You will learn:

✓ Form and Structure: To make your piece coherent and seamless
✓ Modulations: How to effectively and easily use them to create drama and variation
✓ Motivic Development: How to employ tactics such as sequences, transposition, retrograde and imitation to keep your piece evolving and captivating audiences
✓ Register placement: How and when to use different registers to make your melody stand out and grab your listener's attention
✓ Accompaniment: Turn your harmonization into a more sophisticated accompaniment and independent musical voice
✓Texture: How to use musical elements and techniques to enable your piece to easily convey emotions

Plus lots more!

Couldn't I do this on my own?

It's certainly possible to compose on your own, and if you have participated in our 4 week introductory course you certainly have some great tools and new knowledge to begin working with!

But having someone to guide you can really help "Take it to the next level".

You can expand your ideas, employ new tactics and techniques, dive deeper into creating beautiful harmonization and publish a fully developed work that sits right on par with pieces composed by the "Great Masters" like Francisco Tarrega or Agustín Barrios.

Yes, we do believe with some help, you too can compose like the Great Masters!

Most, if not all of the great composers had teachers to guide them.
- Bach learned from his brother
- Mozart learned from his father
- Beethoven learned from the great Haydn

Nothing beats personal coaching:
• Helps you achieve your best work
• Gives you accountability to actually complete your composition
• Can now be done online from the comfort of your own home

What can I expect as a typical end result of this course?

David Hole had never composed a piece of music before in his life. He is currently completing his grade 5 AMEB certificate, but has always struggled with understanding theory. David joined our Introduction to Composition 4 week live course in July and enjoyed it so much he then signed up for our more advanced course "A Piece to Call Your Own" which ran the following month in August.

The end result? He wrote this brilliant piece titled "2020 - From Bushfires to Pandemic", a reflection of our year so far.

Meet Daniel.

Your teacher!

Hi, I'm Dan.
I love the classical guitar and am drawn to its unique array of colors and sounds. When I was young, my dad played at home a lot and started teaching me what he was playing - the first piece I learned was Spanish Romance and I loved it!

And now? I got my undergrad degrees in Melbourne and Doctor of Music in the USA. I've spent years researching old guitar methods to figure out the secrets of how composers like Sor, Giuliani, Tarrega, Barrios, etc. thought about music and practiced their instrument.

In the process, this has unlocked many undiscovered techniques and models that give guitarists a platform and clear path to composition. I hope these old traditions will empower you to compose and help bring new life to your guitar playing!

I'm looking forward to meeting and working with you!

Meet Michael.

Your co-ordinator!

Hi, I'm Michael.
I'm the one behind everything you see at the Melbourne Guitar Festival!

I organise a yearly concert series, an annual 3 day international guitar festival, plus educational courses and workshops!

I am also a professional musician myself, and play with the Melbourne Guitar Quartet!

The teaching method Daniel uses is just extraordinary, and his ability to break down the composition process in such a structured way, whilst retaining the individual musical freedom of each participant is second to none.

I can't recommend this highly enough, there is nothing else like this available anywhere!

Course Schedule Overview

All times listed are Australian Eastern Standard Time
You can use this timezone converter HERE to see what the equivalent time is for you!

Replays will be available for ALL sessions if you cannot attend live

Week 1: Form and Structure

LIVE LECTURE: Monday, November 2nd, 7pm - 9pm
LIVE LECTURE: Wednesday, November 4th, 7pm - 9pm
LIVE Q+A: Friday, November 6th, 7pm - 8pm

Week 2: Motivic Development

LIVE LECTURE: Monday, November 9th, 7pm - 9pm
LIVE LECTURE: Wednesday, November 11th, 7pm - 9pm
LIVE Q+A: Friday, November 13th, 7pm - 8pm

Week 3: Crafting an accompaniment

LIVE LECTURE: Monday, November 16th, 7pm - 9pm
LIVE LECTURE: Wednesday, November 18th, 7pm - 9pm
LIVE Q+A: Friday, November 20th, 7pm - 8pm

Week 4: Editing and Revising

LIVE STREAM: Monday, November 23rd, 7pm - 9pm
LIVE LECTURE: Wednesday, November 25th, 7pm - 9pm
LIVE Q+A: Friday, November 27th, 7pm - 8pm

Conclusion:

LIVE STREAM: Monday, November 30th, 7pm - 9pm

What you Receive:

• Eight x 2 hour live lectures ($800 value)
• Four x 1 hour live Q+A sessions ($200 value)
• Written course material including worksheets and appendix's ($120 value)
• Video files of all sessions sent as a digital library, so you can have lifetime access to the course material and lectures ($400 value)
• Access to a new, private facebook group only for course participants ($100 value)
• At the end of the course, a piece to call your own! (Priceless)

All lectures and Q+A sessions will be delivered via zoom video conference calls. This allows more interaction, deeper learning and more practical feedback specific to your individual needs

PLUS these bonuses:
✓ 1 year subscription to "Harmony that Matters" ($100 value)
✓ Daniel's complete publication of all ebooks ($100 value)

That's OVER $1800 (AUD) worth of value!
But you won't pay that much with our course

This isn't just about learning, but also producing:

• Producing something beautiful that you can be proud of
• Creating something you can enjoy playing, while at the same time learning a whole bunch about music

You get a crazy amount of value, but most importantly:
You'll have something to show for all the work

Online theory/composition courses can cost thousands of dollars (those numbers circled below are in USD)!
• They aren't customized to you
• You don't receive personalized coaching
• You don't end up with your own composition

A Piece to Call Your Own