Guitar Wars

To become a more effective songwriter, there comes a point where every guitarist must break out of the conventional major and minor scales and add flavor to their sound by using 'outside' notes and chords to create a more interesting musical experience for the listener. One of the essential features of Western music is the dynamic of ‘tension and resolution’.   Building tension throughout a song and then releasing that tension through resolution into the tonic note is a key part of songwriting that hooks the listener in and keeps them coming back for more. Similar to tension-building, the idea of ‘adding color’ to chords and melodies becomes necessary to keep the listener engaged and improve songwriting quality.    Good songwriters have the ability to use notes that sound vibrant, colorful, and pique the listener’s attention.    In short, over-reliance on the basic major and minor scales eventually grows stale.  When these formulas begin to lose their effect, the songwriter