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 MJ The Genius of Michael Jackson written by Steve Knopper and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-10-06 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The definitive biography of Michael Jackson, a “vivid…gripping...authoritative account of a world-changing force of nature” (Rolling Stone), celebrating the King of Pop’s legendary contributions to music, dance, and popular culture. From the moment in 1965 when he first stepped on stage—at age seven—in Gary, Indiana, Michael Jackson was destined to become the undisputed King of Pop. In a career spanning four decades, Jackson became a global icon, selling over four hundred million albums, earning thirteen Grammy awards, and spinning dance moves that captivated the world. Songs like “Billie Jean” and “Black and White” altered our national discussion of race and equality, and Jackson’s signature aesthetic, from the single white glove to the moonwalk, defined a generation. Despite publicized scandals and controversy, Jackson’s ultimate legacy will always be his music. In an account that “reminds us why Michael Jackson was, indeed, a ‘genius’ entertainer” (New York Newsday), Rolling Stone contributing editor Steve Knopper delves deeply into Jackson’s music and talent. From the artist’s early days with the Jackson 5, to his stratospheric success as a solo artist, to “Beat It” and “Thriller,” “Bad” and “The Man in the Mirror,” to his volatile final years, his attempted comeback, and untimely death, Knopper draws on his “critical and reportorial savvy in assessing Jackson’s creative peaks and valleys,” (USA TODAY) exploring the beguiling and often contradictory forces that fueled Michael Jackson’s genius. Drawing on an amazing four hundred interviews—ranging from Jackson’s relatives, friends, and key record executives to celebrities like will.i.am and Weird Al Yankovic—this critical biography puts his career into perspective and celebrates his triumph in art and music. This is “a thoughtful look at an artist who grew up in a segregated mill town and who, for the rest of his life, made music to bring down walls” (Chicago Tribune).

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 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 More Songwriters on Songwriting written by Paul Zollo and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2016-11-08 with total page 674 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The long-awaited sequel to Songwriters on Songwriting, often called "the songwriter's bible," More Songwriters on Songwriting goes to the heart of the creative process with in-depth interviews with many of the world's greatest songwriters. Covering every genre of popular music from folk, rock 'n' roll, Broadway, jazz, pop, and modern rock, this is a remarkable journey through some sixty years of popular songwriting: from Leiber & Stoller's genius rock 'n' roll collaborations and Richard Sherman's Disney songs to Kenny Gamble's Philly Sound; Norman Whitfield's Motown classics; Loretta Lynn's country standards; expansive folk music from Peter, Paul, and Mary; folk-rock from Stephen Stills; confessional gems from James Taylor; poetic excursions form Patti Smith; Beatles magic from Ringo Starr; expansive brilliance from Paul Simon; complex melodic greatness from Brian Wilson; the most untrustworthy narrator alive in Randy Newman; the dark rock theater of both Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie; the sophisticated breadth of Elvis Costello; the legendary jazz of Herbie Hancock; the soulful swagger of of Chrissie Hynde; the funny-poignant beauty of John Prine; the ancient wisdom fused with hip-hop and reggae of Matisyahu; and much more. In all of it is the collective wisdom of those who have written songs for decades, songs that have impacted our culture forever.

Download or read book Girls They Write Songs About written by Carlene Bauer and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2022-06-21 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New Yorker Best Book of the Year A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice A Must-Read at People, Entertainment Weekly, Nylon, and LitHub “Stylish, reckless . . . Glittering.” —Molly Young, The New York Times A power ballad to female friendship, Girls They Write Songs About is a thrumming, searching novel about the bonds that shape us more than any love affair. We moved to New York to want undisturbed and unchecked. And what did we want? New York, 1997. As the city’s gritty edges are being smoothed into something safer and shinier, two aspiring writers meet at a music magazine. Rose—brash and self-possessed—is a staff writer. Charlotte—hesitant, bookish—is an editor. First wary, then slowly admiring, they recognize in each other an insatiable and previously unmatched ambition. Soon they’re inseparable, falling into the kind of friendship that makes every day an adventure, and makes you believe that you will, of course, achieve extraordinary things. Together, Charlotte and Rose find love and lose it; they hit their strides and stumble; they make choices and live past them. They say to each other, “Don’t ever leave me.” It’s their favorite joke, but they know that they could never say a truer thing. But then the steady beats of their sisterhood fall out of sync. They have seen each other through so much—marriage, motherhood, divorce, career glories and catastrophes, a million small but necessary choices. What will it mean if they have to give up dreaming together? That the friendship that once made them sing out now shuts them down? And even if they can reconcile themselves to the lives they’ve chosen, can they make peace with the ones they didn’t? As smart and comic as it is gloriously exuberant, Carlene Bauer’s Girls They Write Songs About takes a timeless story and turns it into a pulsing, wrecking, clear-eyed tale of two women reckoning with the loss of the friendship that helped define them, and the countless ways all the women they’ve known have made them who they are.

Download or read book Dylan on Dylan written by Jeff Burger and published by Chicago Review Press. This book was released on 2018-05-01 with total page 560 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dylan can be as evasive and abstruse as he is witty; he can be cranky and sarcastic. But in the right moments, he offers candid, revealing commentary about his groundbreaking music and creative process. Dylan on Dylan is an authoritative, chronologically arranged anthology of interviews, speeches and press conferences, as well as excerpts from nearly a hundred additional Q&As spanning Dylan's entire career. The material comes from reknowned publications like Rolling Stone and from obscure periodicals like Minnesota Daily, a student newspaper at Dylan's alma mater. Interviewers include some of the top music journalists of our time, such as Robert Love and Mikal Gilmore, as well as musicians like Pete Seeger and Happy Traum. Introductions put each piece in context and, in many cases, include the interviewer's reminiscences about the encounter.

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 Man in the Music written by Joseph Vogel and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2019-08-27 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For half a century, Michael Jackson’s music has been an indelible part of our cultural consciousness. Landmark albums such as Off the Wall and Thriller shattered records, broke racial barriers, amassed awards, and set a new standard for popular music. While his songs continue to be played in nearly every corner of the world, however, they have rarely been given serious critical attention. The first book dedicated solely to exploring his creative work, Man in the Music guides us through an unparalleled analysis of Jackson’s recordings, album by album, from his trailblazing work with Quincy Jones to his later collaborations with Teddy Riley, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, and Rodney Jerkins. Drawing on rare archival material and on dozens of original interviews with the collaborators, engineers, producers, and songwriters who helped bring the artist’s music into the world, Jackson expert and acclaimed cultural critic Joseph Vogel reveals the inspirations, demos, studio sessions, technological advances, setbacks and breakthroughs, failures and triumphs, that gave rise to an immortal body of work.

Download or read book The Everything Songwriting Book written by C. J. Watson and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2003-09-01 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Simple techniques for creating catchy lyrics and memorable melodies! Nearly everyone can hum the melody or remember the words to a hit song. Clever word play, catchy melodies, and thoughtful imagery can create an impression that lasts long after a song has ended. The Everything Songwriting Book provides amateurs and seasoned professionals alike all they need to create, perform, and sell hit songs. Learn how to develop an idea, formulate a rhyme scheme, incorporate unique phrasing, and follow through to the final note. Professional songwriter and consultant C.J. Watson packs this book with clever tips and tricks for overcoming writer's block, creating a "hook," and recording and selling a song to a recording company or performer. This user-friendly guide also shows how to: Tap into the common elements of hit songs Incorporate instruments into songwriting Understand music theory Spot songwriting trends and write for a specific market Produce a song Know essential copyright law and other legal basics Get compositions into the right hands Complete with expert advice and practical pointers, The Everything Songwriting Book is sure to guide and inspire burgeoning songwriters at any level.

Download or read book The Song Machine Inside the Hit Factory written by John Seabrook and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2015-10-05 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "An utterly satisfying examination of the business of popular music." —Nathaniel Rich, The Atlantic There’s a reason today’s ubiquitous pop hits are so hard to ignore—they’re designed that way. The Song Machine goes behind the scenes to offer an insider’s look at the global hit factories manufacturing the songs that have everyone hooked. Full of vivid, unexpected characters—alongside industry heavy-hitters like Katy Perry, Rihanna, Max Martin, and Ester Dean—this fascinating journey into the strange world of pop music reveals how a new approach to crafting smash hits is transforming marketing, technology, and even listeners’ brains. You’ll never think about music the same way again. A Wall Street Journal Best Business Book

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 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.

Download or read book Your Song Changed My Life written by Bob Boilen and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2016-04-12 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the beloved host and creator of NPR’s All Songs Considered and Tiny Desk Concerts comes an essential oral history of modern music, told in the voices of iconic and up-and-coming musicians, including Dave Grohl, Jimmy Page, Michael Stipe, Carrie Brownstein, Smokey Robinson, and Jeff Tweedy, among others—published in association with NPR Music. Is there a unforgettable song that changed your life? NPR’s renowned music authority Bob Boilen posed this question to some of today’s best-loved musical legends and rising stars. In Your Song Changed My Life, Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), St. Vincent, Jónsi (Sigur Rós), Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Cat Power, David Byrne (Talking Heads), Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Jenny Lewis, Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia, Sleater-Kinney), Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Colin Meloy (The Decemberists), Trey Anastasio (Phish), Jackson Browne, Valerie June, Philip Glass, James Blake, and other artists reflect on pivotal moments that inspired their work. For Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, it was discovering his sister’s 45 of The Byrds’ “Turn, Turn, Turn.” A young St. Vincent’s life changed the day a box of CDs literally fell off a delivery truck in front of her house. Cat Stevens was transformed when he heard John Lennon cover “Twist and Shout.” These are the momentous yet unmarked events that have shaped these and many other musical talents, and ultimately the sound of modern music. A diverse collection of personal experiences, both ordinary and extraordinary, Your Song Changed My Life illustrates the ways in which music is revived, restored, and revolutionized. It is also a testament to the power of music in our lives, and an inspiration for future artists and music lovers. Amazing contributors include: Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney, Portlandia, Wild Flag), Smokey Robinson, David Byrne (Talking Heads), St. Vincent, Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), James Blake, Colin Meloy (The Decemberists), Trey Anastasio (Phish), Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley), Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Sturgill Simpson, Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Cat Power, Jackson Browne, Michael Stipe (R.E.M.), Philip Glass, Jónsi (Sigur Rós), Hozier, Regina Carter, Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes, and others), Courtney Barnett, Chris Thile (Nickel Creek, Punch Brothers), Leon Bridges, Sharon Van Etten, and many more.

Download or read book Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen written by Jeff Burger and published by Chicago Review Press. This book was released on 2014-04-01 with total page 459 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leonard Cohen, one of the most admired performers of the last half century, has had a stranger-than-fiction, roller-coaster ride of a life. Now, for the first time, he tells his story in his own words, via more than 50 interviews conducted worldwide between 1966 and 2012. In Leonard Cohen on Leonard Cohen—which includes a foreword by singer Suzanne Vega and eight pages of rarely seen photos—the artist talks about “Bird on the Wire,” “Hallelujah,” and his other classic songs. He candidly discusses his famous romances, his years in a Zen monastery, his ill-fated collaboration with producer Phil Spector, his long battle with depression, and much more. You'll find interviews that first appeared in the New York Times and Rolling Stone, but also material that has not previously been printed in English. A few have not been available until now in any format, including many illuminating reminiscences that contributors supplied specifically for this definitive anthology.

Download or read book Lennon On Lennon Conversations With John Lennon written by Jeff Burger and published by Omnibus Press. This book was released on 2017-05-15 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The electric spearhead of The Beatles meteoric rise; one half of the most creative and powerful songwriting partnerships ever; figurehead of peace and an icon of generations: John Lennon’s adventure through life is an immortalised legend. Lennon on Lennon is Jeff Burger’s dazzling digest of John Lennon’s views on the world around him. Sharp, insightful, contrary, witty, opinionated or downright aggressive, these illuminating interviews and quotations open a window into the musician and the man, and the volatile culture in which he lived, and died. Most of this material has never been available in print; some has remained entirely hidden until now. Jeff Burger’s meticulously researched book offers a truly unique and captivating glimpse into the mind and philosophy of one of the world’s most complex and inspiring talents.

Download or read book The Last Rose of Summer written by Thomas Moore and published by Legare Street Press. This book was released on 2022-10-27 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.