Songwriting Lessons
Developing songwriting lessons and all the
comprehensive training to effectively teach songwriting to aspiring songwriters can be extremely challenging.
We at My Songwriting Coach have all the knowledge, information, and communication skills necessary, however
when it comes to the pre-requisites that a songwriting student ought to have, students are all over the
place.
It kind of makes sense if you think about what it would be like if
I asked every student to go to a particular, physical place, and I had to give them directions how to get
there. Since each and every one of them is starting from a different physical location, their path to the
designated destination would be different than it would be for any other student. The directions would be
unique for each one of them.
Using the analogy of building a road, if we were to build a brand new road from scratch we would
grade the road then uniformly lay the asphalt. However, if we were working on an existing road, there might be
sections of the road that were perfectly fine and others that had potholes or were in need of serious repair.
So it is with songwriting students. Those starting at the very beginning with their songwriting lessons can
follow a uniform path, step by step, learning each phase of songwriting in the perfect order. The reality is
however, that most students who come to us already have varying degrees of experience, training, and skill,
but it is very spotty and in need of upgrade or repair, and requires a songwriting lesson curriculum that is
customized to fit with their backgrounds.
How Do Private
Songwriting Lessons Work?
The most important factor in how songwriting
lessons work is the individual student’s needs. Does the student want to be a complete songwriter,
having mastered all the elements to successfully compose the music they desire to create? Or do they only
want to master a specific part of the craft because their deepest desire is to become another songwriter’s
co-writing partner? Each student gets an opportunity for a full skill assessment, and to essentially drive
the bus of their own songwriting education. We definitely will counsel every student as to what we believe is
best for them, but we learned a long time ago that students work harder on paths and destinations of their
own choosing.
Students will be learning a complete approach to lyric writing, melody writing, and chord
progression development, in their songwriting lessons, as well as familiarity with all the conventional song
styles and structures and when and how to break the rules. Students can concentrate on expanding their
pre-existing strengths, developing skills to overcome their weaknesses, or a little of both. Students most
often want to work on the area where they feel the most blocked in their songwriting process, however they can
soon discover that learning more tools to put in their songwriting tool box and learning how to practically
use those tools, will often remove songwriting blocks before they even happen. Songwriting lessons are all
about developing that tool box and perfecting the use of every tool in it.
Who Should
Consider Songwriting Lessons?
The reality is that all songwriters who truly want to be the best songwriter they can be will
definitely benefit from songwriting
lessons. From beginner to very advanced songwriters can learn more
to perfect their songwriting skills and process. My Songwriting Coach has helped so many different categories,
skill levels, and experience levels of students that it would be surprising to meet a student we couldn’t
help.
Who are our students? Lead vocalists who don’t even play an
instrument but want to have a greater role in their band’s songwriting beyond just the melody they sing.
Poets who love to write and express themselves with words and poetic imagery and have always been drawn to
the idea that their best poems could become excellent songs as well. Accomplished musicians who don’t even
sing and don’t have a strong understanding of melody but love music and the energy behind the song and
realize that there’s more money in the writing than just performing. And even pro songwriters who sometimes
just need an A & R caliber ear to bounce ideas off of as they do their edits and rewrites in search of
the perfect song.
Every step of the way, through each songwriting process, from
melody to lyrics, to harmonic progression and structure and form, My Songwriting Coach is there to open doors
and windows, forge new pathways into the imagination, expose songwriters to new ways of looking at their
craft, and ultimately to help students grow as songwriting artists. The songwriting lessons are the vehicle,
but your dreams and visions are the driver.
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