This isn't classical
study. It's
Piano for Songwriters

Hey! I’m Melissa Taylor — seasoned pianist and veteran Nashville Song-plugger who has worked with Grammy Award-winning songwriters at top Music Row publishers for 15 years.

I teach the skills that matter in writing rooms, recording sessions, and industry circles.

Whether you’re writing pop, R&B, country ballads, or upbeat EDM choruses, the piano supports all musical languages and is the most intuitive way to learn and visualize music theory and chord structure.

Piano For Songwriters is the ultimate writing tool for your creative brain to make you a more fluent, confident, and connected songwriter.

A woman with brown, wavy hair smiling at the camera, wearing a black shirt, seated indoors.

“I've known Melissa for years. She knows great songs, great writers, and how to teach the skills that make you
a better one.”

- Carla Wallace (Co-Owner, Big Yellow Dog Music)

“This course has everything you need and that I should have learned when I started. It’s taken me an unnecessarily long time to learn this stuff but you can learn it in a matter of weeks!”

- Daniel Tashian (2x Grammy Award-winning singer, writer, producer)

You will learn…

Songwriter-Centric Music Theory

Build a huge vocabulary of chords and progressions for hooks, loops, and songs tailored to the style of music you make.

Piano Skills Tailored to Songwriters

Accompany yourself - and others - naturally while you sing, write, or demo ideas. Compose directly into a DAW - most music software uses piano interfaces.

Charting

Read and write Nashville Number System charts, letter charts, lead sheets, and all chord symbols found in songbooks.

Clearly map your ideas in the industry standard notation used by songwriters, producers, singers, instrumentalists, and session players.

Better Writing Skills

Spark new songs and melodic ideas with my custom designed, improvisational Melody Builders, Musical Doodles, and my signature Roll the Dice game - a creative chord progression game that blends chance and songwriting.

The Language

Step into wider creative circles and collaborate with confidence. Whether you’re in a co-writing session, demo session, or networking, you’ll be equipped with the music professional’s vocabulary and know exactly what to say.

The Studio

  • Close-up of a Yamaha digital piano with sheet music stand, in a cozy music room with guitars and artwork in the background.

    Equipped with six Yamaha and Roland Electric Pianos

  • Close-up of a Roland digital piano keyboard with black and white keys, and a black music stand in the background.

    Full-sized 88 weighted keys

  • Black Sony headphones resting on a piano keyboard in front of a music stand with a tablet.

    Individual monitors and personal headphones

  • A digital piano with a tablet mounted on a stand, placed near a window with blinds in a home music studio.

    Comfortable padded piano benches

Explore Lesson Levels and Descriptions:

  • 10-Week Course

    Skills

    • Build finger strength and independence in both hands while playing fun two-note to five-note jams across various styles, including Pop, R&B, Bossa Nova, and Funk.

    • Learn essential chords: major, minor, sus2, sus4, add2 chords, and play them with actual tracks.

    • Master 1-4-5 progressions - adding 2 minor and 6 minor chords as we progress.

    • Groove along with songs by legendary artists such as Herbie Hancock, Coldplay, Ray Charles, Billie Eilish, Fleetwood Mac, Prince, Aretha Franklin, Harry Styles, Norah Jones, John Lennon, Fats Domino, and many more.

    • Develop a variety of solid accompaniment-style chord patterns.

    Practical Music Theory

    • Apply foundational music theory concepts such as basic chord structure, chord symbols, letter charts, and the Nashville Number System.

    Spark Song Ideas

    • Find new melodic ideas with my custom designed, 2-note and 3-note improvisational
      Melody Builders and black-key-only improvisations, where you'll build confidence without worrying about playing "wrong notes."

    • Create your own music while enhancing your playing skills with Musical Doodles.

    All the play-along jams, videos, exercises, tracks, charts, and materials used in class will be available in the student portal for you to enjoy at any time.

  • 12-Week Course

    Skills

    • Move beyond the key of C major with an expanded chord vocabulary.

    • Dive into chord inversions, achieve fluid chord changes, voice leading, and a more sophisticated sound.

    • Discover “slash chords”  and “breaking chords” to add harmonic depth to simple chord progressions.

    • Build your chops by playing popular chord progressions along to great-sounding backing tracks.

    • Bring movement and color to your playing by adding fill notes and walking notes in the left-hand.

    • Play in various keys along with tracks by Sara Bareilles, Leonard Cohen, Bruno Mars, Bob Dylan, Brandi Carlile, The Eagles, Elton John, Sia, Billy Joel, Billie Eilish, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, and more.

    Practical Music Theory

    • Grasp the theory behind chord inversions and simplify moving from chord to chord.

    • Deepen your knowledge of contemporary music notation, leadsheets, letter charts, the Nashville Number System, and begin writing your own charts

    • Learn basic rhythmic notation in a practical and straightforward manner.

    Spark Song Ideas

    • Kickstart a song with my signature Roll the Dice game, a creative chord progression game that blends chance and songwriting, opening the door to unexpected musical ideas.

    • Create your own music through Level 2 Melody Builders - guided improvisations using 3, 4, and 5 notes.

    • Explore more advanced custom Musical Doodles that enable you to create your own music while strengthening your playing skills.

    All the play-along jams, videos, exercises, tracks, charts, and materials used in class will be available in the student portal for you to enjoy at any time.

  • 12-Week Course

    Skills

    • Expand your chord repertoire with augmented, diminished, and 6th chords.

    • Delve into advanced harmony with chord extensions - 7th, 9th, and 11th chords.

    • Move beyond basic accompaniment playing with fills and simple basslines.

    • Sharpen your ability to read and play letter and number charts.

    • Pick up any songbook and play the chords.

    • Jam along to songs by artists such as John Legend, Alicia Keys, Queen, Bryan Adams, H.E.R., the Beatles, Adele, Journey, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Sade, The Eagles, Pink Floyd, and many more

    Practical Music Theory

    • Grasp the theory behind chord extensions and how to use them in your songs.

    • Gain confidence notating your own charts.

    • Learn to read and play rhythms in a practical way - laying a strong foundation for note-reading later on.

    Spark Song Ideas

    • Kickstart a song with a more advanced version of my signature Roll the Dice game, a creative chord progression game that blends chance and songwriting, opening the door to unexpected musical ideas.

    • Explore more advanced custom Musical Doodles that enable you to create your own music while strengthening your playing skills.

    All the play-along jams, videos, exercises, tracks, charts, and materials used in class will be available in the student portal for you to enjoy at any time.

  • 4-Week Course

    This class is for students who already have some piano skills but need to solidify key concepts before advancing to Level 2.

    What we’ll cover:

    • Sus2, sus4, and add2 chords

    • Confidently play 1-4-5 progressions, as well as 2- and 6- chords in the key of C.

    • Reading and playing letter chord charts in real-time

    Please reach out for a quick conversation so we can talk through your current skills and make sure you’re set up for the best possible experience!