Hit Songs Deconstructed

Join us for this workshop where we pull back the curtain on the patterns behind today’s hit vocal melodies and the delivery techniques that make them shine!

MAY 16TH, 11AM ET - 2:30PM ET | $129.99

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Discover the patterns and techniques that bring today’s hit song lyrics to life!

JUNE 6th, 11AM ET - 2:30PM ET | $129.99

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90 MINUTES CAN HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON THE WAY YOU APPROACH YOUR CRAFT!
This on-demand workshop is designed to help you learn how to combine your unique creativity with proven techniques to prime your songs for commercial success.

JUNE 23RD, 6:00PM - 7:30PM ET | $79.99

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90 MINUTES CAN HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON THE WAY YOU APPROACH YOUR CRAFT!
This on-demand workshop is designed to help you learn how to combine your unique creativity with proven techniques to prime your songs for commercial success.

JULY 11th, 11AM ET - 2:30PM ET | $129.99

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90 MINUTES CAN HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON THE WAY YOU APPROACH YOUR CRAFT!
This on-demand workshop is designed to help you learn how to combine your unique creativity with proven techniques to prime your songs for commercial success.

AUGUST 15th, 11AM ET - 2:30PM ET | $129.99

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90 MINUTES CAN HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON THE WAY YOU APPROACH YOUR CRAFT!
This on-demand workshop is designed to help you learn how to combine your unique creativity with proven techniques to prime your songs for commercial success.

SEPT. 12th - NOV. 7th (5 x Saturdays/every 2 weeks) | $649

Registration Coming Soon

Fall workshop schedule coming soon!

Please note that dates are subject to change.

To take advantage of this unique opportunity, you need to act fast.
Remaining seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis and registration closes this Wednesday, March 11th.

Your masterclass registration includes six live online classes (segments are not pre-recorded), personalized feedback on your original song, workshop materials, videos of each class, and complimentary access to Hit Songs Deconstructed for the duration of the masterclass, a value of $130.

To attain the knowledge and skill required for continued commercial success, you have to treat your writing and producing like a business.

This means that you need to put in the time. You need to be disciplined. You need to continuously hone your craft, whether you feel inspired to or not. You need to stay in tune with how today’s music scene is evolving. And, most importantly, you need to understand how your music connects with your listeners.

By attending this masterclass, you'll come away with new insights, tools, and techniques that you can immediately apply to your own songwriting and producing.

Videos of the class will be made available to participants following each masterclass segment.

This means that you need to put in the time. You need to be disciplined. You need to continuously hone your craft, whether you feel inspired to or not. You need to stay in tune with how today’s music scene is evolving. And, most importantly, you need to understand how your music connects with your listeners.

Inside the Hit Song Matrix is for you if:
• You want to compete at the highest levels and attain continued commercial success
• You want new tools to evaluate your songs' strengths and weaknesses and help prime them for maximum impact
• You are ready to take the leap and combine your unique creativity with a little bit of science
• You are willing to devote time to virtually collaborate with other participants in between classes to apply the techniques covered

There are no shortcuts. But if you put the time into applying what you learn during this masterclass, you will take your writing and producing skills to the next level, regardless of the genre you’re working in.

Each class will get you in tune with current trends and focus on techniques for optimizing specific aspects of your song including:

• Creating & Arranging Earworm Melodies
• Building An Engaging Narrative and Using Effective Rhyme Schemes
• Heightening Engagement Through Vocal Production and Strategic Harmony, Tempo, Key & Instrument Choices
• Creating an Engaging & Memorable Ride Through Song Structure, Energy, and Arrangement
• Strategic Song Section Optimization and Hook Maximization Techniques

Classes are between 1.5 hours - 2 hours long and take place on Saturdays at 11AM EST on February 15, March 14, April 11, May 9, June 13, June 27.

In between classes you will apply the techniques you learn during each class to optimize your selected song’s impact.

During our last class, you will have the opportunity

Videos of the class will be made available to participants following each masterclass segment.

"It has really helped with our writing and arranging. The leap we have taken has led our music to be playlisted at the Yankees, Islanders and also MSG! Crazy for an unsigned Irish band!"

Through an array of current Hot 100 Top 10 hit case studies, we will examine some of the most effective techniques that have been making hits so successful, independent of genre or the artist employing them.

Maximize Your Creativity with Tools and Techniques
from Today’s Hits that Have Stood the Test of Time!

Ever get that song stuck in your head and you don’t know why? Well, there's a very good reason. The human brain is conditioned to react in a certain way to certain things, and today's hitmakers know that. During this workshop, we are going to pull back the curtain on tried and true techniques for connecting with wide-spread audiences and keep them coming back for more.

Critical listening exercises are at the core of this workshop. Together, we will listen to examples from recent and past hits, deconstruct the techniques being utilized, and analyze why they are so effective.

You'll come away with new insights, tools, and techniques that you can immediately apply to your own songwriting and producing.

At the conclusion of each segment, there will be ample time for your questions.

Videos of all workshop segments will be made available following the workshop.

Join us for this masterclass where we pull back the curtain on the patterns behind today’s hits and the techniques being used by today's hitmakers.

Tyson Harding - Songwriter/Guitarist for Skyfever

Learn how to combine your unique creativity with the proven techniques today’s hitmakers are using to connect with wide-spread audiences and keep them coming back for more!

This live, online masterclass takes place over a 5-month period on Saturdays at 11AM EST.

Your Host

David PennCo-Founder, Hit Songs Deconstructed

David Penn is co-founder of Hit Songs Deconstructed.

David is a recognized expert in the craft and trends behind hit songs and has been featured by Billboard, Variety, Music Week, Canadian Musician Radio, BMI, Financial Times, and the Economist, to name a few. He also regularly guest lectures at top universities such as Berklee College of Music, NYU, and Frost School of Music, as well as at industry events such as Music Biz, DIY Musician Conference and others.

A music connoisseur of all time periods and genres, he is a “go-to” consultant for songwriters, producers, publishers and labels.

Day 1: The Core Components

The workshop begins with a deep dive into vocal melody. We’ll start off by looking at an array of recent Hot 100 Top 10 choruses, ranging from the ultra-simplistic to the more complex. We’ll examine what these choruses have in common, what sets them apart, and how they are all optimized for maximum engagement, infectiousness and memorability. We’ll then hone in on one recent chart-topper to see how the vocal melody is optimized in each section of the song.

The lyric section follows, where we’ll focus on the narrative as well as rhymes, the glue between the melody and the lyrics. Using recent case studies across an array of popular lyrical themes, we’ll look at how the storyline is structured & developed across sections, and how it is optimized to connect with the listener.

Vocal production is next. We’ll take one recent chart-topper and go through the entire song while referencing a DAW arrangement outlining the song’s vocal production, and explore the techniques that were used to maximize the song’s vibe, increase memorability and amplify engagement. We’ll also review an array of popular duet/group vocal structure techniques.

We’ll then close out day 1 by exploring how harmony and strategic instrument selection can heighten a song’s impact through a host of recent Top 10 case studies.

DAY 2:  Optimizing Your Song for Maximum Impact

Day 2 is all about optimizing your song.  We’ll begin with structure and dive into key, tempo and song form, reviewing current trends and exploring how strategic structural decisions can impact your song. We’ll then move into energy and arrangement where we’ll use DAW projects to illustrate effective energy and arrangement flow to heighten engagement and memorability. We’ll conclude the segment with a host recent C.I.A. (chorus impact accentuator) techniques that will  help prime your choruses for maximum impact.

Next, we’ll dive into song section optimization techniques, honing in on three strategic points in a hit song – the intro, the “D” (departure) section, and the outro. We’ll look at an array of techniques from recent and classic hits, including “saying hello” to the listener with different types of hook-based and multi-part intros, providing an engaging and memorable departure through recycled and new material and A.P.M. (audience participation moment) techniques, and “saying goodbye” with a focus on effective outro techniques such as the “Ramp Down” and “Wind Up Grand Finale Hook Fest” techniques.

Hooks are next.  Using an array of recent and classic hit song examples, we’ll see how some of the most infectious, engaging and memorable hooks are structured and employed. Topics will include vocal hook techniques such as full section, partial section, “icing on the cake” hooks, instrumental hooks including foundational and melodic, and an array of hook maximization techniques.

We’ll conclude the workshop with methods for optimizing your song for today’s marketplace by looking at examples of recent hits and examining their genre/influence blend, instrument choices, vocal characteristics, lyrics, etc. and discussing how they leveraged trends to connect with their audience while transcending trends to stand out.