With a 2-3 page introduction for each artist it’s best taken in small chunks rather than sitting down to read all at once. These books are a wonderful compilation of interviews with some of the best known musicians and songwriters around. Successful Lyric Writing: A step-by-step course & workbook If you’re looking for exercises similar to this book I’d recommend checking out exercises such as the Figurative Exercise or Take It Apart. One of the inspirations for the Lyric Workbook came from this sense of how strange it was to write in what essentially felt like a textbook. Complete with space to write in your own answers and exercises to strengthen your writing muscles, I really loved the idea of this book, but it felt so strange to write in the pages. “Successful Lyric Writing”, the third book by Davis, is much more of a workbook than the other two. There is an overview of lyric-writing principles included in part one that gives a wonderful summary of many of the concepts covered in the first book. Her second book “The Songwriter’s Idea Book” felt more actionable as it essentially is a complication of 40 different songwriting prompts. However as one reader put it, it’s “the sort of book that would reward careful rereading and study and consultation” so it’s not going to be for everyone. If you can get past that hurdle, this book has a ton of useful information on song form, point of view, wordplay, and rhythm. Warning: the first book is fairly dense and contains a lot of references to older songs used as examples which makes it hard for the modern audience to follow. It is a craft: technique supporting talent.” “Contrary to a popular misconception,” says Sheila Davis, “songwriting is not an inspiration business.
One of the greatest bits of wisdom comes in the first paragraph on the book flap. Internal detail = what’s going on within the thoughts/mind/heart of the main character. One of the exercises specific to this book was the idea, as Stolpe calls it, of “toggling.” A strategy for organizing song content she shows the different ways you can switch between using internal and external details within a verse to add dimension and interest to the lines within your songs.Įxternal detail = describing what is going on around the main character
RHYME GENIE TUNESMITH HOW TO
It’s written in a very accessible tone that takes the vague desire of “I sure wish I knew how to write a song” and gives it some structure and a clear path forward. There is a solid discussion on the ‘building blocks of a song’ including the different types of detail, perspective, rhyme, form, contrast, and structure. At 135 pages, it’s a manageable read and one that you’ll want to keep close on the shelf, at least in the beginning stages of learning your craft. It is filled with well thought-out exercises and examples leading you towards becoming a stronger and more confident writer. Another one from the Berklee crew, I found this book to be a very effective learning tool - emphasis on tool.
0 kommentar(er)
