Table of Contents
UPCOMING
JUNE 6 (USA) /7 (Aus) 2022 | Songwriting Workshop: CREATING BEAUTIFUL AND INTERESTING CHORD PROGRESSIONS WITH MODAL BORROWING
This 90-minute interactive workshop will explore new and exciting ways to create interesting chord progressions through ‘modal borrowing’.
In this 90-minute workshop, you’ll learn an easy 2-step method for creating interesting and beautiful chord progressions – helping you overcome writer’s block and allowing you to break free of predictable, well-worn patterns. We’ll also look at some sample chord sequences and discuss various applications across multiple genres and writing styles. Finally, we’ll explore how you can immediately apply this technique to your songwriting and get great results in your next composition.
JUNE 15 2022 | Small Group Song Feedback Session (5 ppl max)
Wednesday June 15 2022 6-8pm AEDT (Sydney time) | Live (Online) | $75 | 5 ppl max
SOLD OUT
Bring a work-in-progress you’d like to receive in-depth feedback on from Keppie and the group. Each song will receive 20-30 mins, as well as honing your craft through understanding the mechanics of what can make others’ songs transform as well.
JULY 18 – SEPT 11 2022 | 8-Week Songwriting Group
July 18 – Sept 11 2022
Songwriting group isn’t a class. No one is the teacher. It’s a community space to give you the structure and accountability to write regularly, and receive some feedback from your peers. You’ll write 4 songs in 8 weeks with prompts sent to you every 2 weeks, with a maximum of 8 people in your group.
To join a songwriting group, please email me: keppie@howtowritesongs.org
AUGUST 25 (US)/26 (Aus) 2022 | Songwriting Workshop: BEYOND CLICHED LYRICS – DEEP DIVE INTO METAPHOR MAGIC
Write better lyrics using the magic of metaphor to express your ideas in unique, fresh, and completely original ways. No more cliches!
About this event
This Workshop is all about lyric writing – and how to access one of the most potent types of language to uncover completely new, original, and unique ways to express your song ideas.
In 90 minutes, we’ll reverse engineer the architecture of several contemporary songs that use compelling metaphors as the furnace that drives the whole song idea. I’ll show you how the metaphors works, how to extract the principles of writing great metaphors from these songs, and how to build great lyrics using one central metaphor. I’m also going to show you the best book by far that you can own to help you write songs like this.
We’ll work through real-time writing exercises that will equip you to create new neural pathways in your brain, seeing the world through a new lens that will furnish you with great lyrics, as well as core concepts for expressing your song ideas.
It’ll be fun. I promise.
OCTOBER 3 (USA) / 4 (Aus) 2022 | Songwriting Workshop: WRITING BEAUTIFUL MELODIES (Back by popular demand!)
This interactive workshop is packed with tools and techniques for creating memorable melodies that make an emotional impact on your audience.
About this event
Writing beautiful melodies can seem like a mystical art. But just like chords and lyrics, there are choices we can make that create different effects – we can control the level of tension, the amount of resolution. We can create fragility; we can resound with determination… because your melody is the most important part of the musical story! It dances with the chords but people walk away singing the melody, not the chords.
This 90-minute workshop dives into tools, concepts, and techniques for creating melodies that tell a story; melodies that convey emotion, and reinforce the lyrics.
By the end of the Workshop, you’ll understand and practice a range of specific choices you can make, and why you would make them when writing your songs. We’ll look at examples in contemporary songs, as well as using a lyric to try out the different concepts in real-time, and seeing the different effects in action.
It will be creative, interactive, with plenty of time to answer questions.
NOVEMBER 24 (USA) / 25 (Aus) 2022 | Songwriting Workshop: HOW TO WRITE A GREAT CHORUS
About this event
This 90-minute Workshop will focus on key concepts in crafting a great chorus:
- The difference between an ‘idea’ and a ‘concept’
- How to place your title for maximum effect
- Melodic approaches to hook writing
- How to use the hook as the ‘tent peg’ for constructing the chorus melody
We will:
- We’ll look at a ton of song examples that demonstrate some recurring chorus structures in contemporary songwriting;
- Practice finding a title, and iterating through these different structural options to experiment with the relationship between the different forms, and the ideas that you have for your choruses;
- Introduce 3 melodic techniques for writing great hook melodies.
RECENT
MAY 24 (USA) /25 (Aus) | Songwriting Workshop: RHYMING LIKE A PRO
APRIL 6 | Songwriting Workshop | PICKING THE PERFECT CHORDS
Wednesday April 6 2022 7-8.30 AEST (Sydney time) | Live (Online)
LEARN TO WRITE BEAUTIFUL AND ENGAGING CHORD PROGRESSIONS THAT TAKE YOUR LISTENERS ON A JOURNEY AND SUPPORT YOUR LYRICS
In this 90-minute workshop, we’ll explore a process for writing chord progressions that doesn’t feel random, doesn’t get repetitive and gives you total control over the direction you’d like to take your song.
We’ll break down methods for constructing a musical framework, exploring the relationships between chords and looking at their function in relation to the ‘home’ key – giving you more variety and options to choose from when crafting your song.
We’ll also look at some effective substitutions so you’ll never feel stuck or lost for ideas.
Small Group Song Feedback Session (5 ppl max)
SOLD OUT
Wednesday March 16 2022 6-8pm AEDT (Sydney time) | Live + Online | 5 ppl max
Bring a work-in-progress you’d like to receive in-depth feedback on from Keppie and the group. Each song will receive 20-30 mins, as well as honing your craft through understanding the mechanics of what can make others’ songs transform as well.
Songwriting Workshop | WRITING BEAUTIFUL MELODIES
This Workshop happens in 3 time zones:
Thurs March 17 7.30-9pm EST (USA) | Thurs March 17 4.30-6pm PST (USA) | Fri March 18 10.30am-12pm AEDT (Sydney) | $35AUD
SOLD OUT
Writing beautiful melodies can seem like a mystical art. But just like chords and lyrics, there are choices we can make that create different effects – we can control the level of tension, the amount of resolution. We can create fragility; we can resound with determination… because your melody is the most important part of the musical story! It dances with the chords but people walk away singing the melody, not the chords.
This 90-minute workshop dives into tools, concepts, and techniques for creating melodies that tell a story; melodies that convey emotion, and reinforce the lyrics.
By the end of the Workshop, you’ll understand and practice a range of specific choices you can make, and why you would make them when writing your songs. We’ll look at examples in contemporary songs, as well as using a lyric to try out the different concepts in real-time, and seeing the different effects in action.
It will be creative, interactive, with plenty of time to answer questions.
Songwriting Workshop – BEYOND THE SECOND VERSE: SONG MAPPING
Wednesday February 23 | 7-8:30pm AEDT (Sydney time) | Live + Online | $30 | 25 ppl max
SOLD OUT
In this 90-minute workshop, we’ll explore strategies and techniques for creating the ‘story’ of your song; how to take an initial idea, and develop it to completion.
We’ll look at and practice a technique called Song Mapping, as well as looking at examples of songs that give us blueprints and ways of thinking about verse development strategies.
The workshop will be interactive and involve lots of your own writing! You’ll leave the workshop with a song lyric in progress, and armed with a strategy for how to finish it.
Song Feedback Workshop—Small Group Sessions (5 ppl max)
Thursday September 30 2021 6.30-8.30pm
Thursday October 7 2021 6.30-8.30pm
Thursday October 14 2021 6.30-8.30pm
$50
Bring a work-in-progress you’d like to receive in-depth feedback on from Keppie and the group. Each song will receive 20-30 mins, as well as honing your craft through understanding the mechanics of what can make others’ songs transform as well.
If you are looking to book a Songwriting Workshop for your college, school, company, club, non-profit, or organization, Keppie is excited to offer a number of different workshop options, or can work with you to cater specifically to your group.
WORKSHOPS
Generating Ideas
A series of exercises designed to stimulate ideas and demonstrate the power of sensory detail in lyric writing.
Lyric Writing Tools and Strategies
A hands-on venture into tools, structure, and strategies for lyric writing, honing in on a selection of elements including: sense writing exercises; phrasing and setting; song form and structure; rhyme and worksheets; building sections and song development; creating contrast; prosody; metaphor, point of view and pronouns; tense; chorus writing and writing from a title.
Creativity and the Brain
Identifying individual left/right hemisphere cognitive processes, and providing tools and strategies for accessing a whole brain approach to the creative process.
Natural Music in Language
Examining natural rhythm in speech and applying this knowledge to setting and matching phrases. Berklee Press published a short article about this class. You can view it by clicking HERE!
Song Circle Workshops
Providing in-depth feedback and critique on songs presented and performed in the workshop setting. Participants receive personal feedback as well as learning the principles underlying feedback to all participants.
Besides being an experienced teacher in the classroom and in private studio, Keppie is also certified by the Interaction Institute for Social Change in Facilitative Leadership, and Essential Facilitation.