Songwriting with Genevieve Artadi

We’re delighted to welcome Genevieve Artadi to School of Song for her upcoming songwriting workshop. In this course, she’ll take us through her process of writing, how she fully immerses in a song until completion and before moving on. She’ll explore how arrangement can be a part of the songwriting process via examples from songs from her various projects, including her recent work with the Norbotten Big Band and as one half of duo KNOWER.

A selection of topics she’ll cover include:

• Creating a feeling of freshness in the writing process. Freeing your ear from the gravity of the tonic, inviting playfulness and the willingness to surprise yourself, making yourself laugh, and how to not write the same song over and over.
• Songwriting as arrangement, starting from a groove, and building out in the DAW. Exploring groove as the base of a song, including experimenting with kick & snare placement, the effects of various subdivisions, and more.
• Beauty as balance, how to use contrasting ideas, dissonance, and disparate elements paired together to move a song forward. Exploring contrasting harmonic structures, traditional vs. nontraditional tones, combining different genre styles, and exploring complexity vs. simplicity.
• Using theory & intuition: how to guide our composition with our feelings and use theory to dig ourselves out of ruts.
• Chasing the core of the song – how to chase ideas that give you an overwhelming “ooh yeah” feeling and how they can become the building blocks for the rest of the song.

Throughout the course, students will gain access to early demos and behind-the-scenes insights into Genevieve’s songwriting process. By the end of this workshop, students will walk away with new songs, fresh perspectives on their creative process, and a deeper understanding of how to shape and refine their work. Join us for a fun and illuminating journey into songwriting with Genevieve Artadi.

You'll write 4 original songs using the techniques and perspectives Genevieve presents in lecture.

Sign up now! Deadline is Saturday, June 07 at 11:59pm (PT).

Here's how it works:

• Workshop is taught over Zoom on the following dates:
  • Lectures: Sundays June 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th
  • Q&As: Tuesdays June 10th, 17th and 24th
  • Song-Shares: Saturdays June 14th, 21st and 28th
• There are 2 options for lecture times: 11a-12p and 6p-7p PT. Q&A is at 4p PT. Song-share options are 11a and 6p PT.
• If you can't make the live class, you can still participate by watching the recordings of lecture (sent out after class).

Sign up with a friend to receive a 20% discount by clicking here. Note: no refunds on discounted order.

Here's a few words from Genevieve about the course:

“Making music is the funnest outlet for me to deal with the mystery of life because it's diverse and impactful. I can try to make songs that are atmospheres, capturings of memories, declarations, letters, energy generators, fantasies, and so on. And beyond the awesomeness of the writing process is the bonus effect of reaching another person's heart. In my class, I'll talk about building songs considering instrumentation and form, using a balance of intuition and functional thinking to get from one place to the next, deepening melodies, lyrics, and chords to make the music more personal or interesting, and using the core idea of a song to generate new ideas within it." - Genevieve Artadi

FAQ:

Q: What musical experience should I have?

A: People across all musical levels will be able to gain something from the course. However, it will be helpful to be comfortable playing a few basic chords on any instrument of your choice.

Q: What if I’ve never written a song before? Can I still participate in this workshop?

A: Yes! As with any new skill, just starting is usually the hardest part. This workshop will provide the structure and accountability we all need to get started and follow through, for beginners and old guard writers alike.

Q: Will Genevieve give me feedback on my songs?

A: Due to the class size, we cannot guarantee that you’ll get Genevieve's feedback on your songs. However, our teachers are active on our song sharing platform and may leave comments on students’ submissions.

Q: I can't make the lecture times for some (or all) of the classes. Can I still participate?

A: Yes! We send out the recordings of lecture at the end of each class day, so you can watch the lectures on your own time.

If after the first class you feel the course is not a good fit for any reason, you are welcome to a refund on the rest of the course classes. We are unable to process refunds after the second class.

Questions? Email us at hi@schoolofsong.org.