Techniques for Songwriting (Lyrics) with Christian Wethered
Info
Date: October 15, 2024
Time: 6.30 pm - 8.30 pm
Duration: 3 Weeks
Level: Beginner | Emerging |
Cost: €90/€82
This course takes place in person on Tuesdays (three sessions in total).
Course Summary
This course will consist of a three-week workshop, entitled ‘Techniques for Songwriting (Lyrics)’, and will focus primarily on the art of lyric-writing as it corresponds to the songwriting process.
Throughout the sessions, we will adopt a series of important techniques, reflect on effective examples, and finally, align more succinctly our words with music. Such techniques will bring us closer to writing more authentic, visceral, and unique lyrics in our songwriting.
Course Outline
Week One:
Techniques for Finding our Lyric-Voice: Concretisation/ Sense-Bound Writing / Show, Don’t Tell / Visualisation and Meditation
Homework: writing prompt
Week Two:
Techniques in Lyric-Form: Rhyme/Metre/ Metaphor and Simile
Homework: Writing prompt
Week Three:
Techniques for Lyric- Editing: Matching Lyrics to Music/Avoiding Cliché/Cutting Adjectives & Adverbs/Clarity & Mystery
Homework: writing prompt
Course Outcomes
Participants will be able to write lyrics that stand out and make people take notice. They will hopefully start to receive praise for their lyrics (alongside their melodies, hooks, arrangements etc). They will no longer find lyric-writing boring, unsatisfying, or think of it as a chore in the songwriting process. They will learn to stop judging themselves. They will more readily attract the attention of industry professionals.
Christian Wethered is a poet and songwriter based in Dublin. He has featured in Poetry Ireland Review, PN Review, Southword, Poetry Wales, The Moth, The London Magazine, The Belfield Review, and a series of anthologies by Dedalus Press. His most recent songs have been broadcast on RTE1, RTE Culture, Today FM, Hotpress and KLOF Magazine, while the music video (by Darn Skippy Productions) for his single ‘La Madeleine’ won ‘Best Music Video’ at the Dublin International Short Film and Music Festival. He currently teaches poetry and songwriting at University College Dublin.
Booked out? To be added to the waiting list for this course, please email info@irishwriterscentre.ie.
