Hit Songwriting Course
Hit Songwriting Program
Songwriting Course – Write Better. Go Further.
In today’s music industry, talent alone won’t cut it. To thrive as a songwriter, you need to understand what makes a track commercially viable—from structure and lyric craft to emotional resonance and market appeal.
Songwriting Fundamentals
- →What makes a timeless melody?
- →What makes a hit a hit now?
- →A look at past famed hit makers and an up close look at today’s top music makers
- →How do you come up with a “killer line?”
- →What is alliteration, anaphora, and other “ear worm” secrets to lyric and melody writing?
- →What’s the difference between a song and a hit? A classic?
- →The beauty of a crossover
The Secret to Making a Great Demo
- →Don’t waste your money
- →The power of the remix
- →Selecting the perfect vocalist
- →Simplicity is bliss
Placement and Politics
- →What makes a songwriter “hot”?
- →What is the present state of A&R?
- →How do I get my songs cut and placed?
- →It’s more than just the music, an inside perspective on how to get your songs placed and heard
- →Dirty little secrets of song placement
The Forum is Yours
- →Share your songs with the class
- →Share your tips and tricks
- →What are your favorite hit songs? And why?
- →Write a song with class and instructor, maybe even a HIT!
This course is built for those ready to move beyond hobbyist writing and start creating songs that can compete in the real world—whether you're aiming for chart placements, sync licensing, or cuts with other artists.
Taught in a small-class setting by a working professional songwriter with credits and collaborations across the industry, you'll gain:
- →Real-world strategies for pitching, co-writing, and getting placements
- →Detailed critique sessions to refine your current songs for the market
- →Collaborative writing opportunities that mimic real industry sessions
- →Proven commercial songwriting frameworks used by top writers
Bring your own material, refine your sound, and learn how to position your songs for the right opportunities. You’ll leave this course not just a better writer, but a smarter, more strategic one—with the tools to pursue commercial success.
Sessions available in-person or LIVE online. Let’s turn your ideas into songs that get heard.
This course is available live online, taught in real time by Garnish instructors from across our network of campuses, in the same small-group format as our in-person classes, using our specialist music collaboration software, Muse. Discover qualities that distinguish us, here.
Questions we hear a lot.
Writers ready to move beyond hobbyist writing and create songs that can compete commercially - whether you sing them yourself or write for others.
What makes a song commercially viable: structure, lyric craft, emotional resonance and market appeal.
Use the Connect button on this page to request the current schedule and price; one of our placement team will reply within a business day.
Songs that can compete in the real world, with structure, lyric craft, emotional resonance and market appeal working together.
Yes - live sessions with a working songwriter, with feedback on your own songs.
Ready to get started?
InquireWhat makes Garnish different?
Songwriting Guide For Beginners
It is absolutely okay if you’re not Johnny Cash or David Bowie, you can still write a song for that guitar tune in your head or vice versa. Songwriting is a skill indeed, however, with enough practice and right use of your imagination you can master this skill and begin writing masterpieces in no ti
Read →Lyrics for Composers: Prosody, Syllables and Sections
How words and music fit together - stressed syllables on strong beats, vowel choice for long notes, what each section of a song does lyrically, and how to set a lyric to a melody.
Read →Topline Melody: Tips, Tricks and Devices
Landing on the tonic, the compelling moment, steps and leaps for energy, inverting a melodic idea, rhythmic pockets in a track, range across sections, and repetition in melody.
Read →Songwriting: How to Write Better Lyrics
by Chris Porter Communicate, connect and feedback. This is critical. A great (or at least, better!) lyric has something to say and knows how to say it. The subject matter is irrelevant if you get this critical step right. Run your ideas past trusted ears. If you’re getting a lot of blank looks, it’s
Read →Seventh Chords, Extensions and Chord Variations
Major sevenths, minor sevenths and dominant sevenths, ninths, elevenths and thirteenths, sus chords, inversions, and how to make one chord do the work of several.
Read →Songwriting, Music Composition writing chords and bass lines
A last day with a songwriting and composition class - chord sequences, melody, structure, rhythm, lyrics, arrangement and bass lines.
Read →