Eli West Workshops

Object writing

Let’s build a song’s story through object writing.  We will spend time building an idea from a seed, then share and edit each other's lyrical ideas.  This class, while frequently vulnerable, is an efficient path toward developing a thematic lyrical storyline.  Come with pen and paper, an open mind, and leave the critic at the door (we will let them in for the last 20min of class).

Melody development from chord forms

This guitar centric course (though open to other instruments) will use the inherent information in a chord and chord progression to help us build a melody line.  We will look briefly at chord theory to find launching points for melody lines, talk about chord progressions as mood setters, and then work toward a collective melody by the end of class.

Critical listening session

Let’s sit and listen to the songs we love, and then dissect what is going on.  We will listen to a variety of genres, talk about production, components, performance, and all other aspects.  I will bring a few songs from pre- and post-radio as a start.  If you have a song to dissect, bring it for review