Download or read book How to Write a Song that Matters written by Dar Williams and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2022-09-06 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An effective and inspiring guide to songwriting by prolific, iconic singer-songwriter Dar Williams. How to Write a Song That Matters is an invaluable guide to writing music by a woman who knows how to do it and do it well: iconic singer-songwriter, Dar Williams. For years now, Williams has led songwriting retreats for musicians, from beginners to professionals, in which she elevates the process of songwriting over the assessment of the product. This book makes those intimate experiences accessible for songwriters across the globe, gifting them with the insight Williams has gleaned from her decades of experience. First, it encourages songwriters to find something that inspires them and then to follow that inspiration, letting the clues of those first few notes or lines lead their narrative. Soon, the initial rhythms, the unique sounds of the melody, and/or specific vocabulary emerge, giving birth to a "voice" or a "world" that the song can exist in. As the writer proceeds, Williams encourages them to ask themselves: "Where did I go? Where did I REALLY go? What happened? What REALLY happened? What am I bringing back?" There are many other songwriting guides that hint to the reader that writing a "hit song" may be on the horizon if only the reader correctly follows the guide or program. In this book, however, Williams shows readers how to tap into their OWN creative process, using their psyches, their unique life experiences, and their muses to write the songs that they are meant to write. By focusing on the process of creating a song that matters, as opposed to producing a well-constructed "widget from a song factory," songwriters will be able to establish their own voice and use it to make meaningful music. Perfect for music lovers of all sorts who want to write songs, How to Write a Song That Matters is a one-of-a-kind-book that readers will turn to for guidance time and time again.

Download or read book Murphy s Laws of Songwriting written by Ralph Murphy and published by Murphy's Laws of Songwriting. This book was released on 2013-04 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Revised 2013 About the Book Achieving "hit writer" status has always been a formidable goal for any songwriter. Never more so however than in the 21st century. Catching the ear of the monumentally distracted, fragmented listener has never been more difficult. Getting their attention, inviting them in to your song and keeping them there for long enough for your song to become "their song" requires more than being just a "good" songwriter. Murphy's Laws of Songwriting "The Book" arms the songwriter for success by demystifying the process and opening the door to serious professional songwriting. Hall of fame songwriter Paul Williams said in his review of the book "If there was a hit songwriters secret handshake Da Murphy would probably have included it." About the Author Ralph Murphy, songwriter, has been successful for five decades. Consistently charting songs in an ever-changing musical environment makes him a member of that very small group of professionals who make a living ding what they love to do. Add to that the platinum records as a producer, the widely acclaimed Murphy's Laws of Songwriting articles used as part of curriculum at colleges, universities, and by songwriter organizations, his success as the publisher and co-owner of the extremely successful Picalic Group of Companies and you see a pattern of achievement based on more than luck.

Download or read book Writing Better Lyrics written by Pat Pattison and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2009-12-11 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Must-Have Guide for Songwriters Writing Better Lyrics has been a staple for songwriters for nearly two decades. Now this revised and updated 2nd Edition provides effective tools for everything from generating ideas, to understanding the form and function of a song, to fine-tuning lyrics. Perfect for new and experienced songwriters alike, this time-tested classic covers the basics in addition to more advanced techniques.Songwriters will discover: • How to use sense-bound imagery to enhance a song's emotional impact on listeners • Techniques for avoiding clichés and creating imaginative metaphors and similes • Ways to use repetition as an asset • How to successfully manipulate meter • Instruction for matching lyrics with music • Ways to build on ideas and generate effective titles • Advice for working with a co-writer • And much more Featuring updated and expanded chapters, 50 fun songwriting exercises, and examples from more than 20 chart-toppings songs, Writing Better Lyrics gives you all of the professional and creative insight you need to write powerful lyrics and put your songs in the spotlight where they belong.

Download or read book How to Write Songs on Guitar written by Rikky Rooksby and published by Hal Leonard Corporation. This book was released on 2000 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explains how to create songs to be played on guitar, including advice on such basics of songwriting as structure, rhythm, melody, and lyrics.

Download or read book How to Write a Song Even If You ve Never Written One Before and You Think You Suck written by Ed Bell and published by . This book was released on 2020-09-11 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Once upon a time, there wasn't a song. Then, sometime later, there was. "How the $&%! did that happen?" you might ask. How to Write a Song (Even If You've Never Written One Before and You Think You Suck) is the definitive, no-nonsense and 100% beginner-proof guide to writing original songs. Whether you're a complete beginner or a more experienced songwriter looking to improve your songwriting process, How to Write a Song... walks you through a powerful, stimulating but simple process you can use to create great songs, time after time. It's not a formula. It's not a songwriting 'method'. You'll craft every single note and word of your song. You'll write in any style you like. Meanwhile, you'll learn not just what to do but why you're doing it - so you can use those skills in every other song you create. You'll be guided step-by-step through how to find a great song idea, how to choose an effective title, how to craft a solid lyric, how to write catchy melodies and grooves, and how to combine all of those parts effectively into a complete song. And best of all, literally all you need get started is some basic experience on piano or guitar, or with a Digital Audio Workstation like Logic, Ableton or GarageBand. Everything else is inside.

Download or read book Songwriting For Dummies written by Dave Austin and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2010-07-08 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Proven techniques for songwriting success This friendly, hands-on guide tackles the new face of the recording industry, guiding you through the shift from traditional sales to downloads and mobile music, as well as how you can harness social media networks to get your music "out there." You get basic songwriting concepts, insider tips and advice, and inspiration for writing — and selling — meaningful, timeless songs. Songwriting 101 — get a grip on everything you need to know to write a song, from learning to listen to your "inner voice" to creating a "mood" and everything in between Jaunt around the genres — discover the variety of musical genres and find your fit, whether it's rock, pop, R&B, gospel, country, or more Let the lyrics out — master the art of writing lyrics, from finding your own voice to penning the actual words to using hooks, verses, choruses, and bridges Make beautiful music — find your rhythm, make melodies, and use chords to put the finishing touches on your song Work the Web — harness online marketing and social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and others to get your music heard by a whole new audience Open the book and find: What you need to know before you write a single note Tips on finding inspiration Ways to use poetic devices in lyrics Computer and Web-based shortcuts and technologies to streamline songwriting A look at famous songwriting collaborators Writing for stage, screen, and television How to make a demo to get your song heard Advice on how to make money from your music Learn to: Develop your songwriting skills with tips and techniques from the pros Use social networking sites to get your music out to the public Break into the industry with helpful, how-to instructions

Download or read book How to Write One Song written by Jeff Tweedy and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-10-13 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There are few creative acts more mysterious and magical than writing a song. But what if the goal wasn't so mysterious and was actually achievable for anyone who wants to experience more magic and creativity in their life? That's something that anyone will be inspired to do after reading Jeff Tweedy's How to Write One Song. Why one song? Because the difference between one song and many songs isn't a cute semantic trick—it's an important distinction that can simplify a notoriously confusing art form. The idea of becoming a capital-S songwriter can seem daunting, but approached as a focused, self-contained event, the mystery and fear subsides, and songwriting becomes an exciting pursuit. And then there is the energizing, nourishing creativity that can open up. How to Write One Song brings readers into the intimate process of writing one song—lyrics, music, and putting it all together—and accesses the deep sense of wonder that remains at the heart of this curious, yet incredibly fulfilling, artistic act. But it’s equally about the importance of making creativity part of your life every day, and of experiencing the hope, inspiration, and joy available to anyone who’s willing to get started.

Download or read book Becoming Remarkable written by Harriet Schock and published by Blue Dolphin Publishing. This book was released on 1999 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Drawing on years of experience as a successful songwriter and an inspirational teacher, Schock covers every aspect involved in making your talents shine. From finding the time to write, to sources of inspiration and how to evaluate criticism, she knows the joys and frustrations of becoming remarkable.

Download or read book The Billboard Guide to Writing and Producing Songs that Sell written by Eric Beall and published by Billboard Books. This book was released on 2010-05-26 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Billboard Guide to Writing and Producing Songs that Sell unveils the secrets to climbing the charts and reaching success in today’s ultracompetitive music industry. Eric Beall supplies his firsthand knowledge of today’s record business, as well as interviews with successful writers, producers, and executives from the worlds of pop, hip-hop, country, adult contemporary, and R&B. The result: a proven approach to constructing songs that open doors, create careers, and communicate to listeners around the world. Key areas explored include: •How does a song become a hit? •What makes a song a single? •Is there a formula for creating a hit? Fun and practical exercises provide opportunities to hone skills and expose specific talents, helping songwriters combine their unique voices to the demands of the commercial marketplace. Filled with fresh ideas that will spark beginners and veterans alike, this book will lead the way toward the industry’s ultimate challenge: the creation of that chart-topping hit song.

Download or read book Switched on Pop written by Nate Sloan and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2019-12-13 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pop music surrounds us - in our cars, over supermarket speakers, even when we are laid out at the dentist - but how often do we really hear what's playing? Switched on Pop is the book based on the eponymous podcast that has been hailed by NPR, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, and Entertainment Weekly for its witty and accessible analysis of Top 40 hits. Through close studies of sixteen modern classics, musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding shift pop from the background to the foreground, illuminating the essential musical concepts behind two decades of chart-topping songs. In 1939, Aaron Copland published What to Listen for in Music, the bestseller that made classical music approachable for generations of listeners. Eighty years later, Nate and Charlie update Copland's idea for a new audience and repertoire: 21st century pop, from Britney to Beyoncé, Outkast to Kendrick Lamar. Despite the importance of pop music in contemporary culture, most discourse only revolves around lyrics and celebrity. Switched on Pop gives readers the tools they need to interpret our modern soundtrack. Each chapter investigates a different song and artist, revealing musical insights such as how a single melodic motif follows Taylor Swift through every genre that she samples, André 3000 uses metric manipulation to get listeners to "shake it like a Polaroid picture," or Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee create harmonic ambiguity in "Despacito" that mirrors the patterns of global migration. Replete with engaging discussions and eye-catching illustrations, Switched on Pop brings to life the musical qualities that catapult songs into the pop pantheon. Readers will find themselves listening to familiar tracks in new waysand not just those from the Top 40. The timeless concepts that Nate and Charlie define can be applied to any musical style. From fanatics to skeptics, teenagers to octogenarians, non-musicians to professional composers, every music lover will discover something ear-opening in Switched on Pop.

Download or read book The Art of Songwriting written by Ed Bell and published by . This book was released on 2017-07-28 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'The Art of Songwriting' is a comprehensive guide to life, art and making great songs.It's not about chasing a hit song. It's not about theories that are interesting but no use filling the blank page. And most of all -- it's not just about the craft of songwriting.It's about how to create, think and live like a songwriter. It's about being resilient, innovative and passionate about what you make. It's about how artists can change the world -- and why they should.

Download or read book Worship Matters Foreword by Paul Baloche written by Bob Kauflin and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2008-03-26 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nothing is more essential than knowing how to worship the God who created us. This book focuses readers on the essentials of God-honoring worship, combining biblical foundations with practical application in a way that works in the real world. The author, a pastor and noted songwriter, skillfully instructs pastors, musicians, and church leaders so that they can root their congregational worship in unchanging scriptural principles, not divisive cultural trends. Bob Kauflin covers a variety of topics such as the devastating effects of worshiping the wrong things, how to base our worship on God's self-revelation rather than our assumptions, the fuel of worship, the community of worship, and the ways that eternity's worship should affect our earthly worship. Appropriate for Christians from varied backgrounds and for various denominations, this book will bring a vital perspective to what readers think they understand about praising God.

Download or read book Why Karen Carpenter Matters written by Karen Tongson and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2019-06-01 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the '60s and '70s, America's music scene was marked by raucous excess, reflected in the tragic overdoses of young superstars such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. At the same time, the uplifting harmonies and sunny lyrics that propelled Karen Carpenter and her brother, Richard, to international fame belied a different sort of tragedy—the underconsumption that led to Karen's death at age thirty-two from the effects of an eating disorder. In Why Karen Carpenter Matters, Karen Tongson (whose Filipino musician parents named her after the pop icon) interweaves the story of the singer’s rise to fame with her own trans-Pacific journey between the Philippines—where imitations of American pop styles flourished—and Karen Carpenter’s home ground of Southern California. Tongson reveals why the Carpenters' chart-topping, seemingly whitewashed musical fantasies of "normal love" can now have profound significance for her—as well as for other people of color, LGBT+ communities, and anyone outside the mainstream culture usually associated with Karen Carpenter’s legacy. This hybrid of memoir and biography excavates the destructive perfectionism at the root of the Carpenters’ sound, while finding the beauty in the singer's all too brief life.

Download or read book Saved by a Song written by Mary Gauthier and published by St. Martin's Essentials. This book was released on 2021-07-06 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A handbook for compassion... a Must-Read Music Book.” —Rolling Stone Country "Generous and big-hearted, Gauthier has stories to tell and worthwhile advice to share." —Wally Lamb, author of I Know This Much Is True "Gauthier has an uncanny ability to combine songwriting craft with a seeker’s vulnerability and a sage’s wisdom.” —Amy Ray, Indigo Girls From the Grammy nominated folk singer and songwriter, an inspiring exploration of creativity and the redemptive power of song Mary Gauthier was twelve years old when she was given her Aunt Jenny’s old guitar and taught herself to play with a Mel Bay basic guitar workbook. Music offered her a window to a world where others felt the way she did. Songs became lifelines to her, and she longed to write her own, one day. Then, for a decade, while struggling with addiction, Gauthier put her dream away and her call to songwriting faded. It wasn’t until she got sober and went to an open mic with a friend did she realize that she not only still wanted to write songs, she needed to. Today, Gauthier is a decorated musical artist, with numerous awards and recognition for her songwriting, including a Grammy nomination. In Saved by a Song, Mary Gauthier pulls the curtain back on the artistry of songwriting. Part memoir, part philosophy of art, part nuts and bolts of songwriting, her book celebrates the redemptive power of song to inspire and bring seemingly different kinds of people together.

Download or read book Why Solange Matters written by Stephanie Phillips and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2021-04-20 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Growing up in the shadow of her superstar sister, Solange Knowles became a pivotal musician in her own right. Defying an industry that attempted to bend her to its rigid image of a Black woman, Solange continually experimented with her sound and embarked on a metamorphosis in her art that continues to this day. In Why Solange Matters, Stephanie Phillips chronicles the creative journey of an artist who became a beloved voice for the Black Lives Matter generation. A Black feminist punk musician herself, Phillips addresses not only the unpredictable trajectory of Solange Knowles's career but also how she and other Black women see themselves through the musician's repertoire. First, she traces Solange’s progress through an inflexible industry, charting the artist’s development up to 2016, when the release of her third album, A Seat at the Table, redefined her career. Then, with A Seat at the Table and 2019’s When I Get Home, Phillips describes how Solange embraced activism, anger, Black womanhood, and intergenerational trauma to inform her remarkable art. Why Solange Matters not only cements the place of its subject in the pantheon of world-changing twenty-first century musicians, it introduces its writer as an important new voice.

Download or read book Be a Friend written by Salina Yoon and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2016-01-05 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Geisel Honor-winning author/illustrator Salina Yoon comes a lush, heartwarming story of unbreakable friendship and celebrating what makes you unique. Dennis is an ordinary boy who expresses himself in extraordinary ways. Some children do show-and-tell. Dennis mimes his. Some children climb trees. Dennis is happy to BE a tree . . . But being a mime can be lonely. It isn't until Dennis meets a girl named Joy that he discovers the power of friendship--and how special he truly is! From the beloved author/illustrator of the Penguin and Bear series comes a heartwarming story of self-acceptance, courage, and unbreakable friendship for anyone who has ever felt "different." Don't miss these other books from Salina Yoon! The Penguin series Penguin and Pinecone Penguin on Vacation Penguin in Love Penguin and Pumpkin Penguin's Big Adventure Penguin's Christmas Wish The Bear series Found Stormy Night Bear's Big Day The Duck, Duck, Porcupine series Duck, Duck, Porcupine My Kite is Stuck! And Other Stories That's My Book! And Other Stories Be a Friend

Download or read book Song Starters written by Robin Frederick and published by . This book was released on 2016-10-15 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With Song Starters, you'll spend more time creating and less time struggling to come up with ideas. Discover an endless supply of exciting, creative concepts that will launch song after song. Use the Starters to spark a brainstorm or set a series of notes in motion, get your feet dancing or fill your head with music. Listen to hit song examples as you work. All of the Starters are based on time-tested concepts used by hit songwriters, but you make them your own. 365 ways to fuel your songwriting creativity: - 183 lyric situations, characters, emotions, and title ideas - 45 ways to easily create music tracks to write to - 42 melody patterns, phrase ideas, and note rhythms - 17 contemporary chord progressions - 22 ways to rewrite a song using Song Starters ...plus a grab bag of 56 assorted whimsical, stimulating, inspiring launch pads for lyrics, melodies, and chords that will let you free your muse and write from your heart. With Song Starters, you'll never have to face another blank page.