Summary of "Becoming a Songwriter - Full Course"

This comprehensive course by Andrea Stolpe provides a deep dive into songwriting techniques, processes, and mindset, aimed at songwriters of all levels. It covers lyric writing, melody, harmony, song structure, and the creative process, offering practical exercises and insights to help songwriters develop their unique voice, finish more songs, and enjoy the craft.

Main Ideas and Concepts

1. Introduction and Course Purpose

The course is designed to be comprehensive, covering common and uncommon songwriting techniques.
It is free to make songwriting accessible to everyone.
Exercises are provided for different time availabilities.
A PDF guide is available to visualize tools and their interactions.

2. What Makes a Song Magical?

Songs become extraordinary by deliberate control over:
- Lyrics (storytelling, emotional impact)
- Melody (catchiness, memorability)
- Rhythm and Groove (momentum, danceability)
Understanding what resonates personally helps create authentic songs.
Songwriters should analyze their favorite songs to identify patterns in melody, lyrics, chords, and rhythm.

3. Writing What You Know

Authenticity comes from writing about personal experiences and emotions.
Exercise: Make a list of things you know intimately (daily life, memories).
Avoid writing solely for others’ tastes; focus on your own artistic voice.
Songwriting is a process of writing, recording, releasing, and reflecting.

4. Songwriting Process and Flexibility

No single “right” way to write a song; find what works for you.
Common approaches:
- Start with lyrics
- Start with melody
- Start with chords and groove
Be flexible, especially in collaborations.
Exercise: Analyze your songwriting strengths and weaknesses; consider changing your process to overcome challenges.

5. lyric writing

Lyrics and music work together (prosody); music shapes the meaning of words.
Sensory/descriptive writing (destination writing) is a key exercise:
- Daily, non-judgmental writing focused on sensory details (taste, touch, sight, sound, smell, movement).
- Helps generate vivid imagery and language for lyrics.
Good lyrics serve the song’s emotional and musical context, not just standalone poetry.
Use scene setting and vantage point (past, present, future) to structure storytelling.
Use a lens (metaphor/image) to express concepts indirectly (e.g., a tornado for a turbulent relationship).
Exercise: Create a playlist of influential songs; analyze lyrics and create a sensory writing practice.
Exercise: Identify scene-setting lines in your sensory writings.
Exercise: Map out the concept of your song in terms of past, present, future.
Exercise: Use a list of nouns as lenses to view your song concept from different metaphorical angles.

6. Titles and Focus in Lyrics

Titles often represent the seed idea or repeated phrase.
A strong song asserts one clear, potent idea.
Exercise: Maintain a title list by collecting interesting words or phrases regularly.

7. Point of View in Lyrics

Pronouns shape the song’s perspective and relationship with the audience:
- First person ("I")
- Second person ("you")
- Third person ("he/she/they")
Changing point of view can reveal new emotional depths or clarity.
Exercise: Rewrite a song you’ve written in a different point of view to explore effects.

8. Harmony and Chord Progressions

Chord choices and harmonic rhythm (when chords change) significantly affect a song’s mood and energy.
Example: Sheryl Crow’s "Strong Enough" shows how chord change timing creates momentum.
More frequent chord changes = more energy; fewer changes = more spaciousness or tension.
Exercise: Experiment with chord change frequency using familiar chords.
Exercise: Play along with songs to develop rhythmic vocabulary.
Technique: Saving the One – avoid playing the tonic chord (root) until the chorus to create contrast and lift.
Exercise: Write chord progressions practicing "Saving the One."

9. Melody Writing

Melody consists of pitch (notes sung) and rhythm (note durations and placement).
Great melodies support the song’s message; different songs require different melodic approaches.
Use contrast between sections (verse, pre-chorus, chorus) to maintain energy.
Visualize melody shapes and rhythms to understand and create contrast.
Use repetition of melodic motifs with pitch variation but rhythmic consistency.
Use phrasing techniques: starting melody before, on, or after the downbeat to create interest.
Use rest space (pauses) to give listeners time to absorb lyrics and create emotional impact.
Melodies can contract (short notes)