20 Unofficial Rules of Songwriting

- [Voiceover] Hi, I'm Cliff Goldmacher and welcome to twenty unofficial rules of songwriting. In this course, I'm going to cover twenty of the many, many, unofficial official rules of commercial song writing. First, I'll break down the rules into three categories: lyric, melody, and song structure. Then, I'll discuss some specific rules that you should keep in mind when writing songs for the commercial market. I'll be using musical examples along the way and as an added treat, I'll also select a Grammy award winning song of the year from one of the past fifty years to support each rule.

Finally, I'll remind you that for every rule, there are exceptions. My only hope is that if you break a rule, you're aware that you're doing it and you've got a good reason. Whether you're new to songwriting or a more experienced songwriter looking to refine your creative process, this course will provide some solid suggestions of things to keep in mind the next time you sit down to write. Let's get going with twenty unofficial rules of songwriting.