Join us for this masterclass where we
pull back the curtain on the patterns behind today’s hits.

INSIDE THE HIT SONG MATRIX

Where Creativity and Science Intersect

There is only one spot left. Is it yours?

REGISTRATION CLOSES IN:

Registration for the full masterclass is closed
but you can still register for some of the individual classes.

Your registration includes one live online class (not pre-recorded) and workshop materials.

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A live online workshop
taking place over the course of
6 x Saturdays at 11AM EST.

Dates include: March 14, March 28,
April 11, April 25, May 9, and May 23.*

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This hands-on masterclass will pull back the curtain on the patterns behind today’s hits, providing you with techniques that you can immediately use to channel your unique creativity into songs that can compete on the hit song stage.
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Price: $549
PRO Subscriber? Get your discount code >>
PREMIERE Subscriber? Get your free admission code>>

Today’s hitmakers understand that
great music is made where art and science meet.

That’s why they combine their unique creativity with tried and true techniques for arranging their songs, composing earworm melodies, and writing lyrics that connect with wide-spread audiences.

If you want to compete at the highest levels, you need start using them too.

Sometimes you just can’t get a song out of your head…
want to know why?

This hands-on masterclass will pull back the curtain on the patterns behind today’s hits, providing you with techniques that you can immediately start using to write and produce songs that can compete on the hit song stage.

Saturday, March 14th @ 11AM ET

Hit Song Vocals

Saturday, April 25th @ 11AM ET

Song Structure, Energy, and Arrangement

This is a hands-on masterclass where you will actively work on your music.

During this masterclass, you will take one of your original songs, and, through collaboration with other participants, apply the techniques you learn during each class to optimize your song’s impact. At the end of the three-month period, you will have the opportunity to share your song with the group, discuss your process, and get feedback from both David Penn and other participants.

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 2 - 3 hours long and take place online on Saturdays at 11AM EST

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

By applying the techniques you learn during this masterclass to your music, you will take your writing and producing skills to the next level, regardless of the genre you’re working in.

Limited seats available.

*Dates subject to change.

Saturday, April 11th @ 11AM ET

Vocal Production, Instrument Choices, Harmony, Tempo and Key with
Guest Speaker iLL Factor

Saturday, May 9th @ 11AM ET

Song Section Optimization and Hook Maximization
Social Media Best Practices for Marketing Your Music with Guest Speaker Rick Barker


“Even though I’ve been writing professionally for over ten years, I’ve found several nuggets of gold in each presentation that have improved my writing already.”

Roy Stride
Hit Songwriter, Producer, Artist
One Direction, 5 Seconds of Summer, Scouting for Girls

This workshop will help you understand how these techniques have evolved to remain current, fresh and engaging, get you in tune with what is happening TODAY, and help you prime your creativity for success in today’s rapidly evolving music scene.

Your Host

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David Penn
Co-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.

Guest Speakers

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Rick Barker
Host of the Music Industry Blueprint PodcastFormer Manager of Taylor Swift

Rick Barker is host of the Music Industry Blueprint podcast and former manager of superstar Taylor Swift.

During his presentation on May 9th, he is going to talk to you about best practices for getting your music in front of an audience using social media. You’ll learn what social platforms you need to be on, what type of content you should be posting, how often, and how to automate things to save time. Rick will also hone in on social media best practices that are specific to your role in the industry, whether you are a songwriter, a producer, or an artist.

At the end of his presentation he will take your questions.

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iLL Factor
Grammy Nominated ProducerFounder of Beat Academy

ill Factor is the founder of Beat Academy and a Grammy nominated producer who has worked with some of the biggest names in music including Justin Timberlake, Calvin Harris, Cher, Skylar Grey, Natasha Bedinfield, and that’s just to name a few.

During his session on April 11th, he will share production techniques and best practices geared to take your songs to the next level and then show you how to recreate some of the sounds and beats from our masterclass case studies in Logic from scratch. During this presentation he will also reveal some of his own personal tips and tricks, take your questions and, after the presentation has concluded, make all the sounds and beats created during this live session available for download, so you can add them to your personal library.

There are only a few seats left.

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.

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.

If you are a songwriter, producer, A&R or creative executive, this workshop is for you!

What People Are Saying

“Awesome workshop. I have never seen hit songs broken down in such an accurate and detailed way.”
Jerome Baylor

“Tons of fantastic tips and information on how to create hit songs. I learned so much!"
Brett Steelhammer

“You combined elements I've tried to put together through hours of studies, videos, and books into something straightforward and easy to understand."
Reanne Howell

“There is so much you don’t know that you don’t know. This workshop helps fill that gap, and that knowledge is invaluable.”
Bryce Dudzinski

"I’ve come away with a really solid understanding of what make hits work."
Brian Hecht

“Great event. Would recommend for new and experienced writers.”
Summer Edeen

“I would recommend this to producers and songwriters who want to open their mind and improve their way of thinking."
Giulio Cercato

DAY 1 at a Glance: The Core Components

  • Creating & Arranging Earworm Melodies
  • Building an Engaging Narrative
  • Heightening Engagement Through Vocal Production
  • Maximizing the Foundation & Vibe Through Strategic Harmony, Tempo, Key & Instrument Choices

DAY 2 at a Glance: Optimizing Your Song for Maximum Impact

  • Creating an Engaging & Memorable Ride Through Energy and Arrangement Shifts
  • Chorus Impact Maximization (C.I.A.’s)
  • Strategic Song Structure
  • Hook Maximization Techniques
  • Techniques for Hooking the Listener In and Leaving Them Wanting More
  • Heightening Engagement Through “D” (Departure) Sections
  • Optimizing Your Song for the Marketplace Through Trend Adherence & Trend Transcendence

For a more in-depth description of the workshop, scroll down.

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