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Berklee College of Music

About this Course

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You've created a song. You wrote the lyrics, decided on the melody, and maybe even recorded a simple demo. Now what? If you have a basic knowledge of how to use a digital audio workstation (DAW) and are passionate about being a songwriter, this course will help you take your song from a simple recording on your phone to a fully arranged song ready for the recording studio.
You will be learning from two Berklee College of Music Songwriting professors, Bonnie Hayes and Sarah Brindell. They will show you how to arrange original songs in a digital audio workstation. You will learn tools to heighten the emotional response of your listeners and you'll broaden your understanding of instrumentation and how to add sounds to your song without distracting the listener from the most important aspect: the vocalist.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Flexible deadlines

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Intermediate Level

Sstudents should have experience writing songs and be aware of popular song forms

Approx. 10 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: English

Skills you will gain

MusicarrangingSongwritingWriting

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Intermediate Level

Sstudents should have experience writing songs and be aware of popular song forms

Approx. 10 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: English

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.58/5 (12 Ratings)

Sarah Brindell

Associate Professor

Songwriting

8,191 Learners

1 Course

Bonnie Hayes

Chair

Songwriting

8,191 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through the study and practice of contemporary music. For more than half a century, the college has evolved to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. Berklee serves distance learners worldwide through its award-winning online extension school, Berklee Online.

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week

Week 1

2 hours to complete

Welcome to Arranging for Songwriters

Welcome to the course! 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.

2 hours to complete

7 readings

2 hours to complete

New Ways of Listening

In this first lesson, we'll learn how to arrange our songs horizontally (meaning the order and length of song sections) and vertically (meaning the frequency range and volume of the various instruments in your song). We'll also consider how to create and support emotional meaning through our writing and instrumentation. We'll review processes for working on arrangements, learn how to listen to arrangements critically, and discuss how arrangements change in live performances vs. recording sessions. By the end of the lesson, you will be able to create a horizontal arrangement for an original song.

2 hours to complete

2 videos (Total 8 min), 5 readings, 2 quizzes

2 videos

Arranging for Recording vs. Arranging for Live Performances4m

Deciding What's Right for the Tune4m

5 readings

Critical Listening and Workflow10m

Horizontal Arrangement vs. Vertical Arrangement30m

Exercise: Diagramming Song Sections

Join Your Study Group10m

How To Upload an .mp3 to the Discussion Forums10m

2 practice exercises

New Ways of Listening Quiz10m

SELF-ASSESSMENT: Create a Horizontal Arrangement of an Original Song

Week

Week 2

2 hours to complete

Laying the Foundation

In this second lesson, you will start to lay the foundations for your song. We will discuss how to find the right key and tempo for your song and look at a few popular arrangement styles. By the end of the lesson, you will be able to create a basic track of your original song.

2 hours to complete

3 videos (Total 34 min), 5 readings, 2 quizzes

Week

Week 3

2 hours to complete

Finding the Groove

In Lesson three, we'll focus on how to determine the right groove for your song. We'll discuss how the bass works with the drums to support the rhythmic structure of a song, as well as creating a foundation for the songs harmony. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to create the perfect groove for your original song.

2 hours to complete

2 videos (Total 32 min), 3 readings, 2 quizzes

Week

Week 4

3 hours to complete

Instrumentation and Vocals

In this final lesson we will look at how to build the rest of the track around your song. Now that we have the foundation of the groove with the drums and bass, we'll take a look at how we can add other instruments to the mix. Most importantly, we will discuss how to incorporate these additions without taking focus away from the vocal part. By the end of this lesson, you will have completed a full demo of your original song.

3 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 52 min), 3 readings, 2 quizzes

Reviews

4.4

22 reviews

5 stars
73.33%
4 stars
8.88%
3 stars
8.88%
2 stars
2.22%
1 star
6.66%

TOP REVIEWS FROM ARRANGING FOR SONGWRITERS

by JCOct 12, 2020

This is an excellent course, perfectly planned, motivating and inspiring. The teachers are impressive an there is a lot to learn in this course. I highly recommended. Thanks so much for this course!

by AMJun 26, 2020

This course provides me to learn more about song arrangements and helping to my ongoing projects. Thanks Coursera and my Mentors Sarah Brindell and Bonnie Hayes.

by IDDec 1, 2020

A phenomenal course for every music aspirant. It really helped me to arrange my song in very creative way. Thank you Bonnie and Sarah!!

by GHMar 14, 2021

excellent course, I learned a lot more in this class than I have learned in workshops or reading.

View all reviews

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Arranging for Songwriters

About this Course

Skills you will gain