Songwriting 102: Vocals, Harmony, Structure and Sound Design from Udemy

Learn how to Improve Your Songs with our Songwriting 102 course.

This course will teach you advanced songwriting techniques to enhance your vocals, chords, harmonies, vocal tuning, sound design, music production skills, and even help you find the right vocalist.

What is this Songwriting Course all about?

In this Songwriting course, you’ll learn various techniques for songwriters and music producers to help develop new ways of writing songs or improve your existing songs.

We show you how to create a full song from scratch, turning a basic idea into a full arrangement and production.

In this course, we demonstrate our ideas and techniques in Logic Pro 11, but you can use the skills and techniques we teach and apply them to any pro-level digital audio workstation.

Who are Your Instructors for this Course?

Peter Darling is a Songwriting lecturer who has written songs professionally for over a decade. He also has an MA Master's Degree in Music Composition and a BA(Hons) Degree in Popular Music.

Tomas George has an MMus Master's Degree in Music Production and a BA(Hons) Degree in Music Composition. He is also the creator of some of the world's most popular music production courses, with over 380,000 students.

Here’s What You’ll Learn in This Course:

• Songwriting techniques for building a song from scratch• Vocal arranging skills, including doubling, octaves, and pedal notes• Advanced harmony and chord extensions• Song arrangement and structural techniques• How to find and collaborate with professional singers online• Sound design tips using Serum 2• Vocal tuning essentials with Melodyne• And much more to elevate your songwriting.

Included with the Course:

Downloadable project files and audio samples, so you can follow along and practise with the exact resources we use in the lessons.

Click the Enroll button now, and let's take your songwriting to the next level.

Cheers,Tomas and Peter

What's inside

Learning objectives

Learn essential and advanced songwriting techniques to build a song from scratch
Learn about vocal arranging, including doubling, octaves, and pedal notes
Learn about advanced harmony and chord extensions

Learn about song arrangement and structure as we show you how we turned a vocal and chord progression into a full song
Learn the basics of sound design and synthesis in serum 2
Get started with vocal tuning basics using melodyne

Learn essential and advanced songwriting techniques to build a song from scratch
Learn about vocal arranging, including doubling, octaves, and pedal notes
Learn about advanced harmony and chord extensions
Learn about song arrangement and structure as we show you how we turned a vocal and chord progression into a full song
Learn the basics of sound design and synthesis in serum 2
Get started with vocal tuning basics using melodyne

Syllabus

Building a Song from Scratch

Part 1 - Building a Song from Scratch

Part 2 - Building a Song from Scratch

Part 3 - Building a Song from Scratch

Test your songwriting knowledge with this 10-question quiz.

Career center

Learners who complete Songwriting 102: Vocals, Harmony, Structure and Sound Design will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Songwriter

A Songwriter crafts original musical compositions, developing melodies, harmonies, and lyrics that resonate with an audience. This course directly addresses the core skills needed for a successful Songwriter, teaching essential and advanced techniques for building a song from scratch. Learners will master advanced harmony and chord extensions, crucial for creating rich musical textures. The emphasis on song arrangement and structural techniques helps transform initial ideas into full, compelling productions. Furthermore, the course guides on finding and collaborating with professional singers online, an invaluable skill for any aspiring Songwriter seeking to bring their compositions to life and navigate the professional landscape.

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Music Producer

A Music Producer guides the creative and technical process of recording a song, turning a basic idea into a polished, full arrangement and production. This course provides comprehensive training directly applicable to the responsibilities of a Music Producer. It teaches advanced songwriting techniques, music production skills, sound design tips using Serum 2, and vocal tuning essentials with Melodyne. The ability to create a full song from scratch in a professional-level digital audio workstation, as demonstrated in Logic Pro 11, is fundamental to this role. Course participants also gain insights into vocal arranging and how to collaborate with vocalists, which are critical assets for a Music Producer to oversee successful recordings.

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Vocal Arranger

A Vocal Arranger creates intricate and cohesive vocal parts that complement and enhance a song's main melody. This specialized role is deeply supported by the course's dedicated modules on vocal arranging skills. Learners will explore techniques such as doubling, octaves, and pedal notes, understanding how to build rich vocal textures and harmonies. The curriculum also delves into working out intervals and harmonizing vocals effectively, which are core competencies for a Vocal Arranger. Moreover, the course’s coverage of vocal tuning basics with Melodyne allows for precise refinement of vocal performances, ensuring the highest quality in any arrangement.

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Sound Designer

A Sound Designer creates and manipulates audio elements to shape the sonic landscape of a musical piece, film, game, or other media. For a Sound Designer specializing in music production, this course offers direct and practical training. It includes dedicated sections on sound design essentials using Serum 2, covering oscillators, filters, envelopes, LFOs, voicing, and effects. The ability to craft unique sounds and textures is vital for modern music production. While the course focuses on musical sound design for songs, the principles and hands-on experience with a powerful synthesizer like Serum 2 are directly transferable, enabling creativity and innovation in sonic exploration.

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Music Arranger

A Music Arranger takes a melodic or harmonic idea and expands it into a full, orchestrated piece for various instruments and voices. This course is highly relevant for an aspiring Music Arranger, focusing extensively on song arrangement and structural techniques. Learners discover how to transform a vocal and chord progression into a complete song, integrating elements like drum beats, bass parts, MIDI guitar, lead synths, pads, and keys. Understanding advanced harmony, chord extensions, and how different musical elements interact is crucial for this profession. The practical approach of building a song from scratch provides a solid foundation for developing sophisticated arrangements across diverse musical styles.

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Composer

A Composer creates original musical works, often encompassing melodies, harmonies, and orchestrations for various contexts beyond just popular songs, such as film scores, classical pieces, or instrumental works. This course greatly benefits a Composer by providing essential and advanced songwriting techniques, which form the bedrock of all composition. The deep dive into advanced harmony and chord extensions, along with comprehensive instruction on song arrangement and structural techniques, are directly applicable. Furthermore, the ability to create a full song from scratch and experiment with sound design using Serum 2 empowers a Composer to realize their creative visions with greater technical proficiency and artistic control.

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Theme Music Creator

A Theme Music Creator specializes in crafting original musical pieces that serve as signature tunes for television shows, podcasts, video series, or brands. This role demands a strong understanding of songwriting, arrangement, and sound design—all core components of this course. Learners acquire advanced songwriting techniques for building compelling melodies and harmonies. The focus on song arrangement and structural techniques is invaluable for creating memorable, concise musical identities. Additionally, the sound design skills using Serum 2 allow for crafting unique sonic textures that define a theme. The ability to develop a full production from a basic idea is directly applicable to creating distinctive and impactful theme music.

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Audio Mixing Engineer

An Audio Mixing Engineer balances and processes multiple audio tracks into a cohesive stereo or surround sound mix. While the course primarily focuses on songwriting and production, it provides a crucial understanding of the elements an Audio Mixing Engineer works with. The training in vocal tuning essentials with Melodyne is a direct, practical skill for this role. Moreover, knowledge of sound design using Serum 2 and the intricate details of vocal arranging, harmony, and song structure provides a mixing engineer with invaluable context. Understanding how a song is built from scratch helps an engineer make informed decisions during the mixing process, enhancing the overall sonic quality and artistic intent.

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Digital Audio Workstation Expert

A Digital Audio Workstation Expert possesses advanced proficiency in using specific music production software, optimizing its capabilities for creative and technical tasks. This course, while demonstrating techniques in Logic Pro 11, explicitly states that the skills are applicable to any pro-level digital audio workstation. Participants gain hands-on experience in building a full song from scratch, integrating various musical elements, and utilizing tools like Serum 2 for sound design and Melodyne for vocal tuning. This practical application cultivates a deep operational understanding of DAW features, making the learner highly proficient and adaptable as a Digital Audio Workstation Expert across different software environments.

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Music Content Creator

A Music Content Creator develops and shares original musical works or music-related educational material across various digital platforms like YouTube or social media. This course may be helpful for a Music Content Creator, equipping them with a comprehensive skill set to produce high-quality musical content. Learners acquire advanced songwriting techniques to create original songs, alongside proficiency in music production, vocal arranging, and sound design. The ability to create a full song from scratch, from initial idea to finished production, is directly applicable to generating engaging content. The discussions on getting paid gigs and collaboration also provide practical insights for navigating the creator economy.

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Session Vocalist

A Session Vocalist provides vocal performances for recordings, often interpreting a songwriter's or producer's vision. While the course primarily focuses on composition and production, it may be helpful for a Session Vocalist. Understanding vocal arranging, including doubling, octaves, and pedal notes, gives a vocalist insight into how their voice contributes to a larger production. Crucially, the vocal tuning essentials with Melodyne can help a vocalist understand how their performance might be treated in post-production, enabling them to deliver more "mix-ready" takes. Knowing how songs are built from scratch also helps a Session Vocalist interpret and perform material with greater musicality and intention.

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Artist and Repertoire Specialist

An Artist and Repertoire Specialist, often working for record labels or publishers, identifies and develops new musical talent and material. This course may be useful for an Artist and Repertoire Specialist by providing a profound understanding of music creation from a technical and artistic perspective. Learning advanced songwriting techniques, vocal arranging, harmony, song arrangement, and sound design equips one to critically evaluate the quality and potential of demos and emerging artists. Recognizing well-crafted songs, discerning production value, and appreciating vocal performance becomes easier for those who understand the intricacies involved in turning a basic idea into a full, high-quality production.

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Music Consultant

A Music Consultant provides expert advice to artists, labels, businesses, or individuals on various aspects of the music industry, from artistic direction to production strategies. This course may be helpful for a Music Consultant by building a deep, practical understanding of the creative and technical processes behind music. The comprehensive coverage of advanced songwriting, vocal arranging, harmony, song arrangement, sound design, and music production equips a consultant with foundational knowledge. This enables them to offer informed guidance on material development, production quality, and artistic potential, drawing on the intricate details of how songs are conceived, built, and polished into professional-grade productions.

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Music Publishing Professional

A Music Publishing Professional manages the rights and licensing of musical compositions. This course may be helpful for a Music Publishing Professional by deepening their understanding of the very essence of what they administer: songs. By learning essential and advanced songwriting techniques, including harmony, structure, and arrangement, learners gain insight into the creative and technical value of a musical work. Understanding how a song is built from scratch and the intricacies of vocal arranging and sound design can help a professional better assess a composition's market potential, identify key elements for synchronization, and engage more effectively with songwriters and composers they represent.

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Music Synchronisation License Manager

A Music Synchronisation License Manager places existing songs into film, television, advertising, and video games. This course may be helpful for a Music Synchronisation License Manager in developing a nuanced ear for what makes a song suitable for specific media. Understanding advanced songwriting techniques, song arrangement, and structural dynamics allows one to better identify compositions that evoke particular moods or fit narrative requirements. Knowing about vocal tuning and sound design helps in appreciating production quality, which is vital for professional placements. This insight into the song creation process enables a manager to more effectively curate and pitch music for various media projects.

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