Simple Songcrafting

Starting October 24th - Each Monday at 6pm EST

Starting September October 24th, 2016 and live each Monday at 6pm EST for the following 10 weeks. This course will help beginners and advanced players alike write a song.

Let's face it, writing a song is one of the most fun activities on the guitar. The best part is that almost anyone of any skill level can do it! Justin will go through all of the crucial songwriting skills and break them down one by one. He will cover the important aspects of writing music and also delve into the world of lyrics. If you follow along, by the end of this 10-week course you will have a completed song under your belt.

Get access to this live course with a full JamPlay Membership, which includes access to all past live courses and over 5,000 on-demand lessons. This also includes all teaching tools, chord and scale libraries, along with gear giveaways, teacher reviews, and daily live lessons.

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About our Live Courses

We have upgraded, revamped, and organized in-studio, live weekly workshops broadcasted in 1080p. These focused, task-based workshops include full tablature, interactivity with the instruction, and even homework each week. We are bringing live, educational instruction into the next generation with this platform.

5,000 Lessons

In 2016, we completely re-engineered our recording studio with top of the line gear, including a full suite of 4k cameras complimented by a new audio outfit. The result is beautiful live streams to your computer, in qualities as high as 1080p!

79 Instructors

Each live course is supplemented with full tablature, music notation, and even backing tracks. Our live lessons are focused, planned, and even give you homework options on how to improve and look forward to the following week.

Live Lessons

Our staff fields questions from the audience throughout each section, and opens the "classroom" up for questions throughout each course. You also have the ability to call in live with your own video stream!


Our live platform has been a major focus over the past 18 months, and we are very excited to fully unleash it's capability! Attend any of these courses with a full JamPlay subscription and get the benefit of full interaction with our instructors in a focused, planned course. We even have the ability to field your questions with live video call in!

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Full Course Schedule

View the full course schedule below. And of course, we keep everything, so if you miss a week you can always watch our archive of live courses. Tabs, backing tracks, and a full course PDF are provided for students, along with homework for each week! Interact with other students along with the instructor and get the instruction you need to advance your playing.

Date Topic

Session 1

10/24/16 at 6pm EST Get Access

Why We Write and Finding Ideas

We take a look at the basics of songwriting in our first session. We think about why we write, how to generate ideas, and other pertinent topics. This is a quick and interesting rundown of the skill.

Session 2

10/31/16 at 6pm EST Get Access

Creating Strategic Limitations

While it may sound contradictory, sometimes the best way to increase your creative prowess is to impose intentional limitations on yourself. Justin will talk about how to achieve this goal.

Session 3

11/07/16 at 6pm EST Get Access

Music or Lyrics First?

One of the most often asked questions regarding songwriting is this: should I write music or lyrics first? Justin Roth talks about his views on the subject and puts you on the path that is right for you.

Session 4

11/14/16 at 6pm EST Get Access

Using Rhyme Schemes

Justin digs into the many rhyme schemes that songwriters use to craft their lyrics. This will take your lyric writing to the next level!

Session 5

11/21/16 at 6pm EST Get Access

Point of View

It's not as often thought about as the rhyme scheme, but your choice of point of view can have a large impact on the quality of your lyrics.

Session 6

11/28/16 at 6pm EST Get Access

Song Forms

Justin covers the most popular song forms and gives his guidance on how to use them. These provide an easy-to-use scaffolding for your unfolding songs.

Session 7

12/05/16 at 6pm EST Get Access

Adding Sensory Detail

Adding sensory details to your song will not only make it more entertaining to listen to, but elicit a powerful emotional response from your listeners. Justin talks about how to do it.

Session 8

12/12/16 at 6pm EST Get Access

Editing the Lyrics

Writing is never complete without a good edit, and this includes lyric writing. Justin talks about his favorite techniques for refining and editing lyrics.

Session 9

12/19/16 at 6pm EST Get Access

Editing the Music

Now that you have your lyrics refined and polished, it's time to move on to the music. Justin will talk about popular techniques for refining music.

Session 10

12/26/16 at 6pm EST Get Access

Performance and Co-writing

Now that your song is either done, or almost there, we will talk about performing your song live. Justin will also talk about the use of co-writing with other musicians, and what to do next. This session will be inspirational to the max.


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