Writing songs is an art but a little ‘science’ helps enormously. Having that initial invention/creation is the spark but the idea can be supported and developed massively by some essential know-how. We explore how to write a song with some tools in the bag to help.
Where do you start when you want to write a song? The initial inspiration could be:
As you can see there are so many possible starting points. This day course will show you the process through which you can get started, of for those already on their songwriting journey, develop those skills further. We will at words, melody, chord progression, arrangement, layering and recording parts, etc. We’ll build a groove, develop lyrics, put a song form together, select a style, agree a key and tempo, maybe add groove, etc.
The day is all about learning to write through playing, making mistakes, learning from what doesn’t work and crafting a process that works for you.
We’ll have four sessions of teaching, working as a small group and individually. It’ll be fun but hard work and while theory will be a factor, it will be useful and super clear as to how to use it. It’s all about making music! We’re not Dylan, McCartney, etc. but there are ways that us, mere musical mortals, can learn to craft our own songs.
No matter where you are on your songwriting journey this course can help:
Learn the ‘theory’ tricks that let you write more quickly:
And then:
How the Day will run
We’ll have four sessions in total during the day (interspersed with refreshment breaks and lunch).
So:
Find your creative side and bolster it with essential know-how; but don’t let the know-how make it formulaic.
Learn to write within your musical knowledge and guitar playing levels.
Beginner and above.
Acoustic and electric guitar players are fine.
We encourage most levels of guitarists to come along; it’s definitely not for an early Beginner. Average-and-above players who have a few songs under their belt, can play most open chords and have attempted barre chords should be fine for the course. Don’t forget that a capo can be used as well !
Anyone can write a song at the level they’re at.
The fee is all-inclusive:
Please bring your own packed lunch
As this course caters to a small number of players it means we can be more focused and players can get more attention than on our larger hotel based courses.
This course can accommodate a maximum of 6 people. If the interest is high then we can run a second day on the Sunday. For larger groups we use our hotel locations.
The price of this course is kept to £150 for the full day which is £85 cheaper than our hotel courses. This is due to lower running costs and students bringing their own lunch. However, the benefits of the course are that the student numbers are kept small, allowing for more student 1-1 attention. The idea is a more unique experience, something similar to a small masterclass or standard 1 – 1 lesson. We have found the sessions to be super successful with clients and a highlight amongst members.
As we are working in a residential environment it’s advised to just bring an acoustic guitar. There is no need to bring amps and electric guitars. If you would prefer an electric then please let us know when making the booking and we can discuss the option with you.
We advise driving as that is the easiest way. However if you decide to come by public transport, the closest mainline station is Purley.
If coming by car then there are two junctions off the M25 you could use, junction 6 which is the A22 and junction 7 which is the A23.
Parking is free on all surrounding roads.
Unlike our online sessions these are small group Day-Only courses at the tutors home teaching space so can only accommodate limited numbers – book early to avoid disappointment.
If you wish to stay locally then suggestions for hotels, B&B etc can be supplied.