Hi Danielle and welcome to chordie!

Carrying a song around in your head and heart for 3 years is wonderful!

Pick a key - looks like G would work (given the chords your mention).  Chances are the melody will basically 'work' with G, C, and D.  You may need to throw in an Em and a D7 to round things out.  If you can sing the melody in that key, the parts that need more chords will probably be suitable for the Em and D7 (unless your melody is truly unusual).

You can also look at the chord sets used in songs that are similar to your melody, and see what chords are present.  If you can find a similar-sounding song in chordie's index, chances are you can use the transposing tool to move it close to chords that you are comfortable with.

Hope this helps - you have a delicious dilemma, a song that is complete except for the chords.  If nothing else works, you can always belt it solo with no backing chords.

Hope this helps.  James

Hi boxer - what a marvelous plan and you have plenty of time, so - write your daddy a song!

It need not be fancy or arty . . . just a few simple lines that convey your love and happiness.  A 3-chord ditty would be delightful and as long as it is his first birthday party, you might as well give him a present that nobody else can give.

If you have never written a song before - DON'T PANIC!  It is not so hard and there are plenty of participants in the Songwriting forum who would be glad to assist.

Think about it . . . mull the benefits . . . debate the issues . . . ponder the consequences . . . .
OK - enough of that! - - - now start thinking about your daddy, and jot down some words and phrases.  Your song is already started!

Recording & editing software is available for free - google up 'Audacity' and you can download a nice chunk of software (free!).  Most computers have a basic microphone that can capture sound (not the best mics, but they work).  Better mics can be bought (I have a Snowball USB mic made by Blue that is really nifty - about $100).

Once you have a recording made (easier said than done), you can send an mp3 file to Roger Guppy and he can post it to the myspace/friendsofchordie site.  A webcam will allow you to put your songs on YouTube - but the sound quality is usually lacking.

I use GarageBand (Macintosh) for recording, and am still learning alot about how to use all of it's many capabilities.  Some people can become totally obsessed with the science and art of recording - me, I just want to learn the minimum in order to make a basic sound file.

So, ask around in your area (local music shop?) and find some folks who enjoy knowing about all this stuff.  You will probably find someone who will be thrillied to help you get started.  A computer and a little bit of software/hardware is all you need.  James

Hello christu & wlecome to the forum!
The real  question here is - 'Why do you need to put the songs in Word?'  Using the little 'print' icon on the song's page will print the song just like it appears on the screen.  If you want to edit the content or appearance of the song, you can do that using the 'edit' button at the end of the song's listing in your songbook.  Likewise, if you want to share the song with a friend, the 'e-mail' button send a link. 

When you copy a chordpro-formatted song off chordie and into Word, you will see song in it's 'raw' form (chords embedded within the lyric along with some other strange sights).  This is called chordpro format - it is a way of making a song so that it can be converted into the nice layout that appears on your screen.

Chordpro allows the song's chords to be transposed and enables other nice features.  Believe it or not, it is a very efficient and flexible system.  If the raw song file is coded correctly, the conversion yields a nice, easily-readable page with chord grids and other nifty-keeno doo-dads.  Chordpro also allow the chords to be precisely postioned within the lyric (rather than using tabs or spaces above the lyric line).

Some song files in chordie's index are not in chordpro style - perhaps the songs you were copying into Word several months ago were not chordpro style?  If that is the case, they would have transferred into Word with no changes in appearance.

So, basically - the answer is 'If a song is in chordpro, it will look funny in Word'.  You can still put the songs into Word, but why bother?

Sorry my resonse is so long - hope it helps!
James McCormick

Powerful stuff, John - just read up on the horrific details of this tragedy.  For a first song, you certainly picked a thorny topic.

I'll give this song a thrum and hum a little later.  James

Greetings funkynassau1 - It is possible to select 'guitar (left)' for your preferred chord display.  After you log in, go the 'Resources' page.  There, at the bottom you will find the selector (must be logged in). 

Once this selection is made, the chord grids on songs you view will be displayed according to your selected preference.  Clicking on the individual chord grids on the song pages will display alternate fingerings for each chord.

Hoep this helps - James

I prefer chords since they can usually capture the structural essence of a song and serve as the basis for my own version.

Did you know that as you are browsing through chordie's index that you can opt to show 'tabs only'?  Look in the upper-right corner and pick your preference.

Old Doll, So sorry to hear of your tragic loss.

I try to remember that people who are bad drivers are not necessaryily bad people - but the consequences of bad driving can create grief and devastation.

It seems many people feel invincible behind the wheel and they don't appreciate the seriousness of their responsiblity to follow laws and behave in an appropriate manner.  As a young man, I was involved in a very scary collision (not my fault).  That experience taught me to appreciate and respect the forces involved in moving vehicles.
Drive Nice!
James

Thanks, badeye - Just this morning a person on a cell phone sailed right through a stop light right in front of me.  Had I not been paying attention, I would have been crunched in the intersection.  The idiot on the cell phone was absolutely oblivious, but I'm certain that her conversation was far more important than our lives . . .

My web search came up empty for these songs.
There are several songs for Wonder Stuff listed in chordie's index - but not the one's you seek.

However, here is an unofficial fansite for The Wonder Stuff:
http://www.room512.com/index2.htm
They have a message board, so perhaps somebody there will have what you seek.

Yep, this is the place.  Actually, he was drunk and trespassing and mangling the garden of an elderly prominent citizen - but that part didn't  quite make it into his song.

There is presently a grassroots effort underway to get the town's Board of Aldermen to formally pardon Mr. Cash for his youthful indiscretion.  I believe you can sign the petition here:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu … =188563307

Our sherriff refers to the jail's drunk tank as the 'Johnny Cash Suite'.

Online metronome - brilliant!  Just googled one up:
http://www.metronomeonline.com/
The automatically-generated google ads at the bottom of the screen offer "metronome lessons"!
Ya gotta love the internet!