Songwriting and Development

In the Songwriting and Development Course, basic songwriting techniques will be addressed; students will develop a strong sense of form, melody, harmony, bass line development, and rhythm. An introduction to lyric considerations for various musical genres will be explored, and all of these course topics will be connected and related to the standpoint of the audio engineer. Additional topics will include modulation and modality, transitional bridge and primary bridge, rhythm, rhyme and form, compositional decision-making, effective arrangements for lead vocals, and supporting the style and structure of a song with appropriate instruments. The over-arching goal of this course is convey to audio engineers the significance of songwriting in the production process and to assist audio engineers in making appropriate technical decisions based on the song and the artist.

Course Outline

• Basic Songwriting Techniques
• Engineering and Lyrical Considerations
• Engineering and Music Genre Considerations
• Compositional Decision Making
• Songwriting and the Production Process
• Technology Decisions Based on Songwriting