Learn how gatekeepers like A&R reps, publishers, and managers decide which songs advance, and why following commercial songwriting rules—from pitching to record companies to avoiding common mistakes—boosts your chances.

Explore the core song sections: intros, verses, pre-choruses, choruses, turnarounds, bridges, solos, tags, outros and endings, and learn their roles and practical guidelines, including timing tips for commercial music.

Learn the core song sections and endings used in hit songs, including tags, outros, fades, ritard, and cold endings, and how they shape your song structure.

Learn how song structure stitches sections into commercial songs, with common form verse–chorus–verse–chorus–bridge–chorus, and distinguish primary (verse, chorus, solo, bridge) from secondary (intros, outros, pre-chorus).

Explore the verse-chorus-verse-chorus family as the dominant song form, compare it with chorus-first and AABA, and learn about double verses, third choruses, breakdown choruses, and bridges.

Discover the chorus-first family of song structures, including Rondo (chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus) and chorus-first variants, plus the aaba and abc families, highlighting hooks, bridges, and solos.

Learn to rhyme in songs by matching vowel sounds, not consonants, and master hard, soft (assonance), and identical rhymes for verses and choruses.

Discover why stars break the rules and how credibility, politics, and the it factor shape gatekeepers; learn to write songs that are better than radio hits.

Explore how to identify and apply rhyme schemes in commercial songwriting, including A, B, C, C, B patterns, internal rhymes, and matching schemes across verses and choruses.

learn how to match phrasing across verses by counting syllables, keep consistent phrasing in choruses and verses, and account for throwaway words.

Learn how to count measures in common time, identify the downbeat, and master phrasing by matching syllable counts and avoiding throwaway words, with real-song examples.

Learn what a hook is and how to craft memorable melodic and lyrical hooks, with techniques such as alliterations, internal rhymes, opposites, one-word hooks, and dual meaning.

Explore eight techniques for crafting catchy lyrical hooks, including interchanging expected with unexpected words, punch line hooks, alliteration, opposites, and interesting or poetic hooks.

Discover a three-step process for pro songwriting: start with a hook or title, plan the song outline, then start writing, with a melody-first approach that emphasizes strong hooks.

Master the pro songwriting process by composing music first, then melody and lyrics, crafting verse, pre-chorus, and chorus, and fitting lyrics to syllables rather than changing melodies.

Practice activity guides you through the songwriting process from hook to plan and outline, using a worksheet to map verse and chorus structure and genre and tempo choices.

Explore the difference between music and production, top lining, and how melody and simple chord progressions shape hit songs through smart chord management.

Learn melody writing by fitting lyrics to melody, not the reverse, and using phrasing tricks. Master melody management across verse, pre-chorus, and chorus, plus repetition for catchier songs.

Learn Tom's five rules of lyric writing, including 'if you wouldn't say it' and 'show it, not say it', to craft conversational, image-rich hit lyrics.

practice melody writing by singing over tracks—guitar, piano, and synth—and apply the three-step song process (music, melody, lyrics), with options to co-write, use daws, or loops.

Apply a no-repeat rule for key words beyond the first verse, with exceptions for hooks and bridges, and maintain tense and perspective, changing only at section starts.

Engage in lyric writing practice by composing music, crafting melodies, then writing lyrics for each section using syllable counts, a chosen topic, and a rhyme scheme.

discover what a pre-chorus is, when to use it, and how lyric patterns, length, and melody create a compelling bridge between verse and chorus.

Explore four bridge types: new information, change perspective, more of the same, and the optional to bridge or not to bridge, with guidelines on when to use them.

Explore the four bridge types in song structure, focusing on the more of the same bridge, and learn when to add a bridge based on story progress and runtime.

Watch a songwriter demonstrate the firsthand process: start with a hook, plan the song, craft verses and melodies. Capture ideas with guitar, a laptop, and GarageBand.

Explore how to craft a beach-themed verse by rhyming with go, managing syllables, and building a pre-chorus within a double verse to sharpen hit song writing.

Craft a summer song by shaping verse and chorus around 'having fun in the sun,' rehearse the pre-chorus and bridge, and weave beach imagery to cure winter blues.

Explore part four of the basics of pro songwriting as speakers describe capturing a beach-style track with iPads and headphones, solving connection issues, finishing the first take, and refining lyrics.

Write as many songs as you can to advance your music career and refine your songwriting, finish every song you start, and feel free to juggle multiple songs.

Seek feedback from friends and family to gauge direction. Then obtain critiques from industry professionals to refine and rewrite songs; never record without a professional critique.