Songwriting Workshop | How to Write a Great Chorus

Overview

Learn the anatomy and structures of choruses that deliver the central idea and message of your song in unforgettable ways.

This 90-minute Workshop will focus on key concepts in crafting a great chorus:

• The difference between an ‘idea’ and a ‘concept’
• How to place your title for maximum effect
• Melodic approaches to hook writing
• How to use the hook as the ‘tent peg’ for constructing the chorus melody

We will:

• We’ll look at a ton of song examples that demonstrate some recurring chorus structures in contemporary songwriting;
• Practice finding a title, and iterating through these different structural options to experiment with the relationship between the different forms, and the ideas that you have for your choruses;
• Introduce 3 melodic techniques for writing great hook melodies.

Who is this for?

This workshop is for songwriters of any level of experience who want a deeper understanding of commercial songwriting techniques, and a set of tools and techniques to reach for when writing the most important part of the song – the chorus.

If you (like me 20 years ago) think of the chorus as simply the ‘bit that repeats’, there will be ideas in here that will transform your songwriting, so that people remember your songs, and want to come back to hear them again and again.

Your Teacher

THIS WORKSHOP IS TAUGHT BY KEPPIE COUTTS.

Hey there! I’m a professional songwriter, and songwriting teacher. I’ve been teaching song and lyric writing for over 10 years now for some of the best contemporary music colleges in the world. I teach for the Berklee College of Music (online, from beautiful Sydney, Australia), for the Sydney Conservatorium of Music’s Open Academy, as well as for the Australian College of the Arts. At other times, I’ve taught for the Australian Institute of Music, as well as the LA School of Songwriting.

As a professional songwriter, I work in collaboration with many artists—from Indie bluegrass Canadians, to major label pop acts, and even heavy metal. In the past 12 months, songs I have written or co-written have had over 5.3 million streams on Spotify and YouTube.

You can find my music and collaborations here.

My goal is to help people write better songs! My experience in the classroom, with thousands of students at this point (many going on to find careers and success in music), is that your songwriting, like all things, can get better with meaningful, deliberate practice. My intention is to share the skills, knowledge, information, and ideas that I’ve had the privilege of gathering with anyone who wants to improve their songwriting.

You can check out my YouTube channel, How To Write Songs, here!

You can read my articles and posts on songwriting tips and tidbits here!

For those in the USA or EU, please note that this workshop takes place on November 24 in your time zone!

Refund Policy

No refunds