• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

Adam Rafferty

Funky Fingerstyle Guitar

  • Home
  • Free Guitar Lessons
  • My New Book
  • Store
  • Tour
  • Blog
    • All Posts List
  • Podcast
    • All Episodes List
  • About
  • Contact
    • NEW – “Ask Adam” Voicemail
    • Booking Contact
    • Contact (email)
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / Guitar / How To Write a Song – (Reprise – A la Seth Godin)

How To Write a Song – (Reprise – A la Seth Godin)

By Adam Rafferty 3 Comments

You can have the best mics, preamps and converters.
You can have Logic Pro.
You can have all the plug ins.
You can have the samples.

You can have the look.
You can have the groove.
You can have the online presence.
You can have 100 bazillion youtube hits.

You can have the lyrics.
You can have the dance moves.
You can have the sex appeal.
You can have the “gigs” in the hip spots.

You can have the intellectual explanation.
You can have the university teaching position.
You can have the “chops.”
You can have the harmonic know-how.

=-=-=

All of that is fine and good and adds tremendously to a musical experience.

I’m not dissing any of that.Ā  It’s all very good and excellent stuff!!!

However in the end, after all of that….

Sing me the melody.

Filed Under: Guitar, Jazz Education, Online Promotion, Recording, Success

About Adam Rafferty

I’m Adam Rafferty – a guitar player born and raised in New York City, and currently spending most of my time on tour playing concerts and coaching my guitar students online at StudyWithAdam.com

Trending

  • 10 Tips for Healthy Guitar Practicing
  • Guitar Right Hand Technique – Nails vs Flesh?
  • How To Build Your Own Fingerstyle Guitar Arrangements – Part 1
  • Should You Use a Thumb Pick for Fingerstyle Guitar?
  • Don’t Use a Metronome
  • My Personal Fingerstyle Guitar Setup Measurements
  • 8 Tips for Playing Fingerstyle Guitar Without Making Mistakes
  • Critical Info for Youtube Musicians Who Perform Cover Songs
  • Youtube Recording Technique for Guitar Videos
  • The Secret to Improving Your Guitar Skills and Battling Frustration

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Phil Traynor says

    September 10, 2011 at 3:47 pm

    As usual, you distill things down to the essence, and express them thoughtfully. Keeps our brains on the straight ad narrow. šŸ™‚ Thanks!

    Reply
  2. warmingtone says

    September 12, 2011 at 7:16 am

    A great book, part bio part technical is Jimmy Webb’s ‘songsmith’.

    Certainly the study of melody takes a back seat to harmony in a lot of education too…

    just a few thoughts, keep at it…

    Reply
  3. gianni says

    September 12, 2011 at 9:13 am

    So true Adam. Recently heard some amazing guitarists in London Acoustic Fair. I couldn’t help feeling that all their great talent was being wasted on the ‘music’ they were playing…Sound was great, skills amazing so why was I so bored listening to them? No melody = no music.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Get private guitar coaching from me HERE.

Adam Rafferty

Copyright © 2023 Adam Rafferty and Crescent Ridge Publishing | Email Policy | Privacy GDPR, & Cookies

FREE - “Discover the 7 Tools You'll Need to Record Awesome Fingerstyle Guitar - At Home!”
Learn how you can get great results with very affordable equipment. I'll show you exactly what I used at home to record my most recent CD. Enjoy!
Start playing "Simplicity" and "Vitamin E Blues" - in just minutes...for FREE!
Your tabs will come INSTANTLY via email. Just fill out this form, grab your guitar and start learning - Instantly!
Discover 5 Powerful Techniques that Will Make You Sound Like a Full Band on a Single Guitar. Learn to play Bass Lines, Melodies and Grooves at the Same Time - Guaranteed!
Watch these FREE guitar lesson videos revealing my “secrets” to guitar technique, groove, and effective practice so that you can improve YOUR playing, INSTANTLY!
FREE - Get PDF tabs and 9 Step-by-Step Video Lessons for "Vitamin E Blues" - Instantly...
Your PDF tabs and video links will come INSTANTLY via email. Just fill out this form, grab your guitar and start learning - in just minutes!
Get the FREE PDF and Start Playing "Simplicity" for Solo Guitar in Just Minutes!
You will love learning and playing this song...and your friends and family will listen in amazement as YOU play it!
Learn to play "Silent Night" for Fingerstyle Guitar - Instantly!
You'll get a PDF and 8 Video Guitar Lessons, FREE.
Start playing "Vitamin E Blues" In Just Minutes...for FREE!
Subscribe to my newsletter and get Instant Access to the free PDF with the tabs and a 9 part video lesson, free! Grab your guitar and start learning - immediately.
We take your privacy seriously. No spam. See our terms and privacy here.
Learn to play "Silent Night" for fingerstyle guitar - Instantly!
You'll get a PDF with complete guitar tabs and 8 video guitar lessons - free.
FREE - “Discover the 7 Tools You'll Need to Record Awesome Fingerstyle Guitar - At Home!”
Learn how you can get great results with very affordable equipment. I'll show you exactly what I used at home to record my most recent CD. Enjoy!
Start playing "Simplicity" and "Vitamin E Blues" - in just minutes...for FREE!
Your tabs will come INSTANTLY via email. Just fill out this form, grab your guitar and start learning - Instantly!
Discover 5 Powerful Techniques that Will Make You Sound Like a Full Band on a Single Guitar. Learn to play Bass Lines, Melodies and Grooves at the Same Time - Guaranteed!
Watch these FREE guitar lesson videos revealing my “secrets” to guitar technique, groove, and effective practice so that you can improve YOUR playing, INSTANTLY!
We take your privacy seriously. No spam. See our terms and privacy here.
FREE - Get PDF tabs and 9 Step-by-Step Video Lessons for "Vitamin E Blues" - Instantly...
Subscribe to my newsletter and get Instant Access to the Free PDF - and videos! The will come INSTANTLY via email. Grab your guitar and start learning - in just minutes!
Get the FREE PDF and Start Playing "Simplicity" for Solo Guitar - Instantly!
You will love learning and playing this song...and your friends and family will listen in amazement as YOU play it!
We take your privacy seriously. No spam. See our terms and privacy here.
FREE - Get PDF tabs and 9 Step-by-Step Video Lessons for "Vitamin E Blues" - Instantly...
Subscribe to my newsletter and get Instant Access to the Free PDF and videos! Links will come INSTANTLY via email. Grab your guitar and start learning - in just minutes!
FREE - Get the Tabs and MP3 for
"Just A City Boy" - Instantly...
Your PDF tabs and mp3 will come INSTANTLY via email. Just fill out this form, grab your guitar and start learning - in just minutes!
FREE - Get the Tabs and MP3 for
"Ciao Bella" - Instantly
Your PDF tabs and MP3 will come INSTANTLY via email. Just fill out this form, grab your guitar and start learning - in just minutes!
FREE - Get the Tabs and MP3 for
"Listen to Your Heart" - Instantly...
Your PDF tabs and mp3 will come INSTANTLY via email. Just fill out this form, grab your guitar and start learning - in just minutes!
FREE - Get the Video Lessons, Tabs and MP3 for
"Shelter Island" - Instantly...
Your PDF tabs and video links will come INSTANTLY via email. Just fill out this form, grab your guitar and start learning - in just minutes!
FREE - Get the Tabs and MP3 for
"America" - Instantly...
Your PDF tabs and mp3 will come INSTANTLY via email. Just fill out this form, grab your guitar and start learning - in just minutes!
10 Tips for Healthy Guitar Practicing
The form collects information we will use to send you updates about promotions, special offers, and news. We take your privacy seriously. No spam. See our terms and privacy here.
Almost there! Please complete this form and click the button below to subscribe to the newsletter and gain instant access.
Learn to play "O Come All Ye Faithful" for Fingerstyle Guitar, Instantly!
We take your privacy seriously. No spam. See our terms and privacy here.
Subscribe to my newsletter and get Instant Access to the Free PDF - enjoy!
Learn "Angels We Have Heard on High" for Fingerstyle Guitar, Instantly.
We take your privacy seriously. No spam. See our terms and privacy here.
Subscribe to my newsletter and get Instant Access to the Free PDF - enjoy!
We take your privacy seriously. No spam. See our terms and privacy here.
FREE - Get the PDF Tabs for this "E7 Groove"
Instantly...
Subscribe to my newsletter and receive tips about guitar and get instant access to the free PDF.

Learn to use harmonics, slaps and percussion!
We take your privacy seriously. No spam. See our terms and privacy here.
Download The "Groove Scales PDF" and Watch Your Technique Improve Effortlessly!
Subscribe to my newsletter and receive tips about guitar and get instant access to the free PDF.

Learn this simple yet powerful warm up technique in minutes...
We take your privacy seriously. No spam. See our terms and privacy here.
Download The "4 Levels of Thumb Picking" and Watch your Technique Improve Dramatically!
Subscribe to my newsletter and get instant access to the FREE PDF!.

Full chord progression as played in the video is included in the tabs.
We take your privacy seriously. No spam. See our terms and privacy here.
Discover Lush Guitar Harmonies With a Simple
One Finger Move...
Subscribe to my newsletter and get instant access to the FREE PDF!

You'll also get the 'move' as well on D, G, C, E and A minor chords in the tabs!
Learn to play "O Holy Night" for Fingerstyle Guitar - Instantly!
We take your privacy seriously. No spam. See our terms and privacy here.
Subscribe to my newsletter and get Instant Access to the Free PDF - enjoy!
We take your privacy seriously. No spam. See our terms and privacy here.
Give Your Technique and Fretboard Knowledge a Boost - Quickly and Easily....
Subscribe to my newsletter and get instant access to the FREE PDF!

You'll get the 3 octave G scale with all tabs and fingerings - Instantly!
Learn to Play Arpeggios "Magically" on the Guitar - In Just Minutes...
It's actually so easy to understand and play arpeggios using this technique, that you'll feel like you're cheating! :-) Enjoy!
Give Your Technique and Fretboard Knowledge a Boost, Quickly and Easily...
Subscribe to my newsletter and get instant access to this free PDF. You'll get the "Boost Your Scale Chops" tabs with fingerings delivered Instantly!
We take your privacy seriously. No spam. See our terms and privacy here.
Are You Curious About the Jazz Solo from
my "Black Orpheus" Video?
Tabbed out just for you! Here's the improvised solo from "Black Orpheus" plus a lead sheet of the alternate chord changes I use. Enjoy!