Chords

Chords:  Emotional Foundations

Chords is the fifth course from Inside The Song Game
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Across four weeks, we’ll explore how chords shape the emotional core of your songs, support your melodies, and create a rich musical landscape for your lyrics.

Each week you’ll process

• A creative theme

• A craft focus

• A prompt designed to help you use harmony intentionally

This course combines technical skill with emotional exploration — guiding you to craft chord progressions that enhance storytelling, melody, and mood.

You’ll Learn to:

• Connect emotion to chord choice and progression

• Recognize tension, release, and emotional flow in song structure

• Harmonize melodies with chords for expressive impact

• Add depth through layering, counter-melodies, and harmonies

Each week includes guided exercises, creative prompts, and a live peer feedback circle.

Who It’s For:

This course is for songwriters who want to deepen their understanding of harmony, create more emotionally resonant songs, and integrate chords seamlessly with melody and lyrics. Whether you’re an emerging songwriter or looking to bring new depth to your songs, this course helps you build confidence, expressiveness, and musical nuance.

What’s Included:

• Four live 90-minute weekly sessions (Zoom)

• Structured feedback circles for every participant

• Weekly songwriting prompts + exercises for harmonic exploration

• Optional one-on-one feedback sessions available ($40 / 30 min)

• Access to the private Song Game community

Weekly Flow:

Week 1 — Chords & Emotional Awareness: Connect emotion to major, minor, suspended, and extended chords, exploring how harmony shapes mood.

Week 2 — Structural Awareness: Understand tension and release through chord progressions, using harmonic structure to guide song narrative.

Week 3 — Melodic Integration: Harmonize vocal lines and instrumental phrases, creating emotional anchors within chord progressions.

Week 4 — Harmonic Layering: Add depth and texture with secondary chords, counter-melodies, and vocal harmonies while maintaining clarity.

Course Philosophy:

This course is about discovering how harmony communicates feeling. Through experimentation, reflection, and collaborative feedback, you’ll learn to trust your musical intuition, shape emotional arcs with chords, and create songs that resonate deeply with both you and your audience.