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Title: 6 Steps to Songwriting Success: Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Marketing Hit Songs by Jason Blume ISBN: 0-8230-8422-1 Publisher: Watson-Guptill Pubns Pub. Date: December, 1999 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.17 (12 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The BEST Songwriting book
Comment: I've read the books mentioned in previous reviews and completely disagree. There's sometimes an arrogance to those musically trained that makes them feel those without music theory classes haven't a chance. Blume refutes that notion and seems to have quite a career. (I don't see any of the other authors selling 45 million albums or having songs on the Country, Pop and R&B charts.) Jai Josef's book was so technical that it was impossible for a layman to understand and didn't have much relevance to the real world of songwriting. Josef's and Perricone's books only deal with melody writing. Jai's book spends ONE page on marketing your songs and Perricone's book doesn't mention it at all. Blume's book covers not just the "music" - but lyrics, structure, melody, demos, and the business - and it's in plain English. This is the only book that really helped me. The Pat Pattison book was like a college textbook and some of the others are so simplistic that they are useless.
FYI, here in Tennessee, Blume teaches the monthly BMI Songwriting Workshops the reviewer finds so helpful. The classes are free and they're amazing. If you are only going to buy one book, I would wholeheartedly recommend it be "6 Steps..." (even you music majors).
Rating: 2
Summary: A Beginner's Manual
Comment: This book provides a rather simplistic and basic overview of how to become a successful songwriter.
Some of the self-proclaimed valuable "insights" are rather self-explanatory, and the more technical aspects (e.g., how to write a song or great lyrics) only scratch the surface of what other books cover in much greater detail. For example, the book doesn't cover even the most basic music theory, e.g., modulation, harmonies, scales, etc. The book isn't as "comprehensive" as it claims to be--the opposite in fact.
As for tips on how to break into the industry, BMI, ASCAP and SESAC offer more insightful and free courses. Author Jason Blume only valuable "insight": network and collaborate with others.
Save your money and buy Jai Josef's "Writing Music For Hit Songs" or Jack Perricone's "Melody In Songwriting" instead.
Rating: 1
Summary: Don't trust opinion of a top40 songwriter. They have no soul
Comment: I can't take anything Jason Blume writes seriously. I have fully read both of his books at Barnes and Noble, and all I get from each book is "sell your soul, make really cheesy top 40 songs like I did. I couldn't make money as an honest songwriter, so I used the formula of tried and true (and stale) pop songs from the 70's, 80's, and 90's, and made tons of money."
I can't take books like this seriously. I'd like to see Sarah McLachlan write a book on songwriting success. Or Blake Schwarzenbach of Jawbreaker/Jets To Brazil. Songs with meaning, songs with soul, songs that MOVE people emotionally, not move their butts and hormones.
Jason makes some ok points here and there, but most of it is just filler, and how he went from a pot-smoking folkie who wrote acoustic songs on guitar, to penning top 40 hits. Like that's something to be proud of. I don't care how much money top 40 artists make. 97% of the songs in the top 100 SUCK (with the exception of Coldplay, Dido, Sarah McLachlan, and others).
The best books on songwriting are Rikky Rooksby's "How To Write Songs On Guitar" and "Songwriting". That guy knows his stuff. And no, I am not connected with him in any way. But any writer/songwriter who uses The Smiths as references for chord progressions and song info in general, is ace in my book.
Don't buy anything by Jason Blume unless you are wanting to make a career writing terrible, predictable pop songs for The Backstreet Boys, Jodeci, Avril Lavigne, etc.
Oh, and side note--- he actually mentions that Avril Lavigne writes her own music, in his second book "Inside Songwriting". That is about the funniest thing I've ever read. Avril couldn't write her way out of a paper bag, let alone a good song.
If you're into GOOD music, stay away from this book and any books that claim to make you superstars in the world of songwriting.
The best songs don't make millions. They MOVE millions.
-Skip from Beauty's Confusion
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Title: 88 Songwriting Wrongs & How to Right Them: Concrete Ways to Improve Your Songwriting and Make Your Songs More Marketable by Pat Luboff, Pete Luboff ISBN: 0898795087 Publisher: Writers Digest Books Pub. Date: December, 1994 List Price(USD): $19.99 |
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Title: The Craft and Business of Songwriting (2nd Edition) by John Braheny ISBN: 1582970858 Publisher: Writers Digest Books Pub. Date: 01 December, 2001 List Price(USD): $22.99 |
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Title: Melody in Songwriting : Tools and Techniques for Writing Hit Songs by Jack Perricone ISBN: 063400638X Publisher: Hal Leonard Pub. Date: 01 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Craft of Lyric Writing by Sheila Davis ISBN: 0898791499 Publisher: Writers Digest Books Pub. Date: April, 1985 List Price(USD): $24.99 |
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Title: Songwriting for Dummies by Jim Peterik, Dave Austin, Mary Ellen Bickford ISBN: 0764554042 Publisher: For Dummies Pub. Date: August, 2002 List Price(USD): $21.99 |
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