课程简介
Learn an efficient, effective process for writing songs that express your ideas and emotions, including a range of tools that revolve around the concept of prosody—the matching of lyrics and music to support your underlying message.
课程大纲
Lesson 1: The Journey of the Song
By the end of this lesson, you will see how to develop your song
idea so it creates an interesting journey from start to finish. You’ll
understand your options developing the point of view of your song and will be
introduced to the songwriter’s six best friends.
Lesson 2: Stopping and Going
By the end of this lesson, you will understand the concept of
prosody as it relates to the number of lines/musical phrases in a section and
to line lengths/musical phrases, the school crossing guards of your song. You’ll
create both stable and unstable line/musical groupings, using an odd or even
number of lines and musical phrases. Using these tools, you’ll write a verse
and chorus.
Lesson 3: Sonic GPS—Mapping Your Song with Rhyme
By the end of this lesson, you will understand the relationship
of rhyme schemes to prosody. You’ll create both stable and unstable sections,
using various rhyme schemes to show your ear the way to go home. Using these
tools, you’ll write a new verse and chorus.
Lesson 4: Making It Move
By the end of this lesson, you will understand language rhythms—the difference between stressed and unstressed syllables and how to put rhythm
in your lines, preparing them to join into the dance with musical rhythm. Using
these tools, you’ll put last week’s verse and chorus to music.
Lesson 5: Writing the Song
In this
lesson, you’ll select a new song title and create a worksheet to help develop
your ideas. You’ll write your lyric and set it to music, matching your lyric
rhythms to melodic rhythms. You’ll create a melody, using stable and unstable
notes to support your ideas.
Lesson 6: Crossing the Finished Line
By the end of
this lesson, you will understand the role of phrasing to create the body
language of your song, using the relationship of your phrases to musical
downbeats to create stability or instability. Then you’ll put the finishing
touches on your song from lesson 5.
课程详情
There’s a songwriter lurking somewhere inside you, peeking
around corners, wondering if it’s safe to come out. Now it is. This course is an
invitation to let your inner songwriter step into the sunlight. All it takes is
a simple “yes” and you’ll be climbing that windy hill, marveling at the view.
If you haven’t written any or many songs, this course will show you
an efficient, effective process for tailoring songs to express your ideas and
emotions. If you have, you’ll look at your process differently, taking control
of aspects of the process you may have not noticed.
The course will start by examining the tools available to you, all
revolving around the essential concept of
. You’ll learn to use your
tools to enhance your message—to work compositionally at the same time you’re
developing your ideas.
You’ll be working both lyrically and musically, though
musically it’s not necessary that you either read music or play an instrument.
If you play, great, and you’ll be encouraged to play and record your musical
responses to the assignments. If you don’t play, the course offers you a number
of musical loops to work with. All you’ll have to do is sing your melodies over
the loops.
Assignments will ask you to post something for peer review—sometimes lyric lines or sections, sometimes
melodies, sometimes both. None of it has to be polished. The course is about writing,
not performing.
Most important, you’ll have a lot of fun.