I often think the best songs have an interesting story behind them.
Well, back in 2006, I had a weird experience.
I went to Egypt with a girlfriend, and this story inspired me to try some songwriting.
It all started when we went on a coach trip to see the pyramids of Giza.
On the tour, we had the option of going inside one of the pyramids.
As we walked through the tunnel into the pyramid, we had to stoop really low (those Egyptians were very small back then from what I gather).
There were strip lights lighting the way so we could see.
Once inside the tomb, we had a look around and it was super eerie but interesting.
On the way out, we were all packed like sardines and stooped uncomfortably in the tunnel as we waited for the person in front to keep walking so we could get out.
Everything was going okay, but then, bam…
Everyone stopped, and it all went pitch black.
People were panicking and shouting.
We were stood painfully still for ages.
My girlfriend and I had no idea what was happening.
Eventually, people moved ahead of us and when we got to the front to get out, it was clear what was happening…
The bloke who worked there was demanding money before he let people out.
Turning the lights off was part of his scam.
Wow.
My girlfriend was petrified.
Luckily, I was able to shove past him to get us out, and he didn’t resist.
(I guess he got enough money from the people at the front.)
So, we walked up the ramp and got out into daylight.
It was a strange experience.
I mean, who would expect to be kind of held captive in a pyramid?
When we got out, we laughed it off and when I got back home, I was super eager to write about this, so I put it together to create a song.
I was listening to a lot of songwriters like Bob Dylan, Eddie Vedder, and David Bowie at the time.
All these guys would write about life and their experiences in their songs in super interesting ways.
It inspired me.
The point of this is that life’s full of interesting stories.
You can always turn one into a song.
I urge every student to write at least one song of their own in their lifetime.
Doing so is an interesting experience.
…And it can help you understand music better, be more creative, and you can use your songs as an emotional outlet (as many songwriters do).
If you ever want to write music, just start off simply.
A little riff, chord progression, or catchy vocal melody can be a good place to start.
…So is learning 5 songs from start to finish, studying them, seeing what makes them tick, and being inspired by them.
We all have a story to tell, after all.
Dan Thorpe
Guitar Domination
P.S. Like I say, the cool thing about music is that every song has a story and learning new songs can be inspiring.
This course below features 18 amazing songs, all with great stories behind them, and all of which are fun to play. Check it out if you want:
The Fingerstyle Collection – learn 18 beautiful arrangements and discover the 3-step method
P.P.S. This post was originally taken from Dan Thorpe’s private email list. To get blog posts like this sent to you which are full of great tips to make fingerpicking, strumming, and learning guitar more enjoyable (especially if you are over 40) join Dan’s list. It’s 100% free, HERE.
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