm
109. Gm Cm Fm -
110. B♭ Cm Fm -
111. B♭ Cm A♭ -
112. B♭ E♭ Fm -
113. Gm - Cm -
114. G - Cm -
115. B♭ - Cm -
116. Gm Fm Gm Cm
117. G A♭ B♭ Cm
118. Gm A♭ G7 Cm
119. Gm Fm B♭ Cm
120. B♭ Fm B♭ Cm

Copyright note: These are commonly used chord phrases, so there are no copyright issues to keep you from using them to create an original song. But please don't copy the entire list and post it somewhere else online. Link back to this blog post instead. Thanks!

200 useful chord phrases in C major

We've spent two full months of this blog exploring the basics of chord writing in rock music so you can create your own chord progressions (or chord phrases, as I like to call them). Personally, I love this stuff! There are so many hidden symmetries to discover, so many subtle relationships between notes that you can play with.

But... I know not everyone wants to master the intricacies of chords. Or even if you want to learn it all, you might have to write a song by tomorrow, with no time to learn even the basics.

All right, then. Here is your cheat sheet: 200 ready-to-rock chord phrases in C major. They'll work perfectly well in any other major key if you transpose them accordingly (or just use the transpose button on your electronic keyboard!).

Wherever you need a phrase of music, just drop in one of these chord phrases. (One key tip: Use repetition; that is, use some of the chord phrases more than once. It helps your song hang together.)

By the way, these chord phrases are not random; they're in a sort of functional order. So don't just pick from the beginning of the list. Use dice or something to choose at random from the entire list.

1. C - - -
2. C Csus4 C Csus4
3. C - Am -
4. C Am C Am
5. Am - - -
6. C - F C
7. C Am F C
8. C E♭ F C
9. C Dm F C
10. C D7 Fm C
11. C Em F C
12. C G F C
13. C B♭ F C
14. C F Dm C
15. C Em Dm C
16. C G Dm C
17. C G F Am
18. Am - F C
19. Am Dm F C
20. Am - Dm C
21. Am - F Am
22. Am F C Am
23. Am G F C
24. Am Em F C
25. Am G F Am
26. C - G C
27. C/G G C -
28. C Am G C
29. C G G7 C
30. C - B♭ C
31. Am - G C
32. Am - G Am
33. C F G C
34. C Dm G C
35. C E♭ B♭ C
36. C F B♭ C
37. C F G Am
38. C F E7 Am
39. C Dm G Am
40. Am F G C
41. Am Dm G C
42. Am F G Am
43. Am F E Am
44. C - F -
45. C Am F -
46. C Am C F
47. C - Dm -
48. C - Dm F
49. C E♭ F A♭
50. C A♭ F -
51. C Am F Dm
52. C G C F
53. C G Am F
54. C Em/B Am F
55. Am - F -
56. C G F -
57. C G Dm F
58. C Em F -
59. C Am E F
60. C Am G F
61. C B♭ F -
62. C E♭ B♭ F
63. C F G F
64. C F G A♭
65. C F B♭ F
66. C F B♭ A♭
67. C Dm G F
68. C Dm Em F
69. C F Em Dm
70. Am G F -
71. Am - Em F
72. Am C G F
73. C - G -
74. C Am G -
75. C - B♭ -
76. Am - G -
77. C F C G
78. C F Am G
79. C Dm Am G
80. C Em/B Am G
81. Am F C G
82. C F G -
83. C C/E F G
84. C Am F G
85. C E♭ F G
86. C F Dm G
87. C Dm F G
88. C D F G
89. C - F B♭
90. Am F G -
91. Am C F G
92. C G F G
93. C G/B F/A G
94. C B♭ F G
95. C B♭ F B♭
96. C B♭ A♭ B♭
97. C Em F G
98. Am Em F G
99. F - - -
100. F - Dm -
101. Dm - F -
102. F C F -
103. Dm C/E F -
104. F Am F -
105. Dm Am F -
106. F Am C F
107. F Dm C F
108. F C Dm -
109. F G C F
110. F G Am F
111. F - G F
112. F C G F
113. F Am G F
114. Dm C G F
115. F C B♭ F
116. F - C -
117. F Dm C -
118. F - Am -
119. F Am F C
120. F C F C
121. F C/E Dm7 C
122. F G F C
123. F Em F C
124. F B♭ F C
125. Dm - C -
126. F G C -
127. Dm G C -
128. F Dm G C
129. F G Am -
130. F B♭ C -
131. A♭ B♭ C -
132. F C G C
133. F C/G G C
134. F Am G C
135. F C G Am
136. F - G -
137. F Dm G -
138. F - B♭ -
139. Dm - G -
140. Dm7 - G7sus4 G7
141. F C F G
142. F Am F G
143. F Am Dm G
144. F Em F G
145. F Em Dm G
146. F C/E Dm G
147. Dm C/E F G
148. Dm Em F G
149. G - - -
150. G - G7 -
151. G - G7sus4 -
152. Gsus4 - G -
153. B♭ - - -
154. G - C G
155. G - Am G
156. G C Am G
157. G Am C/G G
158. Em Am C G
159. B♭ C B♭ -
160. G F C G
161. G Dm C G
162. G F Am G
163. G Dm Am G
164. G - F G
165. Em F G -
166. G F Dm G
167. G C F G
168. G Am F G
169. G - F -
170. Em - F -
171. B♭ - F -
172. G C G F
173. G Am G F
174. B♭ C G F
175. G C F -
176. G Am C F
177. G C Am F
178. G F C F
179. G C C7 F
180. B♭ C F -
181. B♭ F C F
182. G - C -
183. G - G7 C
184. B♭ - C -
185. G - Am -
186. G F G C
187. G F B♭ C
188. G A♭ G C
189. G A♭ B♭ C
190. G F G Am
191. G Dm G C
192. G Dm G Am
193. G C G C
194. G C G Am
195. G Am G C
196. E7 Am G C
197. B♭ F B♭ C
198. B♭ F G C
199. Em F G Am
200. Em F G C

Copyright note: These are commonly used chord phrases, so there are no copyright issues to keep you from using them to create an original song. But please don't copy the entire list and post it somewhere else online. Link back to this blog post instead. Thanks!

4♠ Start with a loop

4♠ Four of Spades in The Rock Songwriter’s Deck: 52 Ways to Write a Song
The Four of Spades gives us a time-honored way to write a song. Start with a loop. A loop is a segment of audio that repeats over and over. You build your song over the repeats of the loop. The repetition gives you an automatic catchy element, while it also enforces a constraint on where your song can go.

In olden times, before music was recorded on computers, people still worked with loops and build songs from them. They cut out a section of magnetic recording tape, spliced the two ends together to make a physical loop of tape, and arranged the tape recorder so that it would keep playing that section of tape over and over.

Today, it's almost too easy: you can grab any audio clip and tell your recording program to loop it. (Copyright warning: It's a good idea to use audio material that you're legally entitled to use. If you sample another artist's song, you might create legal troubles that cost more than your new song is worth.)

If looping digital audio doesn't suit your style, you can also do loops the acoustic way: play a repeating riff or chord phrase over and over without variation, and use that repeating material as a framework on which to build a new song.

Any questions?

I've been talking about chords for a while, and I think we're almost done covering the basics of that subject. Do you have any questions about chords? Or about any aspect of songwriting or creativity? Please add your questions as comments on this post. I'll post quick answers here or address them in upcoming blog posts.

As I may have mentioned at the outset, I started this blog without a plan. After wrapping up chords, what songwriting subjects should I dig into next? Eventually, I need to cover melody writing, song structure, the many aspects of lyrics writing, and the creative process. And ultimately, after getting through all the basics, I want to explain the advanced and systematic approach that I call songcrafting.

If you have an opinion on what I should cover next, post it here. Most enthusiastic faction rules!