#CA-02-03 How to Write Your First Song
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- Course level: All Levels
About Course
The University of SheffieldDescription
Ever wanted to write a song, but not known how?
This course will introduce you to the tools and techniques you need to write your first song.
Each week, using specially-commissioned lyrics, we’ll build up a song and encourage you to do the same. World-renowned musician, Martin Simpson, will use the same words and techniques and we’ll check in with him each week for inspiration and guidance on the songwriting process.
We’ll also talk to experts in music and psychology as well as established musicians and songwriters to find out what makes a song successful.
What topics will you cover?
- Setting words to music
- Time and pitch
- Working with melody
- Chords and chord progressions
- Song forms
- Arranging your song
Who will you learn with?
Professional Musician and Associate Lecturer in Music with The Open University. Formerly Course Director for Music at the Department for Lifelong Learning at the University of Sheffield.
Who developed the course?
The University of Sheffield is one of the world’s top 100 universities with a reputation for teaching and research excellence.
What Will I Learn?
- Set words to rhythm using the concepts of metre and scansion.
- Identify the ingredients of an effective melody.
- Describe the different chord types and progressions used in popular songs.
- Explain the most commonly used song forms and structures.
- Explore how songs can develop when different lines and instruments are added to the accompaniment.
- Combine these fundamental musical elements to come up with a song of your own.
Topics for this course
What’s involved in songwriting?
Welcome to the course00:01:49
Join the band
Why are songs important?
Getting started
Writing your song
The songwriting challenge
Great introductory course for beginners and intermediate level students!
This course is a good fit for me. It taught me the proper way to deal with songs as well as the rationale behind it. It will save me a lot of grief.
I enjoy this course because it addresses topics that I do not have much experience in. It is helping me to finish my dream, write a song belong myslef.
Great refresher for me. The presenter speaks clearly. The material is well organized and easy to understand.
Material Includes
- Official Certificate
Tags
Target Audience
- Whether you’re a complete novice who has never written a song in their life, a budding amateur looking to develop further skills or an accomplished professional brushing up on the basics, this course will deliver comprehensive practical and theoretical knowledge to help set you on your path.
- While it will be useful to have access to a musical instrument this is not a requirement, you can participate in the course just using your voice or with freely available music software.