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Doing the Work

Now we're in the trenches. There are so many things to think about, to learn about and to work on. What's your rhyme scheme? Is your point of view consistent? Is your melodic journey going to keep the listener interested all the way to the end of the song? What about "setting" issues? How closely have you looked at "phrasing?" The list goes on and on, and so do the videos that will give you some tools to help you "do the work" on your songs.

Video Lectures

Lyric Writing

Prosody Part 1: Introducing Prosody
0:22:45
Prosody Lecture Part 1: Supporting the song's intent using the five elements of lyric structure.
Writing Emotional Songs: Part 1: Lyrics
0:30:51
There's a knack to writing songs that matter to people. Bonnie shares her secrets.
Rhyme Types
0:49:12
Rhyme works like harmony. It can be used to make your lines feel stable or unstable.

Songwriting Techniques

Writing Outside the Box
0:30:37
Here we explore specific ways to make your songs unique and less predictable.
Point of View
0:48:37
How to find the most powerful way to tell any story.
Using Chords
0:42:22
Profound examples of how experimenting with the chord beneath important melody notes can affect the emotional impact of a song.
Prosody (Seskin)
0:28:20
Examples where lyrics and music are a perfect marriage and the whole song works together
Rule of Twos
0:21:38
If you do something twice in a song, don't do it again until you've done something else.
Comfort Zones
0:33:31
Do you have one or two things that you do which make your songs all sound really similar to one another? Try getting out of your comfort zone.

Song Form and Structure

Writing the Big Chorus: Delayed Gratification and the Power of One: Part 1
0:30:52
Write those "knock-it-out-of-the-park" choruses!
Sections of Songs
0:27:51
In this video we focus on form, covering all the choices you have.
Phrasing: Part 1: Front-Heavy, Back-Heavy Lines
0:46:56
Where you put your lines in the musical bar makes all the difference in the emotion of the song.
Journey of a Song
1:12:48
How can a song become more interesting as it progresses? By being aware of verse development, prosody, contrasting sections and more!

Melody and Harmony

Writing Emotional Songs: Part 2: Notes
0:23:16
Choose notes that make moments in your songs feel more emotional.
Advanced Harmony Ideas for Songwriters
1:19:34
How to use tricks from the old hits in new ways.

Rewriting

Rewriting
1:31:16
The difference between the free-flowing first draft of a song, and the more analytical tweaking that's required for rewriting.

Collaboration

Collaboration: Part 1
0:35:56
If you're interested in co-writing, this is the video for you. The ins and outs, dos and don'ts.

The Music Business

Collaboration: Part 2
0:11:11
A look into some of the legal issues that come up when co-writing.

Music Theory

Harmonic Functions in Speech
0:29:34
What did Leonard Bernstein's "The Unanswered Question" have to do with songwriting? Let's find out!
Chords As Adjectives: Part 1
0:36:40
Let the music do the modifying!