Randy
09/26/23
Great teacher!
Awesome beginner course
1-2-3 Songwriting
An accelerated, creative & intuitive approach to songwriting for guitarists
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About this course
The creative process is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a musician. Whether or not one aspires to be a songwriter, musicianship can only be enhanced by understanding the music that we play from the inside. However, becoming a songwriter or improving your songwriting is an unparalleled artistic achievement for the musically inclined. It is a journey into your soul; an expression of your being.
1-2-3 Songwriting teaches you how to find and develop your own process for writing great songs. Ravi will teach you how to generate story ideas, chord progressions, or turn that riff gnawing away in your mind into a sonic masterpiece that will make you proud. Best of all, this process is fun, yet sometimes challenging, but always rewarding. By the end of this course you will have at least three new songs, at least three different writing processes, and a blueprint for the rest of your songwriting journey.
For every song that's been written, there are thousands that haven't yet been written. There are a lot of things that go into a song. There are so many elements that make up a song: verses, choruses, bridges, ramps, intros, outros, hooks, titles, lyrics.
There are hundreds of songwriting courses out there, but none like 1-2-3 Songwriting. You'll take a different approach to crafting tunes without any tedious theory. Why? Because it's unnecessary. Many great songwriters have written many great songs without any theory knowledge at all.
This is not just a sit back and watch Ravi do it type of course. It's truly an interactive songwriting experience. You are going to compose your way through this course. Ravi will guide you through the songwriting process step by step and show you how to evaluate your songs along the way.
All songs share many of the same elements. Words. Music. Verses. Choruses. You get the idea. But, the method or process is usually different with each songwriter. Different songwriters have different starting points. In this course, you'll focus on the 3 most common starting points: a lyric, a riff, and a chord progression.
Ravi will guide you through a multi-step process for each of those 3 songwriting starting points, and you'll craft a new song each way. You're not just going to learn HOW to craft songs, but you're actually going to finish this course with 3 new songs of your own!
Through the 3 processes, you're really going to dig deep into the craft of songwriting. You'll start with chord progressions, learning how to string them together to create sections of songs, then you'll string those sections together to build a song.
You'll come up with story lines and work through them to create a set of great lyrics. You'll dwindle those lyrics down to an awesome title, and then create a compelling hook -- something your fans will be singing in the shower over and over. You'll work on intros and outros and overall form of the song from beginning to end until you've come up with a work of art that you can truly be proud of.
Ravi has included some killer resources that will help you through the songwriting process. For example, a Key Chart, which will tell you which chords work best within a key, and a tasty chord chart that will show you how to embellish some of those old standard chords to inspire more interesting melodies. In addition to those learning tools, Ravi also has created a checklist for you that gives you step-by-step reminders and hints for crafting songs.
Enough talk. Time to put pen to paper, hand to guitar, and eyes and ears on Ravi's 1-2-3 Songwriting. Let's craft a hit!
1-2-3 Songwriting teaches you how to find and develop your own process for writing great songs. Ravi will teach you how to generate story ideas, chord progressions, or turn that riff gnawing away in your mind into a sonic masterpiece that will make you proud. Best of all, this process is fun, yet sometimes challenging, but always rewarding. By the end of this course you will have at least three new songs, at least three different writing processes, and a blueprint for the rest of your songwriting journey.
For every song that's been written, there are thousands that haven't yet been written. There are a lot of things that go into a song. There are so many elements that make up a song: verses, choruses, bridges, ramps, intros, outros, hooks, titles, lyrics.
There are hundreds of songwriting courses out there, but none like 1-2-3 Songwriting. You'll take a different approach to crafting tunes without any tedious theory. Why? Because it's unnecessary. Many great songwriters have written many great songs without any theory knowledge at all.
This is not just a sit back and watch Ravi do it type of course. It's truly an interactive songwriting experience. You are going to compose your way through this course. Ravi will guide you through the songwriting process step by step and show you how to evaluate your songs along the way.
All songs share many of the same elements. Words. Music. Verses. Choruses. You get the idea. But, the method or process is usually different with each songwriter. Different songwriters have different starting points. In this course, you'll focus on the 3 most common starting points: a lyric, a riff, and a chord progression.
Ravi will guide you through a multi-step process for each of those 3 songwriting starting points, and you'll craft a new song each way. You're not just going to learn HOW to craft songs, but you're actually going to finish this course with 3 new songs of your own!
Through the 3 processes, you're really going to dig deep into the craft of songwriting. You'll start with chord progressions, learning how to string them together to create sections of songs, then you'll string those sections together to build a song.
You'll come up with story lines and work through them to create a set of great lyrics. You'll dwindle those lyrics down to an awesome title, and then create a compelling hook -- something your fans will be singing in the shower over and over. You'll work on intros and outros and overall form of the song from beginning to end until you've come up with a work of art that you can truly be proud of.
Ravi has included some killer resources that will help you through the songwriting process. For example, a Key Chart, which will tell you which chords work best within a key, and a tasty chord chart that will show you how to embellish some of those old standard chords to inspire more interesting melodies. In addition to those learning tools, Ravi also has created a checklist for you that gives you step-by-step reminders and hints for crafting songs.
Enough talk. Time to put pen to paper, hand to guitar, and eyes and ears on Ravi's 1-2-3 Songwriting. Let's craft a hit!
What you'll learn
- Develop ability to expand musical ideas into full compositions
- Understanding the principle of 'don't bore us, get to the chorus'
- Learn a step-by-step process for developing a riff into a complete song
- Learn structured approach to songwriting that includes both music and lyrics
- Understanding when to use simple vamps vs. complex intros
Release date: 11/20/2012 • 4h 10m runtime
Sample lessons
Anatomy of a Song
Overview
Starting with a Progression
Approach #1
Create the Story
Step #6
Write Lyrics and Melody
Step #7
What's included
44 lessons • 1 charts
1-2-3 Songwriting
Welcome to 1-2-3 Songwriting! The creative process is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a musician. Whether or not one aspires to be a songwriter, musicianship can only be enhanced by understanding the music that we play from the inside. However, becoming a songwriter or improving your songwriting is an unparalleled artistic achievement for the musically inclined. It is a journey into your soul; an expression of your being.
Songwriting is an intimidating endeavor for many. As one who studied classical composition in high school and college but always found my muse (and career) as a singer-songwriter in pop and rock and roll, I certainly know that songwriting discipline comes with challenges. What do I do with a blank page? How do I get past writer's block? How can I turn this chord progression or riff into a song? My composition teacher used to frequently tell me that inspiration is a luxury. Perhaps it is, but we should always seek it out. Sometimes we need to invite inspiration, or just start creating a song without it until the creative process itself generates it. It happens all the time.
1-2-3 Songwriting teaches you how to find and develop your own process for writing great songs. I'll teach you how to generate story ideas, chord progressions, or turn that riff gnawing away in your mind into a sonic masterpiece that will make you proud. Best of all, this process is fun, yet sometimes challenging, but always rewarding. By the end of this course you will have at least three new songs, at least three different writing processes, and a blueprint for the rest of your songwriting journey. So, roll up your sleeves and together lets create some magic!
Songwriting is an intimidating endeavor for many. As one who studied classical composition in high school and college but always found my muse (and career) as a singer-songwriter in pop and rock and roll, I certainly know that songwriting discipline comes with challenges. What do I do with a blank page? How do I get past writer's block? How can I turn this chord progression or riff into a song? My composition teacher used to frequently tell me that inspiration is a luxury. Perhaps it is, but we should always seek it out. Sometimes we need to invite inspiration, or just start creating a song without it until the creative process itself generates it. It happens all the time.
1-2-3 Songwriting teaches you how to find and develop your own process for writing great songs. I'll teach you how to generate story ideas, chord progressions, or turn that riff gnawing away in your mind into a sonic masterpiece that will make you proud. Best of all, this process is fun, yet sometimes challenging, but always rewarding. By the end of this course you will have at least three new songs, at least three different writing processes, and a blueprint for the rest of your songwriting journey. So, roll up your sleeves and together lets create some magic!
Working with the Course
Most songs contain many of the same elements even if individual song writers have their own process to put it all together. In this course, we are going to work from three different starting points, and then follow a process to create, develop, and complete three songs. That's right, by the end of this course you will have written three songs, each approached from a different starting point! While you and I will follow the same processes in order to do this, the goal is ultimately for you to find your own methods. However, by following mine, you'll have a guideline from which to work, and from which to stray away and find your own path of creativity!
Anatomy of a Song
If you dissect a variety of songs, you will see that many of the same structural forms ocurr over and over. For example, all songs begin with an "Intro" by definition. Whatever it is, if it is at the beginning, it is the intro. Vocals usually come in on the first "Verse." Sometimes it might not be the verse when you first hear the singer, but often it is. The "PreChorus" or the "Ramp" is the transition between your verses and the chorus. It is not always needed, so you won't always find it. The "Chorus" is the big part of the song, the climax where the main point of the song is being presented. The word chorus typically refers to more than one person singing (which musically helps drive that point home), but in these days of the solo singer-songwriter, it can also be thought of as the section where everyone just wants to sing along. The "Bridge" is the depature section - a device used to break the verse/chorus pattern and generate new interest. It generally occurs only once in the song, and usually after the halfway point. The "Outro" is the opposite of the "Intro." Whatever one hears last is the outro. It could be a strong musical period or exclamation point, or perhaps a fade into silence. Whatever it is, the outro brings the song to its end. The title is the name of the song, and it also psychologically leads the listener into the song because in many cases he knows it before even hearing the first note So, it should never be overlooked or down-played - it is the handle that people will use to communicate your song to one another, and often is the focus of your chorus. Ultimately, a song is just words and music. "Lyrics" are the words, whether it is poetic or descriptive. The "Hook" is the part of the song that rings in everyone's head. It is often the chorus, but not always. It could be a catchy riff (a melodic line) or anything that just sticks in your head because you are hooked! "Chords" by definition are three or more notes played together. However, altering chords and making them tastier or simpler, or just playing them somewhere else on the fretboard adds character to the music. Ultimately, the "Chord Progression" is what is more fundamental in the song - the sequence of the chords. The "Melody" is the tune with which we sing the lyrics. It is normally the part that one would whistle. Words and music meet at the melody, it is the marriage. "Rhythm and Groove" gives us the mood and feel of our song. "Solo" is a section that highlights a musical instrument. It departs from the lyric, but often maintains the melodic idea.
Songwriting Tools
There are a variety of assets, or resources included in the course. For example, you will find a check list, a key chart, some chord progressions and tasty chords.
Starting with a Progression
A common way to approach songwriting is to develop the song from a chord progression that you have in your head or discovered by noodling around on your instrument, or maybe it's one you found while playing another song. Print out your check list and we'll write our songs step by step.
Create a Section
Perhaps you have a chord progression already, but if not, choose one of the progressions included with this course and make that your starting point. Choose two to four chords to create a progression for the first section. Don't worry about the rhythm. You just want to find chords that sound good together. So do that and check that off your list!
Add Rhythm and Groove
Now that you have your chords, experiment with rhythm in order to capture a feel for your song. Also, now is a good time to figure out how long your section will be. Once you have a groove, you can get a good feel for the right length. In general, song sections are 8, 12, or 16 measures in length. Of course other lengths are possible too. But for now, let's shoot for something that will be easy to work with. Count it out loud so you know how long your section is, make a simple recording so you don't forget it, and then check it off your list!
+ 37 more lessons
Reviews
10 results
Quark77
Verified buyer
12/01/22
Fun but not much more
Ravi's songwriting course is entertaining. However, it the three approaches are somewhat repetitive. Obviously, the songs he's writing in the course have been prepared and some of the findings come across quite cheesy. I expected a bit more in terms of concepts and techniques to evoke creativity, rhythm and melodies - for me, as guitarist, too much focus on words.
stratmon
Verified buyer
06/14/20
Basic solid course
Takes you through the process of creating a song and what to do if your stuck in an idea...for the novice or pro..GREAT COURSE
tele542554
Verified buyer
04/01/20
song writing
Still working on my first song, "BUT" getting there!
sunray
03/28/20
123 Songwriting
Great course! Ravi offers three ways to start a song. Highly recommended. Course comes with handy-to-use, printable work sheets to help you start and complete your song. I've been writing songs for over 30 years, and I recommend this course to anyone who wants to start writing their own.
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