I can show you my binder full of hundreds of discarded songs that I’ve kept from the time I was 13. Sometimes it takes ten minutes to write a song from start to finish but there are other songs that can take years before I feel like I a certain song is complete. There are people in the music industry who might say there is a specific formula for writing the perfect song, and while I have yet to believe that is true for certain, I do believe there are important lessons I’ve learned through the years that I have utilized to make me a better songwriter today.
For the sake of clarity, in the context of songwriting lessons with me, we will be constructing lyrics, melody, and a general chord progression. Beyond that, we can get specific, but if you are looking for something more along the lines of composition (transcribing for orchestral accompaniment, for example), I’m not your best fit. However, I can give you recommendations on producers and contract musicians if you’re interested in recording your songs in the future.
I offer songwriting lessons or coaching to anyone who is interested, open to ages 12 and up (exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis). You are welcome to combine songwriting with voice lessons in your 30, 45, or 60 minute lesson or devote an independent block of time to focus on it, separate from your voice lesson.
Do you have songs already written? I’d love to hear them and I can give you my honest feedback, which you can use to rework your songs or disregard (they’re your songs, after all). I aim not to write anything for you but to encourage you to become the songwriter you want to be. Maybe we will work on phrasing, reworking lyrics, structuring the song, creating a hook, transposing the key, or experimenting with tempos– look at the song from different angles to bring the best potential from it.
Do you play an instrument, like guitar or piano? If you play guitar, bring it to your lesson! If you play piano, you can play on my beautiful Yamaha baby grand piano. Playing an instrument is incredibly useful in the songwriting process, so there’s no reason not to bring it along with your song ideas! If you don’t play an instrument (or even if you do), we can start with basic chord structures commonly found in pop songs and go from there!
Do you feel intimidated by songwriting? That’s understandable, but there’s no reason to be. Songwriting can be a vulnerable and difficult process at times, but it can also be incredibly rewarding and a wonderful outlet for creativity. I believe that there is no such thing as a “bad idea” or even a “bad song” when we are still in the brainstorming/ writing process– I want you to feel safe to explore different melodies and lyrics and rhythms and sometimes the right song doesn’t come automatically, so it helps if we provide the right environment for it to flourish!
What if you’ve never written a song or don’t have anything to show? If you don’t have anything written or want to try writing something from scratch, that’s great! Depending on what you’re comfortable with, we might start with some improvisational exercises to get the creativity flowing. If you have something already written, even if it’s just a line or part of a song, I would love to hear what you have– you might be surprised by what ideas can come with just a nudge in the right direction.
Ready to schedule your lesson? Go HERE.