Date/Time
Date(s) - 27/07/2017
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Location
Mint Music Yonge & Dundas

Categories


This 4 week crash course for beginner songwriters provides you with 1 Hour of weekly songwriting instruction in a small group format (limited to 4 people). Participants are invited to share their songs with the class on weekly basis receiving valuable feedback and suggestions from their instructor Glen Alan.

 

DESCRIPTION

Come join us for a fun and stimulating class series that will help you develop your own musical style and songwriting ideas. We will discuss a different topic in every class, and give you many musical tools to help you interweave the elements of melody, harmony and rhythm in creative ways.

REQUIREMENTS

Ability to play and accompany yourself on an instrument of your choice is helpful if not your instructor(s) will be able to do so. Every participant will have access to guitars (both electric and acoustic), ukuleles, a drum kit and a piano that is in the room where class is held. Working knowledge of the keyboard or guitar and the ability to play basic chords is recommended but not essential. An ability to read music and some previous chord theory is also helpful.

COURSE OUTLINE

Class 1 – Song Structures – Learn all the song forms that are common to popular music. Homework: 1) Identify the forms you use for your own songwriting and write a song in a style that you previously have never written in or use less often 2) Review course material for next class

Class 2 – Melody and Rhythm, Harmony and Chord Progressions  – Learn typical chords progressions common to most popular music and harmonic techniques that will enhance your own melodic ideas. Rhythm and Melody will also be discussed. Homework: 1) Study song examples shown in class. 2) Write a new song and create a professional music chart adding chords harmony where appropriate.

Class 3 – Music Notation – Be shown all the tools of how to notate your own music and the music of other composers. Participants will begin to notate their own melodies in class. Homework 1) professionally notate your newly written song and that of a popular composer that you admire.

Class 4 – Lyric Writing – Learn how to improve your lyric writing and use lyrical hooks that literary devices that will keep the listener engaged. Homework 1) Review song examples in class 2) Apply these techniques to your own songs.

GLEN ALAN’S BIO

A graduate of the Humber College Jazz Vocal program, Glen Alan has performed in venues in Canada, the US and Europe. Glen has his Grade 8 Piano Certification with honours from the Royal Conservatory and plays guitar and ukulele. Some of the people Glen has worked and performed with include Keifer Sutherland, David “Soulfingaz” Williams, Jackie Richardson, Don Ross, Brian Dickenson, Natalie McMaster, Mark Dubois, Lenny Soloman, Steven T Hunter, Tim Bovaconti, Paul Delong, Wendell Ferguson, Suba Sankaran and Dylan Bell.

In 1996 Glen founded Mint Music (formerly know as Find A Way) and the Toronto Guitar School in 2014. Mint Music today is a thriving music school, recording studio, video and live event company. Glen Alan is a musician and music producer with over 20 plus years of professional music industry experience.

CLASS SCHEDULE:

Class 1: Thursday, July 13th, 6:30 – 7:30 PM

Class 2: Thursday, July 20th, 6:30 – 7:30 PM

Class 3: Thursday, July 27th, 6:30 – 7:30 PM

Class 4: Thursday, August 3rd, 6:30 – 7:30 PM