Songwriting Course

Lesson 1 • Song Structure and Form

Examines common structural templates such as AABA, verse-chorus, and through-composed forms. Students learn to choose structure based on emotional intent.

Lesson 2 • Listening as a Songwriter

Trains active, analytical listening to deconstruct published songs. Students apply findings to inform their own compositional decisions.

Lesson 3 • Anatomy of a Song

Breaks down the universal building blocks: verse, chorus, bridge, and hook. Establishes shared vocabulary used throughout the entire course.

Lesson 1 • Rhythm in Melody

Explores how rhythmic patterns define a melody's feel and memorability. Students practice syncopation, repetition, and rhythmic variation within phrases.

Lesson 2 • Melody and Lyric Interaction

Examines how melody shapes lyric stress and meaning. Students align syllable stress with melodic accents to avoid awkward phrasing.

Lesson 3 • Pitch and Melodic Contour

Introduces how rising, falling, and arching melodic shapes create emotional direction. Students sketch contour maps before writing full phrases.

Lesson 4 • Crafting a Memorable Hook Melody

Focuses on the melodic qualities that make hooks stick: simplicity, repetition, and surprise. Students write and refine three hook melody drafts.

Lesson 1 • Writing the Verse and Chorus

Applies structural knowledge to write verses that build narrative and choruses that deliver the emotional payoff. Students draft and compare multiple versions.

Lesson 2 • Rhyme Schemes and Sound Devices

Covers perfect rhyme, slant rhyme, internal rhyme, and assonance as tools for sonic cohesion. Students practice each scheme within verse and chorus contexts.

Lesson 3 • Finding Your Lyrical Voice

Guides students to identify their authentic perspective and vocabulary as lyricists. Establishes a personal voice that distinguishes their writing from generic output.

Lesson 4 • The Bridge and Title Line

Focuses on writing bridges that shift perspective and title lines that anchor the song's identity. Students craft bridges that earn the final chorus.

Lesson 1 • Common Chord Progressions

Surveys the most widely used progressions across pop, folk, blues, and rock. Students analyse why these progressions work and adapt them to original songs.

Lesson 2 • Harmonic Rhythm and Groove

Examines how the rate of chord change affects energy and feel. Students experiment with slow and fast harmonic rhythm to match song tempo and mood.

Lesson 3 • Basic Chord Theory for Songwriters

Introduces triads, seventh chords, and diatonic harmony without requiring advanced music theory. Students build chords from any major or minor key.

Lesson 4 • Modulation and Key Changes

Teaches pivot chord modulation, direct modulation, and chromatic shifts to create dramatic moments. Students write a song section that modulates effectively.

Lesson 1 • Intro, Outro, and Transitions

Focuses on crafting compelling openings, satisfying endings, and smooth section transitions. Students evaluate how intros set listener expectations.

Lesson 2 • Dynamics: Loud, Soft, and In Between

Teaches the use of volume, density, and silence as expressive tools. Students rewrite an arrangement to include at least three distinct dynamic levels.

Lesson 3 • Instrumentation Choices

Covers how instrument selection and layering affect texture, genre identity, and emotional tone. Students assign instruments to each song section intentionally.

Lesson 4 • Groove, Rhythm, and Feel

Examines how rhythmic feel, tempo, and groove patterns define a song's identity. Students choose and justify a rhythmic template for an original song.

Lesson 1 • Blending Genres and Finding Your Style

Teaches intentional genre fusion and the development of a personal stylistic signature. Students identify their genre blend and articulate their artistic identity.

Lesson 2 • Rock and Alternative Approaches

Examines riff-based writing, power chord progressions, and anthemic chorus construction in rock and alternative styles. Students write a riff-driven song section.

Lesson 3 • Folk and Americana Storytelling

Explores narrative-driven songwriting, fingerpicking patterns, and lyrical authenticity in folk and Americana traditions. Students write a story-based song.

Lesson 4 • Pop Songwriting Conventions

Deconstructs the structural, melodic, and lyrical norms of contemporary pop. Students write a pop song draft that meets genre expectations while adding originality.

Lesson 1 • The Editing Mindset

Shifts students from creator mode to critical editor mode using structured evaluation frameworks. Establishes editing as a distinct, essential phase of songwriting.

Lesson 2 • Finishing and Presenting a Song

Covers lead sheet creation, demo recording basics, and presenting a song to collaborators or publishers. Students produce a complete lead sheet for a finished song.

Lesson 3 • Melody and Harmony Refinement

Focuses on smoothing melodic awkwardness, strengthening climax notes, and improving chord-melody relationships. Students revise a melody draft with specific targets.

Lesson 4 • Structure Editing and Sequencing

Evaluates whether the song's section order serves the emotional arc and listener engagement. Students restructure a song draft and compare versions.

Lesson 1 • Giving and Receiving Creative Feedback

Teaches constructive critique language and active listening during feedback exchanges. Students practice giving specific, actionable feedback on a partner's draft.

Lesson 2 • Split Sheets and Creative Agreements

Introduces the purpose and structure of songwriting split agreements to protect all contributors. Students draft a sample split sheet for a co-written song.

Lesson 3 • Running a Productive Writing Session

Provides a session structure from warm-up to rough demo that maximises creative output. Students run a timed co-write session using the provided framework.

Lesson 4 • Navigating Creative Disagreements

Addresses conflict resolution strategies specific to creative collaboration. Students role-play common co-write disputes and practice resolution techniques.