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Master Electronic Music Theory & Songwriting Skills

Learn how to craft impressive chord progressions & catchy melodies, turn unfinished loops into full songs, and start each new project with confidence and momentum. 

Enroll Now - 30% Off

COURSE STARTS

Today

Self-paced, instant enrollment. Start learning today. 

IN-DEPTH LEARNING

20+ Hours

Comprehensive, step-by-step training without any fluff. 113 video lessons + breakdowns.

COURSE ACCESS

Lifetime

Never lose access. Pause, resume, revisit—whenever you want. 

SKILL LEVEL REQUIRED

All Levels

Beginner or advanced, this course will help you grow as an artist

Songwriting is foundational

Do you want to make music that connects with your listener?

Music that tells a story? Music that captures and expresses emotion, feeling, and leads the person listening on a journey?

If you’re like the majority of electronic music producers, your answer is yes.

The artists who are killing it on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and other platforms are those that have mastered a specific skill: 

Songwriting.

They’re good at everything else: mixing, sound design, mastering…

But songwriting is the one skill underneath their unique sound, catchy hooks and melodies, and ultimately their artistic success.

Unfortunately, most music producers skip over it and jump straight to fancy synthesis techniques, new plugins, and expensive gear. 

And then they wonder why their music doesn’t stand out, and doesn’t reach their standards.

The skill that separates you from the rest of the pack is songwriting. Specifically, knowing how to:

 

  • Write catchy melodies, beautiful chord progressions, and basslines that work well together...
  • Craft a song arrangement that keeps the listener engaged from beginning to end...
  • Use advanced music theory and songwriting tactics to create any mood, vibe or feeling that you want (whether it's dark, happy, energetic, serious, or something else entirely).

How Songwriting For Producers takes you and your music to the next level 🚀

WATCH, FOLLOW ALONG, LEARN.

4 detailed, step-by-step training modules

Get lifetime access to over 15 hours of comprehensive tutorial videos covering all aspects of songwriting and music theory, specifically for electronic music production. Complete practical exercises at the end of each section (learn by doing). 

  • Module 1: Theory Basics for Electronic Music Producers
  • Module 2: Chord Writing & Chord Progressions
  • Module 3: Melody & Hook Writing Mastery
  • Module 4: Electronic Music Structure & Arrangement
  • 29 Actionable, Practical Exercises

GO DEEPER & FURTHER

12 Genre-Specific Breakdowns

Learn advanced songwriting and theory tactics from your favourite music and genres with over 8 hours of detailed breakdown videos. 

  • 12 different genres (from house to R&B—and everything else)
  • 24 individual song breakdowns (2 per genre)
  • 8.6 hours of detailed video training

NO GETTING STUCK

World-class support + community

Leave questions and comments below any video lesson and we’ll get back to you within 48 hours. Connect with other students and producers inside our tight-knit Discord community (exclusively for paid students).

  • Rapid support - get your questions answered. Get unstuck.
  • Join hundreds of other students inside our Discord community
  • Live group feedback sessions every month

What you'll learn inside the course

Grow your songwriting and production skillset, learn advanced tactics and techniques, and push your music to a new level (regardless of where you’re currently at). Follow along in any DAW. 

Music Theory Basics

Starting from square one? This introductory module will lay the groundwork for the rest of the course. Master the basics of keys, intervals, notes, consonance & dissonance, and chords.

Chord Progressions in Any Genre

Learn how to write cohesive chord progressions that form the foundation for the rest of your song. Discover the power of inversions, voicing, push & pull, implied chords, and more.

Advanced Chord Progressions

Transform yourself into a songwriting genius with advanced chord progression techniques. Learn advanced techniques like chromatic movement, tonic substitution, progression extension, and more.

Melody Writing Strategies & Secrets

Master the basics of melody by learning about chord tones, non-chord tones, motifs, and the core elements of a catchy melody. We spend a lot of time on this topic/skill as it’s crucial to get right.

Advanced Melody Writing

Follow along as we deconstruct 5 specific melodies, diving into what makes them catchy and engaging. Learn how to fix common melody mistakes, and pick up advanced techniques like writing counter-melodies.

Structure & Arrangement

Learn how to expertly craft a song arrangement that keeps your listener engaged from beginning to end with tactics and techniques like using reference tracks, rearrangement, story perspective, and more. 

Escape the Loop Trap

Keep getting stuck making 8 bar loops? Struggle to finish your song or even arrange it? Learn foolproof tactics to turn loops into full song arrangements.

Instrumentation & Development

Take your song arrangement to the next level with techniques like rephrasing, intentional instrumentation, presentation, and more. 

Chorus, Verse & Bridge Writing

Learn how to professionally compose and arrange key sections of a song arrangement, including: chorus, verse, bridge, pre-chorus and post-chorus. 

Compositional Workflow

Increase your musical output by designing a workflow for composition and arrangement. Learn how to quickly get from idea, to arrangement, to final product. 

Genre-Specific Writing Techniques

Learn which songwriting and theory techniques make certain genres tick. Get insights into your favourite genres, and develop specific skills to help you make quality music in your desired genre. 

Cohesive Songwriting

Learn how to write melodies around chord progressions (or vice versa), baselines underneath your existing progression and melodies, and how to embellish your song idea with compositional flair. 

Hear why producers love this course

Just a few of the real comments from the 1,469+ students enrolled in Songwriting For Producers.

The Full Course Breakdown

Want to know exactly what you’re going to learn? Here’s the full course curriculum.

Module 1: Theory Basics

  • Introduction01:21
  • Notes06:53
  • Intervals02:12
  • Major Keys07:00
  • Minor Keys05:50
  • Note Length06:34
  • Intervals (Continued)11:11
  • Consonance & Dissonance08:39
  • Chords13:51
  • ​Exercises

Module 2: Chords & Chord Progressions

  • Diatonic Triad13:59
  • Building a Chord Progression07:32
  • Functional Harmony in a Major Key11:58
  • Functional Harmony in a Minor Key08:07
  • Chord Inversions16:14
  • Open/Closed Voicing06:24
  • ​Exercises
  • Pushes, Pulls, and Repetition08:28
  • Using Silence in Chord Progressions05:48
  • The Power of Harmonic Rhythm03:19
  • Common Tones & How to Leverage Them11:44
  • Implied Chords: What, How, Why?07:59
  • Chord Progression Walkthrough08:01
  • ​Exercises
  • Seventh Chords11:49
  • Applying & Using Seventh Chords17:22
  • Why, When, and How to Use Chord Extensions14:33
  • Suspended Chords12:15
  • Augmented Chords09:10
  • Slash Chords09:35
  • Slash Chords (Continued)07:43
  • Added Tones Chords06:42
  • ​Exercises
  • Section Overview & Understanding Modes08:25
  • Passing Chords: What, How, Why and When?03:15
  • Why They Do (and Don’t) Matter02:43
  • The “Pop” Borrow04:41
  • Picardy Thirds08:12
  • Secondary Dominants10:42
  • Chromatic Movement & Tritone Substitution10:24
  • Extended Progressions16:21
  • Extended Progression Examples13:50
  • Tonic Substitution07:55
  • Harmonic Minor10:18
  • ​Exercises

Module 3: Melody Writing Mastery

  • Section Overview01:52
  • Chord tones & Non-Chord Tones13:09
  • Motifs02:45
  • The Core Elements of a Catchy & Memorable Melody18:49
  • How to Get Good at Writing Melodies03:26
  • Melody Writing Examples23:17
  • ​Exercises
  • Putting Chords to a Melody14:13
  • Understanding and Using Tonal Center11:29
  • Rhythm-First Technique06:45
  • Call & Response09:07
  • Extending a Melodic Phrase12:54
  • The Importance of Note Length03:56
  • Borrowing From Existing Melodies12:39
  • The Quantity Approach to Writing Good Melodies03:56
  • The Importance of Focus04:34
  • ​Exercises
  • Melody Deconstruction #1: LSD – Audio12:19
  • Melody Deconstruction #2: NVDES – D.Y.T14:43
  • Melody Deconstruction #3: Branchez x What So Not – High You Are06:57
  • Melody Deconstruction #4: Madeon & Porter Robinson – Shelter16:00
  • Melody Deconstruction #5: San Holo – One Thing12:03
  • Workshop: Fixing Common Melody Mistakes21:21
  • Workshop: Mastering Counter Melodies27:33
  • ​Exercises

Module 4: Structure & Arrangement

  • Why do you struggle with arrangement?02:19
  • Classic Song Structure03:36
  • Song Form & Meaningful Distinction04:49
  • Using Reference Tracks like a Pro13:41
  • Rearranging Existing Content14:41
  • How to Escape the Loop Trap04:26
  • Theory Perspective11:20
  • Arrangement Pitfalls05:21
  • Story Perspective02:03
  • ​Exercises
  • Rephrasing – Presentation (Part 1)12:37
  • Rephrasing – Presentation (Part 2)13:10
  • Rephrasing – Instrumentation06:05
  • Rephrasing – Main Takeaways + Examples10:19
  • How to Switch Chord Progressions10:07
  • Tension & Release02:34
  • Arrangement Walkthrough29:07
  • ​Exercises
  • Three Clever Arrangement Workflows05:02
  • Arrangement Feedback01:25
  • Responding to the Arrangement01:54
  • Pre-Chorus Writing Techniques21:47
  • Post-Chorus Writing Techniques11:20
  • Bridge Writing Techniques13:26
  • Which Keys Should You Write in?03:12
  • Changing Keys01:31
  • Modes – Part 1: Intro02:36
  • Modes – Part 2: Practical Theory10:25
  • Modes – Part 3: How to Write With Them09:37
  • Modes – Part 4: Walkthrough12:35
  • ​Exercises

12 Genre-Specific Breakdowns

Go beyond the 4 training modules with in-depth genre analysis. Learn the songwriting techniques and tactics from your favourite genres and artists.

Future Bass

Illenium – Fractures
Flume – Say It

Future House

Tchami – Promises
Zeds Dead & Oliver Heldens – You Know

Electro House

Skrillex & Poo Bear – Would You Ever
Madeon – Imperium

Deep House

Sam Feldt – Show Me Love (EDX Remix)
Disclosure – Willing & Able

Pop

The Chainsmokers – Side Effects
Calvin Harris – Slide

Progressive House

Zedd – Clarity (feat. Foxes)
Deadmau5 – Pets

Dubstep

Virtual Riot – Show Up ft. Virus Syndicate
Flight Facilities – Crave you feat. Giselle

Tropical House

Kygo – Stole The Show
Matoma & Becky Hill – False Alarm

R&B/Future Beats

Jeremih – oui
Sam Gellaitry – Shake

Chill/Indie

Virtual Riot – Show Up ft. Virus Syndicate Flight Facilities – Crave you feat. Giselle

Deep/Melodic House

Alina Baraz & Galimatias – Fantasy
ODESZA – Say My Name (feat. Zyra)

Trance

Alpha 9 – All We Need/The Night is Ours
Seven Lions & Jason Ross – Higher Love

Bonus Tools to Skyrocket Your Songwriting

The Songwriting For Producers Guidebook

A 100+ page guidebook that serves as an aid and reference while you work through the course. Use it while producing to quickly reference a technique or idea (without having to go back through video lessons to find it).

Exercise & Homework Package

The best way to learn is by taking action. That’s why we’ve included a practical exercise package to help you apply what you’re learning in each module. This features a bunch of exercises to work through in your DAW (with answers so you can self-test). 

MIDI Songstarter & Study Pack

A professionally-crafted folder of 500+ MIDI files to study, tweak, and use in your own productions. Features chords, melodies, and full song arrangements in 10 different genres. 

The Track Breakdown Masterclass

A 45-minute masterclass that shows you exactly how to analyze and break down your favourite songs to discover new techniques, ideas and inspiration. Includes bonus quick-reference cheat sheet + ear training guide.

Your professional course instructor

Hi, I’m Connor O’Brien, the course instructor for Songwriting For Producers.

My original productions have gained over 3 million streams Spotify and YouTube, with features by Billboard and Earmilk.

My track breakdown articles have been read by over 60,000 producers and featured on Vox and Heroic Academy.

I’ve released 4 Beatport Sounds #1 sample packs.

As a songwriter, I’ve placed vocals with artists such as Nora en Pure (Spinning, Enormous Tunes), Kura (Spinnin’), and Going Deeper (Armada, Hexagon).

Ready to write & produce amazing music?

Songwriting For Producers

  • Lifetime access + all future updates
  • 4 comprehensive training modules
  • 12 genre-specific breakdowns
  • Guidebook + homework package
  • MIDI songstarter & study pack
  • Private Discord community
  • Monthly live feedback streams
  • Q&A support inside the course platform

We promise a 100% money back guarantee within 7 days of purchase if you don’t love this course.

JOIN THE COURSE

$279

$179

Enroll Now

or 3 payments of $69

Who is this course for?

Songwriting For Producers is for you if:

  • You know nothing about music theory and want a comprehensive course that will help you develop your knowledge and skills rapidly, or...
  • You know a little bit of music theory but haven't really applied any of it in your own music, or...
  • You struggle to write good chord progressions and/or melodies, or...
  • You know how to write chord progressions and melodies but struggle to turn them into a full song that flows well, makes sense to the listener, and sounds unique.
  • Your music already sounds pretty good, but you want to refine it. You want to develop your unique sound and learn new techniques.

Songwriting For Producers is not for you if:

  • You're not willing to put in some effort learning this stuff
  • You want a quick hack for writing amazing songs (hint: there isn't one)
  • You're already a seasoned pro when it comes to songwriting and know how to easily and consistently produce catchy, memorable songs that get a ton of streams.

Got questions?

Songwriting For Producers is for all skill levels. 

If you’re a complete beginner to songwriting and production, the theory basics module will get you up to speed before you go through the rest of the course. 

If you’re an intermediate or advanced producer, the in-depth training videos will help you add a unique edge to your music, while further deepening your skillset.

Note: If you’re looking to learn all aspects electronic music production from scratch, then we recommend our EDM Foundations course for beginners.

Songwriting For Producers is a comprehensive course. With the genre-specific breakdowns included, it’s over 20 hours long. It will take you some time to get through everything, but there’s no rush. The course is completely self-paced, so you can stop & start however you like. No deadlines. No pressure.

Remember, you get lifetime access to the course and can revisit the material indefinitely.

Songwriting For Producers is a “DAW-agnostic” course, meaning you can follow along in any DAW because the principles are not software specific. The video lessons are taught in Ableton Live, but we have a diverse range of students using different DAWs. 

Beyond that, you don’t need any further gear, plugins or software to take this course. Only a DAW (like Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic Pro, Reaper, Cubase, Studio One, Reason, etc) is needed.

While the course teaches a lot of music theory, it does so in the wider context of electronic music production.

Most producers avoid learning music theory because they find it boring, or the material they’re learning from isn’t relevant enough to the music they want to make.

Songwriting For Producers teaches you how to write great music, and to do that, some theory knowledge is extremely helpful. 

Many of the lessons go beyond “music theory” and teach practical production and compositional techniques that make sense in the context of the full creative process.

In short: it’s not just a music theory course. It’s much more than that. 

While the training videos are extremely in-depth and comprehensive, you may still have questions. 

We provide a comments section below every video where you can ask a question or post a comment. We’ll get back to you within 48 hours (we have a dedicated student success manager who logs into the platform every day to answer questions).

If you want an answer to your question even sooner, you can post in the private Discord community and get a response from other students. 

No. The course consists of pre-recorded videos. These can be streamed inside the course platform. 

We do host monthly live feedback sessions where you can get feedback on your own music. Information on these sessions is located in the private Discord group.

Songwriting For Producers is an in-depth training program that gives you the tools, techniques and skills to write and produce unique, memorable music. The tertiary equivalent of a course like this would be in the $1000s. 

We’ve priced it at $179 to make it accessible as possible. This is a commitment and investment you’re making in yourself as an artist and producer. 

We sure do! While we’re confident that you’ll love the course (less than 1% of students ask for a refund), if you don’t for whatever reason, all you need to do is email us within 7 days of purchase and ask for a refund. 

We only open enrollment for this course a few times a year. 

If you’re thinking that you want to go through this in the next few months—even though you can’t start straight away‚ we still recommend enrolling. It is a self-paced course, you can start any time you want, and you have lifetime access to the course material.

Absolutely. There’s an option to pay in 3 installments on the checkout page. Bear in mind that you end up paying slightly more if you go for this option. 

No problem! Send us an email over at [email protected] and we’ll get back to you ASAP. 

And three EXTRA bonus courses
(available until the timer runs out)

Days
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Write more unique & memorable music

Enroll Now

Producer Mindset Mastery

This program will help you develop a rock-solid creative mindset and framework for rapidly developing music production skills. If you find it hard to finish music, be creative, or you just face resistance every time you sit down to make something—this is for you. 

(Coming July 31st)

The Remixing Masterclass

Remixing has traditionally been seen as “easier” than producing originals. This isn’t always true. There’s an art to producing a great remix that few producers talk about, until now. This 6-module masterclass will run you through all you need to know.

The 10-Day Song Finishing Plan

Can’t finish anything? Work too slowly? The 10-Day Song Finishing Plan is a proven framework that helps you come up with an idea, then take it to completion within 10 days. If you need a blueprint, this is it. 

Get instant access to our free video training

Learn how to master the fundamentals of electronic music production with the best roadmap for new producers