Key details

Date: 22 April - 1 July 2025
Sessions: Tuesdays: 3pm - 4pm
No. sessions: 10
Venue: Online Courses, Nottingham
For ages: 19+
Group size: 5 - 15
Cost: FREE - £35

About this course

Are you a budding songwriter, composer or Improvisor? Do you want to know how to apply music theory to your work and understand how it will inform your rhythms, melodies, harmonies, narrative structure, timbre and texture and how they combine to make memorable songs, compositions and improvisations? Join us on this course where we will explore the above through examples and put together our own ideas to construct songs and musical pieces.

By the end of the course, you will understand how to construct songs, musical pieces and/or solos to a proficient level, covering topics and themes including:

Basic rhythms
Notes Scales & Chord Progressions
Primary and Secondary Chords
Hierarchy of chords / Improvising scales
More complex rhythms
Timbre & Texture
Song structure
Riffs & Motifs
More complex chords / passing chords / modulations
Putting it all together

You will need:

Manuscript paper
pencils
erasers
As this course is online, a suitable device such as laptop, smart phone, tablet or computer will be required to access the course.

The link for you to join the live sessions will be sent to you once your enrolment has been completed.

Please note - No session 27th May

Booking your place and fee information

If you are in receipt of certain benefits you will beoffered the course for free, however if you have a financial barrier which mayprevent you from enrolling on the course please visit our webpage for further information https://www.inspireculture.org.uk/skills-learning/funding-your-courses/

To secure your place on the course BOTH the following must be done:

Complete the EVENTBRITE BOOKING.
Complete our INSPIRE ONLINE ENROLMENT FORM for each person attending the course.

You should be redirected to the Inspire Online Enrolment Form after completing the Eventbrite booking. If you are not redirected, please use the link supplied in the Eventbrite booking confirmation email.

To book and enrol on one of our courses, you must have been living in England and have been resident in the UK for the past 3 years.

Some exceptions may apply if you are living in England with evidence of the right to remain and are from an EEU/EEAU country (completion of a questionnaire will be required).

As we no longer receive funding for our ESFA-funded courses for learners living in the devolved areas listed below, full cost fees would apply to these courses if you live in these areas:

Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Greater London
Greater Manchester
Liverpool City Region
Newcastle Upon Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland
Tees Valley
West of England
West Midlands
West Yorkshire

Any questions?

Check the FAQs page, or get in touch:

By phone: 01623 677 200
By email: learning@inspireculture.org.uk

Music Theory for Songwriters, Composers and Improvisors - Beginners - Online Course - Adult Learning