Songwriting, Music Composition writing chords and bass lines:

Yesterday was my last day with my Song Writing and Music Composition students before leaving to set up my own music production school. In the course we covered chord sequences, melody, structure and rhythm, lyrics, arrangement, extended chords, bass lines, rhythmic parts, vocals and harmony.

It was a great course to teach but tricky in that they all didn’t want to learn all of the course. For example, most DJs wanted to learn about chord progressions and basic music theory for their productions, but were not interested in lyrics or any of the basic song writing production tips. Some of the out and out songwriters would’ve been happy to talk about lyrics for 12 weeks! I balanced it by splitting the group up and did as much one to one tuition as I could. I have broken up my own Song Writing and Music Composition Music Production Course into two shorter courses so no-one will feel like they are wasting time and money learning things which they feel is irrelevant to them.

Being a guitarist and not a keyboard player works out rather well, I am able to demonstrate the pros and cons playing in different keys with both instruments. With a guitar, it’s all about the shapes, and the same shapes up and down the fret board is the same song in a different key. With a keyboard, it’s all laid out in front of you from the left to the right. When I first took on a Songwriting and Music Composition course I was mildly concerned that piano not being my first instrument may be a hinderance, but in fact, it’s benefit!

Garnish School of Sound press release

The new GARNISH SCHOOL OF SOUND where we teach you what you need to know in the way you learn best.

22/2/11 London

The new music production school, Garnish School of Sound is the only school with six week courses that teach you all you need to know to make great sounding tracks. We use cutting edge, real world equipment in a fantastic new facility in London’s home of music, Camden. With tutors whose clients read like a who’s who of music of the 21st century, this is surely the start of something special. Managing Director, Dave Garnish has nearly twenty years experience in the music industry working in all kinds of creative areas at the highest level, and has brought together a team which represents the best experience and knowledge for music production.

Dave Garnish says: “I don’t believe anyone can learn Ableton or Logic in a weekend, but neither do you have to commit years of your life to learn all you need to know. The feedback from people i’ve worked with over the years has been fantastic. The learners can also look forward to some pretty special masterclasses with some industry legends”.

“This is the school London has been waiting for” – Norman Jay MBE

“Your EDM course look awesome” – Anthony Middleton (Audiofly)

“Dave Garnish’s work and knowledge of music is outstanding” – Mike McCormack Dep. MD Universal Music

Their EDM (Electronic Dance Music Production) course caught our eye;  it includes an introduction to synthesis and track construction as well as sampling & beat making. You are shown how to create massive sounds using Massive and other synthesisers along with specialised synthesis techniques. You learn about groove and rhythm, arrangement, FX and lots more. Other courses feature everything from lyric writing to mixing & mastering. All this on a variety of platforms which all have their own beginners dedicated six week course.

The school offers a grand new central point for encouraging the talent of the world’s producers, musicians and DJ’s. With a philosophy that learning should be informative and exciting, the school offers an experience that leaves good memories, instills a whole new set of skills and gives a bucket load of inspiration. The courses reflect this ethos by providing a balance between how to use the tools of the trade, and how to put these tools into practice.

The class numbers are kept low making sure that during workshop time everyone gets plenty of one to one time from their industry active professional. Using an educational practice known as the Spacing Effect, students learn during the class, rest and recap over the next week and then come back for another session fresh. All courses are over six weeks and cost £399

Your can find out more by visiting their website at www.garnishschool.com or calling 020 7682 1082. Also, they have a great blog with some great articles and free tips, tricks and videos: www.musicproductioncourses.net