Class Central is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

LinkedIn Learning

Improve Your Songwriting Skills

via LinkedIn Learning

Overview

Prepare for a new career with $100 off Coursera Plus
Gear up for jobs in high-demand fields: data analytics, digital marketing, and more.
You've written a few songs, but have now reached a plateau. This learning path can help you take your songwriting skills to the next level by exploring the fundamentals of good songwriting, and then expanding your mastery of harmony, rhythm, and chords. You can then learn how to take your songwriting to a professional level and build a career around your creative muse.
  • Improve your foundational songwriting skills.
  • Explore rhythm, harmony, and chords as they apply to songwriting.
  • Build a fulfilling and profitable songwriting career.

Syllabus

  • Course 1: Music Theory for Songwriters: The Fundamentals
    • Professional musician Julian Velard covers the basics of music theory through the lens of songwriting. Explore intervals, chord progressions, voice leading, song forms, and more.
  • Course 2: Music Theory for Songwriters: Harmony
    • Learn music theory through the lens of songwriting. These tutorials cover the basics of harmony: minor scales, modes, 7th chords, modulations, and more.
  • Course 3: Music Theory for Songwriters: Rhythm
    • Improve your songwriting process by factoring for rhythm and building rhythm. Explore note values, time signatures, feel, timing, dynamics, syncopation, and more.
  • Course 4: Songwriting Techniques with Chords
    • Learn about writing songs with chords, and how altering chords can add depth to your music. Discover many ways to use chords from harmonizing a melody to forming an entire song.
  • Course 5: Write Think and Act Like a Professional Songwriter
    • Want to know how to become a songwriter? Cliff Goldmacher shows what it takes to make it in the music business as a professional songwriter.
  • Course 6: The Business of Songwriting: First Steps
    • Get started in the business of songwriting. Learn about all of the major organizations, rights, and procedures that songwriters have to deal with in the music business.
  • Course 7: 20 Unofficial Rules of Songwriting
    • Professional songwriter Cliff Goldmacher reveals 20 unofficial songwriting rules that can make your songs more engaging and memorable.
  • Course 8: Learning Music Licensing
    • Learn how to monetize songwriting by licensing your music. Learn what writing and recording you own, how income is generated, and how to strategically pitch your compositions.
  • Course 9: An Insider's Guide to Today's Music Biz: 8 Music Publishing
    • Get started in music publishing. Learn how to sell your music and turn your songs into money.
  • Course 10: Learning Songwriting: Pro Tools
    • Learn how to use Pro Tools, a program professional musicians turn to to record their song ideas quickly and to polish them into demos for partners, producers, and record labels.
  • Course 11: Learning Songwriting: Logic Pro
    • Learn how to write your songs in Logic Pro. Get your demo ideas down quickly and polish them into songs worth presenting to your band mates, producer, publisher, or label.
  • Course 12: Learning Songwriting: Ableton Live
    • Learn how to capture your musical ideas quickly and turn them into great songs with Ableton Live.
  • Course 13: Learning Songwriting: Reason
    • Learn how to write, record, and mix songs—before the inspiration fades—with Reason.

Taught by

Julian Velard, Julian Velard, David Franz, Julian Velard, Cliff Goldmacher, Garrick Chow, Cliff Goldmacher, Jake Versluis, Steve Rennie, David Franz, Todd Howard, Yeuda Ben Atar (Side Brain) and Matt Piper

Reviews

Start your review of Improve Your Songwriting Skills

Never Stop Learning.

Get personalized course recommendations, track subjects and courses with reminders, and more.

Someone learning on their laptop while sitting on the floor.