Music Theory for Songwriters

Part Two
I, IV, and V Chords, Keys, Chords in D

Concept #4 - Getting Started

For your first exploration into the world of songwriting, it's helpful to establish some "rules." These are not rules in the sense that they cannot be broken; these are suggestions or good ideas. You'll do better if you follow these "rules" most of the time.

Rule Number 1 - Start and end your song with the I chord. This establishes clearly where you are, and helps both you and the listener experience a strong beginning and ending.

Rule Number 2 - I, IV, and V are the three chords you will use most often. Many songs have been written with just these three chords.

Rule Number 3 - Choose a key. We haven't discussed keys yet, so let's address that next. You already know that a major scale can be numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Each of these numbers represents a note. You can sing the scale or play it on an instrument.

When you sing, you don't always think of the note as having a name, because your voice can sing high and low and everywhere in between. It may not matter to you what note it is as long as it sounds good. But when you play an instrument like the piano, each note has a name and a location on the instrument.

So when you walk up to the piano to play 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, you have to ask a question first. Where is note 1? The answer is you may choose whichever note you like to be note 1. But after you choose note 1, the major scale determines where 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 are located. You can't just jump around and call them whatever you want. You only get to choose note 1.

Whichever note you choose to be note 1 is the name of the "key." So if you choose a D to be note 1, you will be playing in the key of D. If you choose an A, you will be playing in the key of A.

Choosing note 1, playing the scale, and then finding the chords based on each note in that scale can be a bit of a challenge at first, so let’s simplify things by using the following table.