Creative Songwriting
Become an accomplished songwriter, develop your creativity and understanding of how to write great songs.
Enroll in Course
What You Will Learn
Learn how to develop inspired ideas into awesome songs with the Creative Songwriting course.
Are you ready to turn your musical dreams into reality? Do you have a melody in your heart and lyrics waiting to be penned? Welcome to Creative Songwriting, the online course that will empower you to write the songs you've always imagined. Whether you're a complete beginner or a seasoned musician looking to refine your skills, this course is designed to help you unlock your full creative potential. This is a comprehensive song writing course divided into three sections. Section one offers many hints and tips relating to song writing techniques. Section two explores a selection of iconic songs written between the 1600’s and the present day, noting features worthy of consideration when writing songs. Section three works through how to write songs in Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and modern styles. During the Creative Songwriting course we'll cover...
- Word Setting - How do you find the right rhythm for your lyrics? Where should the emphasis of beats be on key phrases and emotions? Which metre would be best to use in order to help word flow?
- Melodic Craft - How should a melody integrate with lyrics to convey the message and emotions of a song? What melodic techniques do you need to know to create a memorable tune? How do you craft a melody for a singer compared to the songs instrumental parts?
- Song Accompaniment Styles - What sort of accompaniment style could you write to compliment your song? How do you add harmonic interest to make a song unique? Which chords and progressions could you use to create a certain atmosphere?
- Analysis of Iconic Songs - What are the techniques great songwriters have used in the past? How could you apply these to a modern song style? What is it that makes a particular song great?
- Writing Songs in Different Styles - How would you go about writing a song in a traditional Baroque, Classical, Romantic style? How do you write a song in a modern style like Folk or Pop? How can you create a fusion of new and old techniques to create something that's distinctive?
I just finished watching your creative songwriting course, and learned so much, thank you! Most of the other online courses I found don't really teach the interplay between melody and harmony, and the interaction between them is what I most like about your course. There are lots of songwriting courses on lyrics, song structure, melody, and chord progression, but don't teach us how to make melody and harmony work together. Your course is very unique. The only courses I found that teach the interaction between melody and harmony are not specifically for songwriting, they are for film and game music. But the scores for orchestra music are too complex for those who just want to learn songwriting, so in your course, just showing us the melodies and chord progressions is perfect, and your explanation is perfect for someone like me, who doesn't have any formal training.
- Feng
Who Is This Course For?
Musicians who've dreamt of writing their own songs or want to enhance their songwriting skills.
Whether you're a complete beginner or a seasoned musician looking to refine your skills, this course is designed to help you unlock your full creative potential as a song writer. Some will want to write songs in Baroque, Classical, or Romantic style. Others will prefer a more modern idiom, such as using an atonal or Serial style. Then there will be those wanting to write in a folk song or ballad style. Wherever you’re coming from this is the course for you - a course loaded with ideas and techniques, and a course that explores song writing in all of the above styles, full of ideas that easily transfer from one style to another. The Creative Songwriting course will empower you to write the songs you've always imagined.
Do any of these sound familiar?
"I wish I could write a song in a different style but I'm always stuck with the same ideas..." "I can't seem to get my lyrics to fit well to music..." "I don't understand how to structure a song…" "I’d love to discover what I can learn from the great song writers of the past as well as the present..." "I want to be more confident in addressing all the musical dimensions of song writing in order to make my lyrics come alive…"
↓
I just wanted to thank you again for the tremendous accessibility of your website and its contents. It’s an absolute dream for me as a blind user. You can describe everything, you spell out every musical term, it feels like you had every type of person in mind when you designed this. And this is the greatest self-care present I could’ve given myself. Thank you!
- Yemima
By the end of the Creative Songwriting course you'll be able to…
Write songs in Baroque, Classical, Romantic and popular modern styles
Write captivating lyrics that convey your emotions, tell stories, and connect with your audience on a deep level
Compose using a wide range of useful song writing techniques
Understand the principles of song structure and arrangement to keep your audience engaged from start to finish
Set words to a memorable melody that stay with your listeners
Understand the history and development of songwriting from the 1600’s to the present day
Dear Gareth, I thought I would like to write and tell you how much I enjoy your videos on music. They are always excellent and very well presented. I like how you mention both the English and American names for a term, in the one breath! Which means that whoever is listening, will know exactly what you are talking about. This is helpful to everyone. I find every subject of much interest and I look forward to any/all of the videos that I come across. Thank you so much!
- Jeff
Course Information
What's Included with the Creative Songwriting course?
Professional Teaching
Deep dive into songwriting technique and their musical tricks with a view to developing your own style in new directions.
Practical Exercises
Practical lessons demonstrate how to write a song along with examples of songs written in multiple different styles.
Ask Questions
Below each video you are able to post comments and ask questions should you have any in regards to the course topics covered.
Easy to Follow Structure
The course is divided into multiple stages, breaking down each part separately before putting in all together.
Complete at Your Own Pace
You can easily fit the course around your regular commitments, completing it at your own pace and in your own time.
Anywhere Access
Your course never expires. Learn when and where you choose! Computer or mobile. Just get comfortable and dive in!
↓
Your Instructor
Hi, I’m Gareth and I'm passionate about developing ‘the all round musician’.
Nearly 35 years of music examining with ABRSM, work with the BBC on Radio and TV, experience on the international concert platform, as a published composer and arranger, have brought rich resources to the 40 years of teaching in which I've engaged.
Scholarships at The Royal College of Music, Oxford University and St. Paul’s Cathedral gave me fantastic opportunities to learn from the best musicians, scholars and teachers. Working as Director of Music at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School then provided a wonderful opportunity to develop my teaching skills.
Teaching individuals and groups of all ages, and at all stages of development have refined a teaching approach that I hope is fun and engaging, and focused on explaining things clearly and logically. And that is what these courses are all about - understanding the basic principles with clarity, then going deeper, applying them to your musical life and liberating yourself as a musician.
It’s a rich and amazing journey, and I can’t wait for you to join me today!
Course Curriculum
-
PreviewLesson 1 - Introduction (5:53)
-
StartLesson 2 - 10 Tips for Writing Lyrics (20:16)
-
StartLesson 3 - Imagine (19:19)
-
StartLesson 4 - How to Set Words to Metre and Rhythm (49:25)
-
PreviewLesson 5 - Melodic Shape, Pairs of Phrases and Word Painting (18:31)
-
StartLesson 6 - Harmonising a Melody in Major Keys (29:20)
-
StartLesson 7 - Harmonising a Melody in Minor Keys (36:01)
-
StartLesson 8 - Harmonising a Melody Using Extended Chords (23:53)
-
StartLesson 9 - Writing a Melody from a Chord Scheme (49:00)
-
StartLesson 10 - Harmonic Tricks of the Trade 1 (Added 9ths) (14:36)
-
StartLesson 11 - Harmonic Tricks of the Trade 2 (Using Borrowed IV) (7:55)
-
StartLesson 12 - Harmonic Tricks of the Trade 3 (Using IV Over V) (6:42)
-
StartLesson 13 - Harmonic Tricks of the Trade 4 (Using Secondary Dominants) (10:54)
-
StartLesson 14 - Harmonic Tricks of the Trade 5 (Modulating up a Semitone) (6:34)
-
StartLesson 15 - Harmonic Tricks of the Trade 6 (Using Diminished 7ths) (16:16)
-
StartLesson 16 - Harmonic Tricks of the Trade 7 (Using Augmented 6th Chords) (15:53)
-
StartLesson 17 - Harmonic Tricks of the Trade 8 (Using Pedal Points) (11:11)
-
StartLesson 18 - Harmonic Tricks of the Trade 9 (Colouring with Augmented Chords) (12:37)
-
StartLesson 19 - Writing Sequences (9:28)
-
StartLesson 20 - Using and Developing Melodic Motifs (13:30)
-
StartLesson 21 - Writing Melodic Lines that Paint Point of Climax and Relaxation (15:32)
-
StartLesson 22 - Balancing Conjunct and Disjunct Movement in Melodic Writing (8:52)
-
StartLesson 23 - Injecting Rhythmic Character into a Line (9:54)
-
PreviewLesson 24 - Varying Textures (16:05)
-
StartLesson 25 - Using Power Chords (Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple) (15:50)
-
StartLesson 26 - Structuring a Song (18:22)
-
StartLesson 27 - How Warm Harmony Colours a Song (31:40)
-
StartLesson 28 - Writing a Memorable Melody Using Straightforward Harmony (19:23)
-
StartLesson 29 - What Makes a Melodic Line Memorable? (24:34)
-
StartLesson 30 - Constructing a Melodic Line and Harmonising It (25:35)
-
StartLesson 31 - Contrast Within a Songs Structure (58:11)
-
StartLesson 32 - Analysing a Song in Baroque Style (Dido's Lament - Purcell) (27:54)
-
StartLesson 33 - Analysing a Song in Classical Style (An Die Freude -Mozart) (48:54)
-
StartLesson 34 - Analysing a Song in Romantic Style (Du bist die Ruh - Schubert) (45:08)
-
StartLesson 35 - Analysing a Song in Pop Style (Perfect - Ed Sheeran) (40:03)
-
StartLesson 36 - Writing a Song in Baroque Style 1 (Planning Structure, Metre, Word Underlay) (11:31)
-
StartLesson 37 - Writing a Song in Baroque Style 2 (Word Underlay, Writing the Vocal Melody) (31:36)
-
StartLesson 38 - Writing a Song in Baroque Style 3 (Writing the Instrumental Part) (19:06)
-
StartLesson 39 - Writing a Song in Baroque Style 4 (Writing the Harmony) (51:24)
-
StartLesson 40 - Writing a Song in Baroque Style 5 (The Completed Accompaniment) (13:11)
-
StartLesson 41 - Writing a Song in Classical Style 1 (Metre and Word Underlay) (14:47)
-
StartLesson 42 - Writing a Song in Classical Style 2 (Writing the Vocal Melody) (52:34)
-
StartLesson 43 - Writing a Song in Classical Style 3 (Writing the Independent Vocal Material) (17:28)
-
StartLesson 44 - Writing a Song in Classical Style 4 (Completing the Accompaniment) (32:25)
-
StartLesson 45 - Writing a Song in Romantic Style 1 (Word Underlay) (15:36)
-
StartLesson 46 - Writing a Song in Romantic Style 2 (Designing the Harmony) (45:18)
-
StartLesson 47 - Writing a Song in Romantic Style 3 (Writing the Melodic Content) (25:31)
-
StartLesson 48 - Writing a Song in Serial Style 1 (Constructing the Row and the Derivations) (24:14)
-
StartLesson 49 - Writing a Song in Serial Style 2 (Writing the Vocal Line) (18:12)
-
StartLesson 50 - Writing a Song in Serial Style 3 (Writing the Accompaniment) (25:20)
-
StartLesson 51 - Writing a Song in Folk Style 1 (Writing a Chord Scheme) (10:51)
-
StartLesson 52 - Writing a Song in Folk Style 2 (Writing a Vocal Melody from the Chord Scheme) (13:16)
-
StartLesson 53 - Writing a Song in Folk Style 3 (Writing an Instrumental Melody) (25:44)
-
StartLesson 54 - Writing a Song in Pop Style 1 (The Lyrics) (25:41)
-
StartLesson 55 - Writing a Song in Pop Style 2 (The Vocal Line and Harmony) (48:56)
-
StartLesson 56 - Writing a Song in Pop Style 3 (Adding an Instrumental Melody) (13:29)
Frequently Asked Questions
A Letter from Gareth Green
MA (Oxon), MA (Leeds), FRCO(CHM), FLCM, ARCM
Songs have been created throughout the history of humankind. They are embedded in human culture. Throughout history songs have been used in religious rituals, in order to tell stories, as a means to express moments of joy and sadness, as an opportunity to express solidarity at social gatherings. Songs have been powerful expressions of love and of grief. They have inspired soldiers marching to war. They have instilled national pride. They have stirred protesters. They have moved us. They have outraged us. Songs are a fundamental means of human expression.
Sometimes songs have been unaccompanied. Sometimes more than one vocal line has been used. Sometimes instruments have been added. During the 20th and 21st centuries, technology, commercial promotion and global accessibility have revolutionised the music industry and taken the genre in new directions.
The song therefore has a long and rich history - one that continues to evolve. Yet, at the heart of it, the essential ingredient hasn’t changed - namely that the song exists for humans to express all that we want to explore in our personal, social and political lives.
That’s why it’s so exciting to present this course on song writing.
We are going to explore examples and techniques of song writing that have evolved since the establishment of tonality in Western music from the 1600’s. And from that we will learn a great deal that will empower any song writer working in any song style today.
This course covers the technical aspects of songwriting, including dealing with lyrics, writing effective melodies, how to set words to a rhythm and a metre, how to inject rhythmic character, how to select chords and to deal with chord progressions, how to colour your harmony, how to structure a song, and how to deal with and contrast textures. This all ensures your songs are given a strong basis on which to write something that is both emotionally compelling and musically solid.
By the end of this course, you'll be in a position to create an impressive repertoire of original songs, ready to showcase to the world.
Don't miss this opportunity to embark on a transformative musical adventure. Enroll in our Song Writing course today and watch your creativity flourish like never before!
— Gareth Green, Music Matters