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Are You Ready for It? New Taylor Swift Songwriting Masterclass

Berklee Online instructor Scarlet Keys is leading a new Masterclass called “The Songwriting Secrets of Taylor Swift,” a two-hour session that serves as a bite-size online version of the popular course she teaches at the Berklee College of Music campus in Boston. Learn what particular Tay-Tay songwriting tricks Scarlet appreciates most.

What is Topline Songwriting?

Topline is a specialized niche of songwriting where the focus is on melody, lyrics, and performance over a preexisting track/beat/sonic structure. Learn a bit of history of how the craft of topline has become a significant role in the creative space of the music industry.

Prosody in Music and Songwriting

Prosody in songwriting is when all the elements work together to support the central message of the song, creating an appropriate relationship between the elements. Learn how to enhance your songwriting with prosody!

Berklee Online Announces Songwriting Master’s Degree

Bonnie Hayes wants you to throw out the idea that songwriting can only be done when inspiration hits. Hayes is the director of Berklee Online’s new Master of Arts in Songwriting degree program, and has designed the curriculum to prepare students to write marketable songs at a moment’s notice.

Collaborative Songwriting Students Create Future Perfect Sound

Berklee Online students Danielle Collavino, Jamie Dickinson, and Billy Henry, who took Neil Diercks’ “Collaborative Songwriting” course, kept their remote songwriting dynamic going. They’re releasing their first EP under the name Future Perfect Sound.

M. Ward on ‘Migration Stories,’ She & Him, and Songwriting

Matt Ward shares how a Beatles songbook and a closeted $25 guitar helped define his path as a musician, a journey which has led to create the poignant new M. Ward album, ‘Migration Stories.’

3 Lessons H.E.R.’s ‘Hard Place’ can Teach us about Songwriting

Andrea Stolpe walks us through H.E.R.’s song “Hard Place,” and tells us why it’s a great example of prosody, and how you can apply the same principles to your songwriting.

3 Songwriting Lessons from The 1975’s ‘Give Yourself a Try’

Berklee Online instructor and multiplatinum songwriter Andrea Stolpe discusses how to embrace lyrical and melodic ideas that don’t always agree, using the example of the 1975’s song, “Give Yourself a Try.”

3 Lessons Eric Church’s ‘Some of It’ Can Teach us about Songwriting

Eric Church’s Grammy-nominated song “Some of It” is a great example of the personal and universal “slice of life” that makes this type of writing tick.

Chord Progressions: 8 Tips for Richer Songwriting

Chords are a driving element of many songs. When we’ve got four elements of songwriting to manipulate (melody, chords, lyrics, and groove), it’s natural to credit them or blame them for a successful song. But how do we songwriters find and use great chords?