The Songwriting Bookshop.
The Songwriting Bookshop.
Order books online! Just click on the book title to get ordering information about a book.
FEATURED BOOKS
Pat Pattison
Writing Better Lyrics
Writers Digest Books, Cincinnati, OH
(c) 1995 Pat Pattison
Hardcover*** CLICK HERE *** to read Chapter 4 (Clichés)
I just completed a wonderful 2-day songwriter workshop given by Pat Pattison. His philosophy of songwriting is that the song must come from someplace inside the writer and that getting the meaning of the song across to the listener is critical. The book, culled from his articles in Recording magazine, gives you techniques and tools you can use to get that meaning across, for example by allowing you to spotlight the most important lines. I really appreciate his use of relatively contemporary examples, such as "The End of the Innocence" by Don Henley and Bruce Hornsby (1989) and "Eye of the Hurricane" by David Wilcox (1991). There are plenty of other books that analyze standards from the 40's or pop hits of the early 70's -- no thanks!
Is this book about writing the most commercial song you can? No, it's about writing the best song you can -- writing a song that touches people. This is not a book about hard-and-fast rules; it's about tools you can use to get the result you want. The book breaks with traditional views, such as some writers' insistence on perfect rhymes or rigid forms. The song will dictate its form and the natural rhythm of the words will dictate their setting. There are many concepts he writes about that I haven't seen in other songwriting books: object writing, trying out other points-of-view, and varying number of lines, line length, line rhythm, and rhyme scheme to achieve effects. I highly recommend this book!
Pat Pattison is a professor of music and songwriting at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He developed the curriculum for Berklee's songwriting major -- the first of its kind anywhere -- and frequently conducts songwriting workshops around the United States. He is also the author of Managing Lyric Structure and Rhyming Techniques and Strategies.
Ray Bradbury
Zen
in the Art of Writing : Essays on Creativity (Expanded)
Joshua Odell Editions 1994
I discovered this book by one of my favorite fiction/science-fiction authors. No, he's NOT talking about songwriting. But, he IS speaking to writers about getting those creative juices flowing. With chapters like "The Joy of Writing" and "How to Keep and Feed a Muse" I find plenty to inspire my songwriting. It may be a change from your typical business or craft manuals, but I highly recommend this book!
Clement Wood (editor)
The
Complete Rhyming Dictionary (Revised)
Doubleday 1991/1992
Softcover
(cheaper!) or Hardcover
I counted over 40 rhyming dictionaries for
sale on Amazon.com! Which one to choose? "The Complete Rhyming
Dictionary" is the one Pat Pattison recommended in his workshop.
It well formatted and separates masculine and feminine rhymes.
It's also a classic used by many greats such as Stephen Sondheim!
60,000 entries in all, sight, vowel, consonant, and one-, two-,
and three-syllable rhymes.
1999
Songwriter's Market : Where & How to Market Your Songs
(Annual)
Tara A. Horton (Editor)
88
Songwriting Wrongs & How to Right Them : Concrete Ways
to Improve Your Songwriting and Make Your Songs More Marketable
Pat Luboff, Pete Luboff; Paperback
Anyone's
Songwriting Guide to Copyright Protection and Song Pitching by
Mail : A Proven 10 Step Method for Song Protection and Getting
Them Heard by Publishers
Sue Friddle; Paperback (Special Order)
Beginning
Songwriter's Answer Book
Paul Zollo; Paperback Read
more about this title...
The
Bottom Line Is Money : A Comprehensive Guide to Songwriting
and the Nashville Music Industry
Jennifer Ember Pierce; Paperback
...also available as Hardcover
(Special Order)
The
Complete Handbook of Songwriting : An Insider's Guide to Making
It in the Music Industry
Mark Liggett, Cathy Liggett; Paperback; Read
more about this title... - Read
brief review from SCALA...
The
Craft and Business of Songwriting
John Braheny; Paperback; More here...
The
Craft of Lyric Writing
Sheila Davis; Hardcover; Read
brief review from SCALA...
Creating
Melodies : A Songwriter's Guide to Understanding, Writing
and Polishing Melodies
Dick Weissman; Hardcover
Everything
You Always Wanted to Know About Songwriting but Didn't Know Who
to Ask
Cliffie Stone; Paperback (Back Ordered)
How
to Make a Good Song a Hit Song : Rewriting and Marketing Your
Lyrics and Music
Molly-Ann Leikin; Paperback
How
to Sell Your Song
Walter E. Hurst; Hardcover (Special Order)
How
to Write a Hit Song : The Complete Guide to Writing and Marketing
Chart Topping Lyrics & Music
Molly-Ann Leikin; Paperback
Kids
Can Write Songs Too
Frank E. Cooke; Paperback(Special Order)
Managing
Lyric Structure
Pat Pattison; Paperback;
Melody and Harmony in Contemporary Songwriting; Ricigliano; Paperback (Special Order)
The
Modern Rhyming Dictionary : How to Write Lyrics : A Practical
Guide to Lyric Writing for Songwriters and Poets
Gene Lees; Paperback (Special Order)
More
Songwriting and Composing Techniques : Making Something Out
of Nothing
Peter L. Alexander; Paperback (Special Order)
The
Music Business (Explained in Plain English) : What Every Artist
& Songwriter Should Know to Avoid Getting Ripped Off!
David Naggar, et al; Paperback
Music
Publishing : A Songwriter's Guide
Randy Poe, Orson Scott Card; Paperback
One
Hundred One Songwriting and Composing Techniques
Jack Weaton; Paperback (Back Ordered)
Rhyme
and Reason; Pages from the Heart of a Songwriter, with CD
Jackson Leap; Paperback
Rhyming
Techniques and Strategies
Pat Pattison; Paperback
The
Songwriter's Idea Book : 40 Strategies to Excite Your Imagination,
Help Your Design Distinctive Songs, and Keep Your Creative Flow
Sheila Davis; Hardcover
The
Songwriter's Guide to Collaboration
Walter Carter; Paperback
The
Songwriter's Handbook
Tom T. Hall; Hardcover Read
what Mark Weierman has to say about him...
The
Songwriter's Market Guide to Song & Demo Submission Formats
Donna Collingwood (Editor); Hardcover; Read
more about this title...
The
Songwriter's and Musician's Guide to Nashville
Sherry Bond (Editor); Paperback; Read
more about this title...
Read Mark Weierman's
review: "...the best book intended to help songwriters I
have read so far..."
Songwriters
Playground : Innovative Exercises in Creative Songwriting
Vol 1
Barbara L. Jordan; Paperback (Special Order)
Songwriting
: A Complete Guide to the Craft
Stephen Citron; Paperback; Read
more about this title...
Songwriting
: A Structured Approach
Robert Alan Berger; Paperback (Special Order)
Successful
Lyric Writing : A Step-By-Step Course and Workbook
Sheila Davis; Paperback
Taking
Note of Music : Beginning Theory and Songwriting
Robert Engle; Paperback (Special Order)
And
Then I Wrote : The Songwriter Speaks
Tom Russell (Editor), Sylvia Tyson (Editor); Paperback
Writing
Music for Hit Songs : Including New Songs from the '90s
Jai Josefs; Paperback; Read
more about this title...
Write
That Song!
Cooke; Paperback (Special Order)
You
Can Write a Song
Amy Appleby; Paperback; Read
more about this title...
Keep your eyes open for these soon to be published books:
Making
Musicals : An Informal Introduction to the World of Musical
Theatre; Tom Jones; Hardcover
Music
Publishing : A Songwriter's Guide, Revised ed.; Randy
Poe; Paperback
Songwriters
on Songwriting : The Expanded Version; Paul Zollo; Hardcover
Read
more about this title...
<--- TO SONGWRITER SITE
Please notify me about bad links or with suggestions. You can
reach me at: jeffm@lyricist.com
This page has been accessed 49699times since June 1, 1997. It was last modified May 26, 1999.
Copyright 1996-98 Jeff Mallett