For this article a short brief to kickstart the writingprocess. There are many, many ways how you can start your songwriting. There are many elements which make up a song, listen to this song which sums it all up:

Okay now you know what makes up a song let us have a quick look at how you can start your  own writing process:
Pick up an unamplified electric guitar and start noodeling around, play around with chords and melodies until something hits you. Can things be any simpler?? Once you have some basic ideas, flesh them out a little more, just have fun……………

Why oh why Eddie use an unamplified electic for this process? Good question, and I will tell you why: Give me a Strat, plug me in into one of my Marshalls and I hear Jimi Hendrix, Clapton, Satriani or……………………….and one of the reasons is, the guitar and the amp defines your sound so much that it will make me play like any of those players I mentioned. Cool!? Yes, but there are times you may just want to be around without any referencepoints.
When you use an unamplified electric guitar it will just give you the pure sound of nickel strings and wood. It is pure, naked open and not defined. You are starting the process right? No sure yet what you want your song to sound like style-and tonewise. What a better way to start your writing than being completely open and fresh?

Once you have a better idea of what you want your song to be like you can plug the electic into any of your favourite amps, add effects to it to see what it sound like with all this clutter in between your guitar and amp. If all of this leads to nothing you can always unplug (or just turn volumecontrol down!) the guitar and start again noodeling from scratch.

If you feel you have a finishished song idea it may be fun to adapt this song for an acoustic guitar. When you go to the acoustic, be free, use fingerpicking and be not afraid to make changes in feel,number of bars and yes even the melody of your song.

Working in this manner you may end up with versions of your songs mainly for electric or acoustic guitar. It is just one of the methods which may work. I find it an absolute joy how an unamplified guitar works each time as source of inspiration for whatever I want to do.

For futureblogs more about writing and guitartechnique and playing.
Have fun and hope to see you soon again,
Eddie