SONGWRITING CLASSES

If you are interested in writing songs but don't know how to start, or you've been writing songs for a while but want help taking your writing to the next level, I recommend taking my songwriting classes. (Private lessons are a good option as well.)


In my classes and lessons, you will learn how to:

• MAKE YOUR MELODIES CATCHIER
  
  
  
• INCREASE THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF YOUR SONGS
  
  
• WRITE IN VIRTUALLY ANY STYLE OF MUSIC
  
  
  
• FIT WORDS TO MUSIC, AND MUSIC TO WORDS
  
  
  
• WRITE SONGS THAT PEOPLE WON'T FORGET
  
  
  
  
  I teach a lot of guitar lessons, but as a musician I'm better known as a songwriter than as a guitarist. My songs have been recorded by numerous artists, including Eric Brace and Last Train Home, the Grandsons, Little Pink, and Virginia Coalition. I teach private songwriting lessons as well as songwriting classes. I basically teach two kinds of songwriting classes,
  
  Beginner Level (fundamentals), and Intermediate/Advanced Level (how to improve your work in every area)--
  
  
  
  
  
  1. Intermediate/Advanced class. Students in this class need some music fundamentals/music theory background. Class builds on basic fundamentals, covering song structure, melody techniques, chord progressions, rhythms, matching lyrics to melodies, and much more. To illustrate these concepts, we use a variety of songs-- different artists, styles, genres. We've analyzed music by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard, Richard Rodgers, and many more. I also use my own songs to show various songwriting approaches. Students also bring in their own original material for class discussion, and are encouraged to suggest music for the class to study. If you're trying to figure out how your favorite songs work, bring them in and we'll find out!
  
  2. "Beginner" or "Fundamentals" class. The purpose of this class is to prepare a student for the more advanced class. We cover fundamentals and music theory, in order to build a foundation for more advanced discussion of the craft of songwriting. If you have always been intimidated by music theory, don't worry! It's not nearly as difficult and complex as people think--
  --and it can open up all kinds of doors in your songwriting. Anything you want to know more about, from chords to melodies to how to match words to music, can be made easier with a little theory work.
  
  The intermediate/advanced class meets Thursdays from 7 to 8:30. Tuition is $150.00 per month. Please contact me at karlstraub@hotmail.com for details about beginner/fundamentals classes and private lessons.
  
  for more thoughts about teaching/learning the craft of songwriting, please see this other post--
  guitarteacherstraub.blogspot.com/2009/06/songwriting-private-lessons-and-classes.html