--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've been used for writing rhythm guitar…" description: "\"I've been used for writing rhythm guitar chords for a long time because it's so easy to play and chords just sound good on it.\" — Bradford Cox" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3f/bradford-cox-7663_chords_i-ve-been-used-for-writing-rhythm-guitar_662500.jpg" --- # I've been used for writing rhythm guitar chords for a long… ![“I've been used for writing rhythm guitar chords for a long time because it's so easy to play and chords just sound good on it.” quote by Bradford Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3f/bradford-cox-7663_chords_i-ve-been-used-for-writing-rhythm-guitar_662500.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3f/bradford-cox-7663_chords_i-ve-been-used-for-writing-rhythm-guitar_662500.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3f/bradford-cox-7663_chords_i-ve-been-used-for-writing-rhythm-guitar_662500.jpg) > “I've been used for writing rhythm guitar chords for a long time because it's so easy to play and chords just sound good on it.” [Bradford Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradford-cox/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rhythm guitar chords are simple, accessible, and sound pleasing, making them popular for songwriting. **In simple terms:** Simple chords are easy and sound good. Key Takeaway Leverage simple chords for songwriting. Themes music creativity accessibility Mood enthusiastic creative Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - learning guitar - composing - jam sessions Key Concepts songwriting instrumentation Questions to Reflect On - How can you expand beyond basic chords? - What new sounds can you explore? A Different Perspective Overreliance may limit musical growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chords](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chords/) [Chords Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chords-just-1418607/) [Chords Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chords-long-5269777/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play Chords](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-chords-472906/) [Rhythm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhythm/) [Rhythm Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhythm-guitar-334251/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing Rhythm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-rhythm-2684538/) ## Related quotes > [Ive been playing swing chords for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-bogguss/ive-been-playing-swing-chords-for-a-long-time/) [Suzy Bogguss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-bogguss/) > [“Anyone who uses more than two chords is just showing off.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-guthrie/anyone-who-uses-more-than-two-chords-is-just-showing-off/) [Woody Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-guthrie/) > [...every once in a while it seems like the cosmos part and something great plops into your lap, that's how it was with "Hotel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-felder/every-once-in-a-while-it-seems-like-the-cosmos-part-and-something-2/) [Don Felder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-felder/) > [I don't like no fancy chords. Just the boogie. The drive. The feeling. A lot of people play fancy but they don't have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lee-hooker/i-don-t-like-no-fancy-chords-just-the-boogie-the-drive-the-feeling-a/) [John Lee Hooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lee-hooker/) > [My dad had an acoustic guitar, and I remember I was like 12 when I started learning to play chords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-rowsell/my-dad-had-an-acoustic-guitar-and-i-remember-i-was-like-12-when-i/) [Ellie Rowsell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-rowsell/) > [I didn't go to guitar school and I don't know how to play chords, but I can do it in my own way and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-didn-t-go-to-guitar-school-and-i-don-t-know-how-to-play-chords-but/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [If you play more than two chords, you're showing off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-guthrie/if-you-play-more-than-two-chords-you-re-showing-off/) [Woody Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-guthrie/) > [See, we started out with a foundation of blues. But then we added people like Miles Davis and John Coltrane to the mix and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butch-trucks/see-we-started-out-with-a-foundation-of-blues-but-then-we-added/) [Butch Trucks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butch-trucks/) > [My guitar only has five strings 'cause the top one broke and I decided not to put it back on: when I play chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/my-guitar-only-has-five-strings-cause-the-top-one-broke-and-i-decided/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [I've been playing swing chords for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-bogguss/i-ve-been-playing-swing-chords-for-a-long-time/) [Suzy Bogguss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-bogguss/) > [Writing is so much about rhythm. If you've got another rhythm in the room, it spoils the rhythm of the words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/writing-is-so-much-about-rhythm-if-you-ve-got-another-rhythm-in-the/) [Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/) > [I am writing to a rhythm and not to a plot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/i-am-writing-to-a-rhythm-and-not-to-a-plot/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [When you have good writing, the rhythm of the scene is very apparent. What the scene demands is very clear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-coon/when-you-have-good-writing-the-rhythm-of-the-scene-is-very-apparent/) [Carrie Coon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-coon/) > [We don't often talk about the fact that writing is all about rhythm. When you get too up in your head, you can lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/we-don-t-often-talk-about-the-fact-that-writing-is-all-about-rhythm/) [Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/) > [Anyone who used more than three chords is just showing off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-guthrie/anyone-who-used-more-than-three-chords-is-just-showing-off/) [Woody Guthrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-guthrie/) ## More by Bradford Cox > [You gotta have friends, and it's really hard to have friends that don't operate on the same schedule as you or do the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/you-gotta-have-friends-and-it-s-really-hard-to-have-friends-that-don/) [Bradford Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradford-cox/) > [When money and fame happen too late, it's like pouring kerosene over a fire of self-loathing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/when-money-and-fame-happen-too-late-it-s-like-pouring-kerosene-over-a/) [Bradford Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradford-cox/) > [I don't think it will ever be lessened. Because I always move on to something else - and the music that I listen to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/i-don-t-think-it-will-ever-be-lessened-because-i-always-move-on-to/) [Bradford Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradford-cox/) > [You're always as a musician trying to shock yourself or create music that's maybe even too weird for your own taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/you-re-always-as-a-musician-trying-to-shock-yourself-or-create-music/) [Bradford Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradford-cox/) > [A song like "Walkabout", it's totally imitative. 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I want to garden, eventually. I want to learn how to do a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/i-m-interested-in-acting-as-much-as-i-m-interested-in-gardening-i/) [Bradford Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradford-cox/) > [I am asexual. A-sexual. I read somewhere, maybe on Facebook, where somebody said something like, "I heard Bradford was gay, but then I heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/i-am-asexual-a-sexual-i-read-somewhere-maybe-on-facebook-where/) [Bradford Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradford-cox/) > [You don't need to drink if you have emotional problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/you-don-t-need-to-drink-if-you-have-emotional-problems/) [Bradford Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradford-cox/) > [The sober guy is always going to have this air of arrogance or self-righteousness, but it's not my intention. I just knew that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/the-sober-guy-is-always-going-to-have-this-air-of-arrogance-or-self/) [Bradford Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradford-cox/) > [Talk to Arto Lindsay and I'm sure he's tired of people asking him about DNA; he's probably really into what he's doing now, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/talk-to-arto-lindsay-and-i-m-sure-he-s-tired-of-people-asking-him/) [Bradford Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradford-cox/) > [Unlike the rest of everyone I hang around with, I don't drink, so I remember what happened after shows. And I have never hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/unlike-the-rest-of-everyone-i-hang-around-with-i-don-t-drink-so-i/) [Bradford Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradford-cox/) > [Usually I'm not really conscious of what's going on. I don't have a lot of memories onstage. At all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/usually-i-m-not-really-conscious-of-what-s-going-on-i-don-t-have-a/) [Bradford Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradford-cox/) [Explore all 89 Bradford Cox quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradford-cox/) ## More Chords quotes > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [Every time I finish a song... most of the time it's in my own head, like this sounds too much like a Townes Van…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/every-time-i-finish-a-song-most-of-the-time-it-s-in-my-own-head-like/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/) [Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/) > [Talk health. The dreary, never-changing tale Of mortal maladies is worn and stale. You cannot charm, or interest, or please By harping in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/talk-health-the-dreary-never-changing-tale-of-mortal-maladies-is-worn/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [There's four chords in every song. That's the fun part - trying to make that your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-rodrigo/there-s-four-chords-in-every-song-that-s-the-fun-part-trying-to-make/) [Olivia Rodrigo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-rodrigo/) > [Pete Townsend for me was a huge influence. Because essentially they were a three-piece band and the way he structured his chords and took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-lifeson/pete-townsend-for-me-was-a-huge-influence-because-essentially-they/) [Alex Lifeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-lifeson/) > [“Wild Horses" started in a B-minor chord, and Stu didn't play minor chords, "fucking Chinese music.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-richards/wild-horses-started-in-a-b-minor-chord-and-stu-didn-t-play-minor/) [Keith Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-richards/) > [I learned to play by ear before I learned music theory. For me, that makes sense. After all, children learn to speak before they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jools-holland/i-learned-to-play-by-ear-before-i-learned-music-theory-for-me-that/) [Jools Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jools-holland/) > [My course is about really working on a sheet of music. You work out the chords, which note complements the other, and how they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catriona-gray/my-course-is-about-really-working-on-a-sheet-of-music-you-work-out/) [Catriona Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catriona-gray/) > [I don't write poetry and then strum some chords and then fit the words on top of the chords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-don-t-write-poetry-and-then-strum-some-chords-and-then-fit-the/) [Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/) > [I always think of each night as a song. Or each moment as a song. But now I'm seeing we don't live in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-always-think-of-each-night-as-a-song-or-each-moment-as-a-song-but/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [It's a double-headed coin, because technology is a convenience but it's stifled our attention spans. 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The lyrics seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reeves/there-are-no-rules-or-certain-methods-i-usually-start-with-the-guitar/) [Jason Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reeves/) > [I like really sparse electronics, lush arrangements, and interesting chord structures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-klinghoffer/i-like-really-sparse-electronics-lush-arrangements-and-interesting/) [Josh Klinghoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-klinghoffer/) [Browse all 544 Chords quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chords/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've been used for writing rhythm guitar chords for a long time because it's so easy to play and chords just sound good on it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bradford Cox" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/i-ve-been-used-for-writing-rhythm-guitar-chords-for-a-long-time/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chords" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/i-ve-been-used-for-writing-rhythm-guitar-chords-for-a-long-time/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3f/bradford-cox-7663_chords_i-ve-been-used-for-writing-rhythm-guitar_662500.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3f/bradford-cox-7663_chords_i-ve-been-used-for-writing-rhythm-guitar_662500.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3f/bradford-cox-7663_chords_i-ve-been-used-for-writing-rhythm-guitar_662500.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've been used for writing rhythm guitar chords for a long time because it's so easy to play and chords just…” — Bradford Cox", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Bradford Cox", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradford-cox/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've been used for writing rhythm...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/i-ve-been-used-for-writing-rhythm-guitar-chords-for-a-long-time/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-cox/i-ve-been-used-for-writing-rhythm-guitar-chords-for-a-long-time/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```