A NEW series of songwriting workshops is being launched by acclaimed musicians Boo Hewerdine and Findlay Napier following the success of the first sessions.

The Bird on a Wire songwriting courses were originally funded by Creative Scotland to give musicians in Scotland, whose livelihoods had been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, the opportunity to develop their skills.

With the original three five-day online courses eight times oversubscribed, Hewerdine and Napier have now announced a selection of paid-for workshops this spring that anyone can book and join.

The courses will cover lyrics, meter, rhyming, prosody, writing techniques and look at interesting melodies and compositional methods.

Participants will also have the chance to have one-to-one sessions with both Hewerdine and Napier and enjoy a masterclass with a guest speaker who has rich songwriting experience. Previous guests include Beth Nielsen Chapman, Karine Polwart, Mary Gauthier and Chris Difford.

The workshops have been described as “life-changing” by musician Tom Cooper.

“The timetable of tasks was demanding, but there was also flexibility in response to our needs,” he said. “The course has had an immediate effect on how I write and the way I think about writing, and also introduced and welcomed me into a new, diverse community of inspiration and connection with other songwriters.”

Hewerdine said it was “fantastic to see such a big appetite” for the songwriting sessions.

“We’re delighted to expand our offering and welcome more people from near and far and a variety of backgrounds on to the course,” he said. “Our ethos is that we believe you come to us as a songwriter full of ideas and we want to help provide you with the tools to complement your own skills and aspirations.”

Napier added: “We try to provide a welcoming and open environment for everyone on the course and would really encourage anyone who’s thinking about coming along to take the leap. The classes are incredibly rewarding and having the opportunity to discuss your goals with us, network with other songwriters and meet some notable guest speakers is a unique opportunity and often the start of an exciting journey.”

Hewerdine has made 10 solo albums including last year’s critically acclaimed Before and his songs have been recorded by many singers including kd Lang, Paul Young, The Corrs, Suggs, Mel C, Emma Bunton and Eddi Reader.

Napier was the first solo act to be nominated for Live Act of the Year at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards and his 2015 solo debut album VIP: Very Interesting Persons, produced by Hewerdine, claimed the number two spot in the Daily Telegraph’s top folk albums that year.

To find out more go visit the website: www.birdonawire.info.