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Hit Songwriting Lessons in London

Our Hit Songwriting Lessons are one part from our Songwriting Super-Course.

Have you ever wondered why the songs that you write are good but industry people still tell you they don’t sound like hits? Have you read all the songwriting books on Amazon and watched all the tutorials on Youtube without them actually making any real difference? This songwriting course tells you what other sources either don’t know or don’t want to give away-the concepts shared here are designed to finally bring the hit songwriter out in you! We cover all bases from music theory to melody and lyric writing, idea generation and quality control to pitching and business. Special emphasis is placed on the all-important lyrical and melodic hooks where you will learn a lot of insider secrets that should make your writing take off like never before. And, even better, based on these secrets there will be some incredibly innovative and useful writing exercises exclusive to our school. Watch your writing skills improve in real-time!  And if you’re worried about ending up sounding too commercial–fear not! Our songwriting method includes provisions for putting the brakes on and staying on the right side of cool! Read our testimonials and then give your songwriting the biggest shot in the arm it has ever had…

Day 1 – Introduction to The Craft of Songwriting

•   The best profession in the world – creativity and “the buzz”

•   BusinessWise – How much can a top songwriter earn?

•   Is there a formula for writing hit songs? There is!

•   Classic hit songs & current chart toppers under the microscope

  The Five Emotions that underlie every element of every song-in any style of music!

•   Hallmarks of a great lyric: tell a story or describe a special moment in time but no more generic filler lines!

•   The importance of titles

•   Everything you need to know about rhyming

•   Choosing titles for the songwriting (mainly lyrics-based) assignment

Day 2 – Music Theory – Melody & Chords

•   Evaluating assignments with the whole group

•   Music theory de-mystified and re-imagined: what every songwriter needs to know intimately, regardless of previous experience

•   Intervals and the hunt for “magic notes”: how to write melodies from the heart whilst knowing exactly what you’re doing

•   Chords that build the emotional foundation for the song: basic chords and harmonic functions explained

•   Keys and the Circle of Fifths

•   Inversions, pedals and other chord variations

•   Song structure – Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Middle 8 …

•   BusinessWise – Copyright and splits (who owns what) all explained

Day 3 – Melodic Rhythm and First Hands-On Exercises

•   Evaluating assignments with the help of the whole group

•   Metaphors, similes, oxymorons -greetings from Ancient Greece

•   Repeats and other forms of  lyrical “glue”

•   Melodic Rhythm – the “secret” ingredient. This section includes a “crazy” new approach which has the potential to supercharge your melodies!

•   How not to write a song – typical beginners’ mistakes and how to avoid them

•  “The Assassin”: how to hit your melodic target with confidence and precision

•   Hands-on practice: writing effective melodies over a simple backing track

•   BusinessWise – Publishing, sync and royalties; Pitching opportunities for songwriters

Day 4 – Writing Hooks & Hit Choruses And Further Practical Work

•   Final session of evaluating assignments so that hopefully every student will walk away with a professional lyric they themselves have written!

•   How to set up your chorus for maximum impact

•   Compelling chords tailor-made for choruses

•   Developing the whole chorus section

•   Writing epic/anthemic or clever/irresistible hooks

•   Hands-on practice: “The Brainwash”-fun exercises to write better hooks consistently

•   Hands-on practice: chord writing exercises

•   Extended Q&A session

Aftercare: Each student will be invited to submit one song at any time after the course for in-depth evaluation and feedback. This is normally worth £50 if booked separately through the instructor’s website and a great way to stay in touch with the material as you start applying it to your own songs.                                                                                                         

There is a lot of information on this page as we want you to have as complete a picture of our courses as possible. If you’re ready to enrol, simply click on the “Book It!” buttons or if you’re not quite sure yet, there is always the option to ask further questions via the “More Info” buttons.  Also, if you can’t make any of the advertised dates but have a strong interest in the material, contact us anyway and we will see whether we can arrange something to suit you. Finally, if you miss any sessions due to holidays or illness, we will do our best to engineer it so you can come back on a future cycle of your choice to catch up.