Songwriting: Writing the Music

Grow your skills with Coursera Plus for $239/year (usually $399). Save now.

Songwriting: Writing the Music

This course is part of multiple programs.

Instructor: Scarlet Keys

15,760 already enrolled

Included with

Learn more

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

69 reviews

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

69 reviews

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule

1 week at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

12 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

logos of Petrobras, TATA, Danone, Capgemini, P&G and L'Oreal

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is available as part of

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be asked to select a specific program.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in this course

If your notebook is full of unused lyrics and you’re struggling to find inspiration for the music, this course is for you. Whether you are an experienced songwriter looking for new ideas or a beginning songwriter learning to read music, this course will lead you to a rich source of songwriting possibilities.

Led by award winning songwriter and Berklee College of Music professor Scarlet Keys, you’ll learn to construct strong, expressive melodies that your audience will remember as well as experiment with new chords to break out of any harmonic rut. Whether you are new to writing music or are looking for new ideas to change up your songs, this class will teach you how to make deliberate choices with your harmonies and melodies to best emulate the emotions you want your audience to feel. You will start by discovering common chord progression and tying specific emotions to each chords in a scale. Then you will practice changing the harmonic and melodic rhythm of a song to better highlight important lyrics. Finally, you will learn to create melodic hooks and simple techniques to help you generate new melodic ideas.

Welcome to Songwriting: Writing the Music! Here we will cover all the details about the course and what you'll need to know to get the most out of your experience. Then, we will begin working with diatonic chords in a chosen key and learning how to borrow non-diatonic chords to create evocative harmonies for your songs. We will look at several popular chord progressions and begin experimenting with choosing the perfect chords to help you tell your lyrical story.

What's included

9 videos6 readings3 assignments1 peer review2 discussion prompts

9 videos Total 33 minutes

Welcome! 2 minutes
What You'll Learn in Lesson 1 1 minute
Diatonic Chords in a Major Key 3 minutes
How to Choose the Perfect Storytelling Chords 7 minutes
Common Chord Progressions 5 minutes
Non-diatonic Chords in Major Keys 5 minutes
Chords that Break Your Soul 3 minutes
Diatonic Chords in a Minor Key 2 minutes
Minor Key Chord Progressions 5 minutes

6 readings Total 45 minutes

Course Resources 10 minutes
Earn A Course Certificate 10 minutes
Connect with Your Classmates 5 minutes
Lesson 1 Suggested Reading 5 minutes
Lesson 1 Listening List 10 minutes
Course Assessments 5 minutes

3 assignments Total 60 minutes

Review: Choosing Emotive Chords 15 minutes
Module 1 Quiz 30 minutes
Self-Assessment: Project #1 15 minutes

1 peer review Total 45 minutes

Project #1: Add Chords to a Verse 45 minutes

2 discussion prompts Total 10 minutes

Meet and Greet 5 minutes
Your Key Preferences 5 minutes

In this module, we will expand our knowledge of harmony to include 7th chords and added tensions. We will use these new chords to create more interesting harmonies for our lyrics and melodies. We will also practice changing the harmonic rhythm in our songs to better support our melodies and lyrics. Finally, we will use harmonic rhythm to show contrast between our song sections.

What's included

6 videos4 readings3 assignments1 peer review

6 videos Total 19 minutes

What You'll Learn in Lesson 2 1 minute
Adding Tensions to Major Key Progressions 4 minutes
Adding Tensions to Minor Key Progressions 3 minutes
Harmonic Rhythm 2 minutes
Create Contrast with Harmonic Rhythm 2 minutes
Highlighting Lyrics with Harmonic Rhythm 7 minutes

4 readings Total 35 minutes

Lesson 2 Suggested Reading 10 minutes
Lesson 2 Listening List 10 minutes
Types of 7th Chords 10 minutes
Sign up for the full experience! 5 minutes

3 assignments Total 55 minutes

Review: Creating Contrast with 7th Chords 10 minutes
Module 2 Quiz 30 minutes
Self-Assessment: Project #2 15 minutes

1 peer review Total 60 minutes

Project #2: Create Contrasting Song Sections 60 minutes

In this module, we will begin to create better melodies for our lyrics. We will start by learning about different types and shapes of melodic lines. We will then practice creating melodic hooks and using stable and unstable tones in our melodies. We will also learn the importance of using melodic contrast between song sections.

What's included

6 videos3 readings3 assignments1 peer review1 discussion prompt

6 videos Total 28 minutes

What You'll Learn in Lesson 3 1 minute
Four Melody Types 6 minutes
Developing Melodic Hooks 5 minutes
Using Stable and Unstable Tones 5 minutes
Contrasting Song Sections with Melody 6 minutes
Developing Melody 4 minutes

3 readings Total 30 minutes

Lesson 3 Suggested Reading 10 minutes
Lesson 3 Listening List 10 minutes
Practice Exercise: Developing Melodies 10 minutes

3 assignments Total 50 minutes

Review: Melodic Hooks and Unstable Tones 5 minutes
Module 3 Quiz 30 minutes
Self-Assessment: Project #3 15 minutes

1 peer review Total 60 minutes

Project #3: Developing Interesting Melodies 60 minutes

1 discussion prompt Total 10 minutes

Developing Melodies 10 minutes

In this final module, we will begin to put everything together to help our lyrics tell their story. We will discover how to highlight our melodies by using chord tones and non-chord tones from our harmonies. We will also focus on setting our lyrics to the melody and harmony in a way that highlights the meaning we want to convey to the audience. Finally, we will practice creating melodies in minor keys.

What's included

7 videos3 readings3 assignments1 peer review

7 videos Total 28 minutes

What You'll Learn in Lesson 4 1 minute
Melodic Rhythm Contrast 3 minutes
Setting Your Lyrics 5 minutes
Storytelling with Melodic Contour 4 minutes
Creating Melodies in a Minor Key 5 minutes
Finding a Harmony to Highlight Your Melody 8 minutes
Course Wrap-Up 1 minute

3 readings Total 25 minutes

Lesson 4 Suggested Reading 10 minutes
Lesson 4 Listening List 10 minutes
Sign up for the full experience! 5 minutes

3 assignments Total 55 minutes

Review: Melodic Rhythm and Contour 10 minutes
Module 4 Quiz 30 minutes
Self-Assessment: Project #4 15 minutes

1 peer review Total 90 minutes

Project #4: Write a Complete Song 90 minutes

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Instructor

Instructor ratings

(33 ratings)

Scarlet Keys

Berklee

1 Course 15,760 learners

Offered by

Berklee

Explore more from Music and Art

Berklee
Songwriting: Writing the Lyrics
Course
Berklee
Songwriting: Writing, Arranging, and Producing Music
Specialization
Berklee
Arranging for Songwriters
Course
Skillshare
Music Production & Songwriting: Write Melodies in Any Genre
Course

Why people choose Coursera for their career

Felipe M.

Learner since 2018

"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."

Jennifer J.

Learner since 2020

"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."

Larry W.

Learner since 2021

"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."

Chaitanya A.

"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."

Learner reviews

5 stars
85.50%
4 stars
8.69%
3 stars
2.89%
2 stars
0%
1 star
2.89%

Showing 3 of 69

Reviewed on Feb 10, 2025

Truly exceptional class, I am grateful Berklee makes this content available on Coursera

Reviewed on Dec 6, 2023

incredibly helpful! great starting point for aspiring musicians! I learned a lot from this course, it was a rewarding journey!

Reviewed on Jul 10, 2022

 That was a great course and I loved the chords lessons in songwriting.Thanks.

View more reviews

Open new doors with Coursera Plus

Unlimited access to 10,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription

Learn more

Advance your career with an online degree

Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online

Explore degrees

Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business

Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy

Learn more

Frequently asked questions

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.