[johnlondon]

Hi all,

Having recently completed this online course, I thought I`d share my experience with the forum. I know a lot of regular posters are very experienced and this course will not be for them, but I have read a number of posts from members with little or no experience of song writing and I am sure this course would be very beneficial for them.

The course runs for six weeks, with three hours per week input. I personally was studying for four to five times that amount, but that was my choice to seek additional material. There is very little reading required, mostly its about listening to examples and actually writing a suitable tune.

A set of the same lyrics written by the poet Mat Black is provided to all students. The idea being that each student interprets the lyrics and writes the music and then records and posts their finished project on Soundcloud.

Each weeks input included music theory across all the elements of song writing, which are melody, rhythm, harmony, metre and key. There are interviews with writers and performers on video.  A list of songs to listen to, which highlights the course learning points for that week. The musician Martin Simpson was given a set of lyrics at the beginning of the course, and week by week we watched him edit the lyrics, develop melodic phrases and work the lyrics up into an excellent song.

About two thousand people started the course and about two hundred put their final song on Soundcloud, I put my version online, but it was embarrassingly poor so I took it down. I did get two likes and someone suggested I sounded like Bryan Ferry, she was being very kind, in truth I sound Like a Brittany Ferry leaving port.  I did however learn a huge amount, about music theory, song writing, using DAWs, which I`d never used before and of necessity improved my timing. I didn`t make a great song but took the most important steps towards learning a new skill that is the first steps.

The course is still available online and new students are signing up and starting the course on an ongoing basis. I would certainly recommend this course to new song writers, and its free.

regards john

[Annoying Twit]

I do know quite a lot (though not as much as some) of music theory. I'm tempted to sign up to the course though. It never hurts to revise. Sometimes it's not just what you know and can talk about, but what you can really put into practice and how effectively.

I note that to get a certificate of participation costs £34, but I assume that the rest is free.

I would guess that the University of Sheffield has received funding for this. Or, they are using it as a method of promoting their music degrees. Or perhaps the whole thing is one big scientific experiment.

[Nicolajane87]

Hi, I am new to songwriting and have very little experience, so I have signed up for this free course, I think I will benefit a lot and learn a lot more about songwriting. I don't know when the course is due to start yet but they will send me an email when it's due to start.