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Berklee — Pat Pattison

Songwriting: Writing the Lyrics

Learn lyric prosody, stability, rhyme and phrasing with Berklee’s Pat Pattison, using structured exercises to develop and revise your own song words.

PaidBeginner10+ hoursEnglishCertificateSongwriting
Go to course

Opens on the provider’s site. Check current access and certificate terms there.

Course overview

Pattison treats lyric writing as a craft that connects meaning with musical movement. The modules examine prosody, stability and instability, rhyme and phrasing, giving writers specific decisions to test. Assignments support turning an initial idea into language that works when sung, not only when read on a page.

What you will learn

  • Connect lyric meaning with musical choices
  • Use rhyme and stability deliberately
  • Revise phrasing in an original lyric

Who this suits

Useful for a beginning songwriter or a musician wanting a more systematic approach to words. The provider does not require music-reading ability or previous songwriting study.

Before you enroll

The course lists approximately 12 hours and 26 minutes of total work. Allow time to write, listen and revise rather than treating it as a video playlist. Musical examples and course exercises do not confer reuse rights to copyrighted songs; keep your own final work original.

Coursera offers paid enrollment or subscription access. Check the enrollment screen for assessment and certificate terms, trials and any financial-aid options. Provider access terms can change; review them before paying.

Put it into practice

Write two versions of one verse with different rhyme patterns. Read and sing both, mark natural word stresses, and explain which version supports the emotion and movement you intended.

Source and review

This overview is based on the provider's published information, checked on . It is an editorial assessment, not a claim that we completed the resource. Time filters are approximate study ranges; projects and exercises can take longer.

View the curriculum and current access options at Coursera.

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At a glance

Provider
Coursera
Learning format
Course
Price
Paid
Level
Beginner
Study time (approx.)
10+ hours
Language
English
Certificate
Available; check provider terms
Created by
Berklee — Pat Pattison
Category
Songwriting
Subject
Music
Page updated
12 Oct 2026