Songwriting is the process of putting words and music together and arranging them into a short piece of music with vocals. You can write a song on your own, or you can collaborate with others to create something that reflects the input of everyone involved. Some songwriters write both lyrics and music, while other writers concentrate on one or the other. Songs can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be when you write them, and you can write songs for yourself or for others—or both.
Whether you want to write songs professionally or just for fun, it's important to grasp the musical and lyrical concepts that make a quality song. Understanding the basics of rhyme, music theory, and structure can make your songs more compelling and entertaining. Learning songwriting makes you not just a better songwriter on your own, but also a better collaborator. It's also more fun to write when you have a knowledge of how to write songs and why you want to write them.
You can use the songwriting skills that you learn as a professional songwriter in the entertainment industry. You don't have to perform your own songs unless you want to; if you don't like performing live, you can write songs for others to perform. Other professional avenues for songwriting include writing commercial jingles for advertising agencies, composing songs for musical theater, and writing songs for films and television. If you're involved at your church or another house of worship as a staff member or volunteer, you may be able to write original praise songs for worship services.
Online courses on Coursera can provide you with opportunities to learn the concepts and skills you need to become a quality songwriter. You can learn about lyrics, arrangement, and how to compose electronic music. There are also courses on copyright and intellectual property law that you can benefit from as a songwriter. You'll be able to take what you learn from online courses on Coursera and apply it to your songwriting career or hobby.