Their songs were often sparse and, deceptively, simple—usually three or four chords. He usually composed songs using cowboy chords—the basics at the end of the neck; Berman's musical abilities were limited. As each member wrote their own parts, Berman was solely responsible for his songwriting. They typically had one instrumental song on an album, to provide a "respite from words and/or voice". In 2001, Berman said that he had gone "months, sometimes years without [using his guitar" and said his process of creating albums started in his mind and then he'd "go at it every day for a few hours until the album's done".