The Craft Of Writing A Country Song - Part 1

How To Tell A Story With Words And Music

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A message from Steve

The Craft of Writing a Country Song: How To Tell a Story With Words & Music is a gift to you from every great country songwriter I’ve ever had the pleasure of writing with. Since moving to Nashville 25 years ago and writing professionally for most of that time, I have been a student of the process that goes on in every publishing company, living room, tour bus, back of the barroom napkin, and anywhere else great country songs are written. In this course I’ve gathered together all the “tricks of the trade” that go into writing the kind of song country music is famous for the world over.


 
 

We are the songwriters. We are the storytellers.

This 12 lesson course kicks off the three-part series, The Craft Of Writing A Country Song by Song Assembly's Steve Leslie.

By the end of the 12 lessons included in part one of this series, you will be able to transform a simple song title into a compelling story-song that will connect with your audience on a much deeper level than you’ve ever imagined.

In these 12 lessons, Steve will dive into storytelling principles that you can immediately apply to your songwriting process. Whether you are just starting out or have a long list of accomplishments, Steve has worked with writers and artists of all levels to step up their songwriting game.



Course Curriculum


  Welcome
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  Three Principles of Effective Narrative Development
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  "Lonely Stuff" - Performance and Analysis
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  Working From a Title
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  Tacking Down the Lyric
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  Harmony and Musical Elements
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  Ambiguity
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  Details You Can Trust
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  Filling In The Empty Space
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  Part 1 Recap
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Your Instructor


Steve Leslie
Steve Leslie

Steve is a Founding Member and the Senior Faculty Director of Song Assembly. He has had a professional songwriting career spanning more than twenty-five years with songs recorded by Kenny Rogers, Mark Chesnutt, George Strait, Darryl Worley, Rhonda Vincent, Neal McCoy, Ricky Skaggs, Darius Rucker, and more.

A multiple BMI Award Winner, in 2004 Steve received a Grammy Certificate for the title cut to Ricky Skaggs' Best Bluegrass Album of the Year Brand New Strings.

Steve has released three CDs, as well as written the Music and Book for a full-length musical, Umbrella.

Steve is a Senior Faculty Member at Nashville Songwriters Association International, and a regular contributor to American Songwriter Magazine.

He has taught Jazz History at Tallahassee Community College, Tallahassee, FL, Songwriting at Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN, and Morehead State University, Morehead, Ky. From 2011- 2014 Steve was Adjunct Professor of Songwriting at Belmont University, Nashville, TN, and in 2013 was one of four internationally selected candidates considered for the Chair of the Songwriting Department, Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA.

In 2014 Steve started Nashville based publishing company SNG Music along with business partner Gary Reamey.

Steve earned his BM in Guitar/Jazz Studies from Morehead State University, Morehead, Kentucky.


Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.

Get started now!