LI_Slim said:
...even though I am skeptical about the extent to which songwriting can be taught!!!
Ahh... such is the nature of art.
One of the first things I express (right after declaring the class a BFZ) is that songwriting
does have rules that can be taught, learned, and followed. After the class gets done protesting I use this example:
A painter is an artist, but he has rules he must follow: for example the laws of light, color, and perspective. However... an artist can break those rules as well. Take Escher, whose drawings distort perspective regularly, or Dali's surreal landscapes that bend the rules of color and light. They are both brilliant artists that prove something very valuable: that rules lead to understanding. Once you have achieved understanding, then you can break the rules brilliantly.
Understanding is the leap that seperates the true artist from the amateur.
How many times have you seen someone look at a painting (Picasso perhaps), and say "It looks like a child did it. I could do it just as well...". But they are wrong. They lack the understanding that comes from learning the rules of the art. Maybe they could get lucky one time out of a thousand, but they could never "do just as well" on a consistent basis.
So... I teach the rules of songwriting, and I believe they can be learned. But gaining the understanding one needs to transcend the rules.... that's all up to the individual.
A
www.aaroncheney.com
p.s. I've been toying with idea of writing a book on the subject. I've certainly got enough notes from my class. Now I just need the time....