You have half-written songs everywhere
Verses without choruses, choruses without verses.
Courses
Start with three things you can do today
How to write a song for the first time
Write a first song, start to finish.
A course on songwriting for people who have never finished one. It covers where songs come from, how lyrics and melody shape each other, the structures that carry a song, the chord patterns that underpin most of them, and how to get a first draft finished rather than perfect.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.
Type this when Cadence asks what you want to learn
I want to write a song for the first time. Help me understand how lyrics, melody and structure fit together, and get me from an idea to a finished first draft I am not embarrassed by.
Change any word so it fits your situation. The course is built from what you type and a few setup questions.
Start today
Three things you can do before the course exists.
Useful on their own. The course is for when you want the whole skill, not just the first move.
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Write the title first
A song is about one thing. A title such as "Last train home" gives you the one thing, and every line then serves it.
-
Hum a melody over two chords before writing words
Words shaped to a melody sing; melodies squeezed onto a paragraph do not. Record the hum on your phone.
-
Finish a bad draft tonight
Verse, chorus, verse, chorus. It will be clumsy. A finished clumsy song can be rewritten; a perfect half-song cannot.
- Best for
- Art & music
- Prerequisites
- None. Bring the situation you have.
- Course length
- 7 to 30 lessons, sized to your goal
- Lesson pace
- About 10 minutes a day
- Format
- Read it, or play the audio
- Access
- Available on the App Store, with early features and Android testing access
Before the course is built
Setup asks about your situation first.
Lesson 1 opens on the moment you describe, and the examples use your role. For this request, expect questions like these.
- Do you play an instrument or sing, or would you write with a simple app?
- What kind of song do you want to write, and who is it for?
- Do you have an idea, a line, a feeling, or nothing yet?
Right for now
If any of this sounds familiar, start here.
You have never tried and want to
There is a song in there and no way out.
You want to write something for someone
A song for a person or an occasion.
Course arc
Where the course goes, in order.
Cadence writes the lessons for you, so the exact path follows your answers. This is the ground a course built from this sentence covers.
01 / 06Where songs come from
Titles, lines, feelings and the habit of catching them.
The one idea
Why a song is about one thing, and how to find it.
Lyrics
Concrete images, rhyme that serves, and singing the words.
Melody
Shape, range, repetition and the hook.
Chords and structure
The patterns and the shapes most songs use.
Finishing
The draft, the rewrite, and letting it go.
What changes
What you will be able to do, and what you will stop believing.
You will be able to
Find the idea
The one thing the song is about, and the line that holds it.
Shape lyrics and melody together
Rhythm, rhyme, and the way words want to be sung.
Use structure
Verse, chorus and bridge, and what each is for.
Finish a draft
Getting to the end, then making it better.
Ideas this course corrects
You need to be a musician to write songs
You need an idea and a melody you can hum. Instruments help; they are not the song.
A good song comes out in one go
A good song comes out of a bad first draft. Finishing the bad one is the skill.
Course questions
What to know before you start.
How to write a song for the first time: what can I do today?
Write the title first. A song is about one thing. A title such as "Last train home" gives you the one thing, and every line then serves it. Hum a melody over two chords before writing words. Words shaped to a melody sing; melodies squeezed onto a paragraph do not. Record the hum on your phone. Finish a bad draft tonight. Verse, chorus, verse, chorus. It will be clumsy. A finished clumsy song can be rewritten; a perfect half-song cannot.
Is this a fixed course?
No. Cadence builds the course when you type the sentence and answer a few setup questions, so the lessons follow your situation. This page describes what a course built from this request covers. You see the whole path before Lesson 1.
Who is this course for?
A course on songwriting for people who have never finished one. It covers where songs come from, how lyrics and melody shape each other, the structures that carry a song, the chord patterns that underpin most of them, and how to get a first draft finished rather than perfect. It sits under Art & music in the Ideas & discovery part of the library.
Do I need any prior experience?
No. Setup asks what you already know and where you want to use it, and the course starts from there. Bring a real situation if you have one; the examples are built around it.
How long does it take?
Courses run 7 to 30 lessons of about 10 minutes, sized to what you asked for. One lesson a day is the intended pace, and you can go faster. Lessons can be read or played as audio.
Does this course award a certificate or degree?
No. Cadence is for practical self-learning and does not award accredited degrees or professional certification.
Start today
Type it, answer a few questions, open Lesson 1.
The sentence to type
I want to write a song for the first time. Help me understand how lyrics, melody and structure fit together, and get me from an idea to a finished first draft I am not embarrassed by.
Open Cadence on the App Store, type the sentence when it asks what you want to learn, and answer a few setup questions. Free to start. Android testers can request early access.