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Title: Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting by Jimmy Webb ISBN: 0-7868-8488-6 Publisher: Hyperion Press Pub. Date: 22 September, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.56 (25 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Tunesmith - for Songwriters AND the curious
Comment: For those currently seeking to expand their knowledge of the skill of songwriting I couldn't go past recommending "Tunesmith - Inside the Art of Songwriting" by Jimmy Webb of Macarthur Park, Galveston, The Highwayman etc fame.
Published in 1998 it's both comprehensive, and contemporary yet written in a warm, friendly style. It's comprehensive in it's explanation of . inspiration and how to cultivate it . the process of writing a song . the structure of songs in their many conventional forms (and some not) . the vexing topic of rhyme (To rhyme and how to rhyme, that is the question as even non-rhyme can be considered a deliberate rhyming act.) . the development of melody and musical literacy (This section is great for those at all levels of musical experience as it starts from the basics but goes way beyond for those who need/want it.) . the business of music (how to promote and market your songs, how to win friends and influence influential people in the music business in the age of computers and the internet) . the commercial realities for a songwriter . keeping the faith in yourself It's contemporary nature is particularly important in a dynamic and diversified industry.
You feel real empathy here and a sense of being treated as an equal. Jimmy makes no bones about the fact that it's a precarious and at times disheartening business. Any illusions you may have about quick and sustained success through songwriting before reading this, are dispelled. You realise that even someone of Jimmy Webb's skill and stature has had a hard go of it - with a golden period, a long drought, a brief encore and a smattering of hits and misses since, but he admits he wouldn't change it for anything. And couldn't help it anyway. So it's a hard reality, but I believe that accepting it can help sustain you for the long haul.
If you don't have commercial aspirations then treat it as a terrific book about making your songwriting more informed, flexible and, believe it or not, spontaneous.
What got me the most though was Jimmy's passion for the art. You feel it on every page. He evokes the feeling I occasionally get, sharing my songs with other writers, that we're part of a unique brotherhood/sisterhood that tries to give voice to the human spirit - in a fairly succinct and melodious fashion.
Rating: 5
Summary: Reading this book is like studying with the finest master!
Comment: Jim Webb is one of our true American treasures in the world of pop music. How lucky we are as songwriters to get the opportunity to get inside his heart and mind as he moves through the process of writing a song. Particularly interesting is Webb's take on lyrics......why he would or wouldn't use certain rhymes, for example. He addresses every part of the process, from formulating ideas to coming up with the best hook to the form of the song and on to writing the lyrics, melody and chord progression. He talks about some of the best written songs in pop music, disecting them and using them as examples. There is such an amazing amount of useful information in this book, it requires multiple readings to fully grasp it all. All in all, reading this book is like going to school and studying with the very finest master there is in the field of songwriting!
Rating: 5
Summary: a great book
Comment: This is a great book,written by one of the greatest songwriters of the last 4 decades.Anyone contemplating a career in songwriting should read this book.Jimmy is one of the best.
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Title: Songwriters on Songwriting by Paul Zollo ISBN: 0306812657 Publisher: Da Capo Press Pub. Date: 17 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title:Ten Easy Pieces ASIN: B000002UFV Publisher: Angel Records Pub. Date: 15 October, 1996 List Price(USD): $16.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $14.99 |
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Title: The Craft of Lyric Writing by Sheila Davis ISBN: 0898791499 Publisher: Writer's Digest Books Pub. Date: 01 February, 1985 List Price(USD): $24.99 |
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Title: Melody in Songwriting: Tools and Techniques for Writing Hit Songs (Berklee Guide) by Jack Perricone ISBN: 063400638X Publisher: Berklee Press Publications Pub. Date: 01 April, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Money Chords: A Songwriter's Sourcebook of Popular Chord Progressions by Richard J. Scott ISBN: 0595010393 Publisher: Writers Club Press Pub. Date: 01 January, 2000 List Price(USD): $28.95 |
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