Sale! Get 15% off a monthly or annual subscription with the code HOLIDAYSALE.

PREMIUM COURSE

Songwriting for Producers

Take all those unfinished ideas and half-developed loops and transform them into fully fleshed out, compelling songs.

Learn on Your Schedule.
Learn from anywhere, anytime, at your own pace.

Go Deep.
Get unlimited access to countless high-quality lessons.

Challenge Yourself.
Take on practice activities & exercises to help you improve.

Get Help & Feedback.
Join our Discord community where you can get support 24/7.

Are you someone who loves tweaking sounds or messing with loops in the DAW? Do you have tons of great musical ideas but very few finished tracks? If so, this is the course for you. 

This course is all about reclaiming the songwriting process by learning different approaches and strategies for writing, developing, and finishing tracks. It's for producers who love tapping out beats or tweaking the sound design on their samples, but need help translating those skills into more complete songs that will catch a listener's ear.

Enroll now to work one-on-one with an expert Soundfly Mentor on your tracks. 


Will Marshall

Will Marshall is a singer, composer, producer, pianist, synthesist, engineer and educator. As a composer and producer, Will’s focus is on his solo project noise, where he draws inspiration from art-pop, industrial, classical, electronic music, jazz, and post-punk. He lead and produced electronic act Coma Cartel and art-pop project 555mya, and was the synthesist for Bay-Area rock group Now the Changes.

Will has engineered for artists such as Oscar-nominated film composer Nicholas Britell, Grammy-nominated jazz musician Patrick Gleeson, R&B singer Vudajé, experimental composer Augur Duende, and electronic acts Ill Gates, Freq Nasty and the Fungineers. He is currently consulting mix engineer and producer for Sennie Records in San Jose. As an educator, Will taught at Pyramind in San Francisco from 2015-2018, is a course author at Soundfly.com, and is a well-known authority in the creative applications of music technology. He has written and directed several in-depth educational video series, taught numerous workshops, and accepts occasional private students.

More About Will
Less About Will
songwriting
arranging
songwriting for producers
will marshall
rhythm
inspiration and creativity
melody
song analysis
chord progressions
composition
structure
form
chords
harmony
lyric writing

Subscribe Now for Unlimited Access

Take this course for as low as $12/month with a Soundfly subscription, and get access to all the creative courses we offer, and much more. Cancel anytime.

Want to work on this course with 1-on-1 support from an expert mentor? Request a mentor through our
custom mentorship program here.

Turn Ideas into Complete Tracks

By the end of this course, you'll have different strategies, workflows, and techniques for creating complete songs as a producer.

Develop Better Workflows

Take more control over your creative process, both inside and outside of your DAW.

Improve Your Melodies & Harmonies

Learn new strategies for approaching your harmony, melodies, lyrics, rhythms, and other core elements of music.

Understand Song Structure

Learn how to implement different forms and structures that can help you bring order to your tracks.

Study Arranging Techniques

Learn about how instrumentation and arranging can improve your songwriting.

SUPER-CHARGE YOUR LEARNING WITH SUPPORT FROM AN EXPERT

Add a custom mentorship session on top of your course subscription to work through the material one-on-one with an expert mentor. Get a more personalized experience featuring weekly calls, feedback, additional resources, and more. Tell us about your goals below to learn more.

Sam Friedman

Producer, Songwriter, Mentor
  • Original music featured in The Fader and Bullett Magazine
  • Music featured in ads for Taco Bell, Converse, Coke, etc.
  • Producer for Mophonics agency, making music for ads and major clients

Sırma Munyar

Producer, Songwriter, Mentor
  • Artist with nearly a million listens on Spotify
  • Performed with Illenium, Keri Hilson, Akon, etc.
  • Topliner for major TV ads

Joseph Capalbo

Producer, Songwriter, Mentor
  • Electronic musician and producer
  • Original music has appeared on MTV, E!, NBC, and more
  • Has worked with dozens of students on theory, production, and songwriting

WHAT STUDENTS SAY

Course Outline

  1. Preview
    Section 1

    Getting Started

  2. Section 2

    Songwriting vs Production

  3. Section 3

    Preparing Your Work Environment

  4. Section 4

    Workflow

  5. Section 5

    Elements of Music

  6. Section 6

    Harmony

  7. Section 7

    Rhythm & Bass

  8. Section 8

    Structure & Form

  9. Section 9

    Workflow Revisited

  10. Section 10

    Melody

  11. Section 11

    Lyrics

  12. Section 12

    Arrangement

  13. Section 13

    Supporting Song Narrative

  14. Section 14

    Finalizing and Reflecting

MORE INFORMATION

Who is this course for?

This course is for producers and DAW users who have no trouble generating ideas, but tend to veer off track and spend all their creative energy on the production, leaving the actual song behind too early in the process. The course is genre-agnostic, but is best suited for those who lean heavily on their computer to make music.

What will I learn?

You'll learn the difference between songs and productions, how successful songs are structured, creative strategies that you can apply to your own music, and how to revamp your workflow to emphasize the song and figure out the production later.

Are there any pre-reqs?

You'll need to know the basics of recording and producing with a DAW like Ableton Live, Logic Pro, or similar. Some additional equipment is recommended to get the most out of this course: a MIDI controller, an instrument (guitar, for example), an interface, microphone, and headphones.

How long does this course take?

This course was designed to be completed in roughly six weeks, assuming students would have a few hours a week to spend on it. Each "week" includes a certain section and challenge activity for you to take on. That said, that timeline is just a casual recommendation — you can choose to blow through it all in one sitting or take a year with it, if you'd like.

Is there a specific start date?

You can start the course anytime. If you'd like more accountability and guided feedback from a professional, you can request to work through the course and your own goals with a Soundfly Mentor for four or six weeks, and get a more personalized experience for a specific period of time.  

Learn more about custom mentorship here.

How many lessons are there?

This course includes 94 lessons, including videos, graphics, text, activities, demos, interviews with outside experts, and much more. 

What do I get if I enroll as a subscriber?

As a subscriber, you'll get unlimited access to all courses on Soundfly.com, including this and all our other premium courses, to go through at your own pace. This includes all the videos, tutorials, demos, quizzes, activities, downloads, and other materials within our full suite of courses.

You're also entitled to a 25% discount on our custom mentorship program, you will be invited to join our exclusive community Discord group, you'll be able join subscriber-only Study Groups, artist Q&As and workshops, annual contests and giveaways, and you'll have access to a growing list of exclusive discount perks courtesy of our partner brands. Cancel anytime.

You can find out more about subscribing here.

Can I take this course with a mentor?

Yes, absolutely. If you would like to go through the course with support, accountability, feedback, and guidance from an expert, you can request a mentor by filling out this form. A Soundfly staffperson will reach out within 48 hours to learn more about your goals, your music, and your skills level, and pair you with a mentor who can help you achieve your next musical milestone. Our mentorship program is our science-backed learning model designed to help you learn more efficiently and effectively. Your mentor will tailor the course to your experience and interests, offer detailed weekly feedback on your work, answer any questions you have, help you blow past obstacles, and keep you on track to accomplish your goals.

You can find out more about mentorship and our expert mentors here.