|
QUICK MENU |
Join us every Monday from
9-11pm EST for weekly songwriting chats
with
special guests
Hope to see you there!
Songwriting Books and
Trade Magazines
Books and magazines on both the craft of songwriting and the music industry can be great learning tools. Many of the books listed below can be ordered directly from NSAI by calling 1-800-321-6008 and asking fto speak to Phil Goldberg who is in charge of the bookstore.
Choose A Category
1. Books and Tapes On The Craft Of Songwriting.
2. Books About The Music Business
3. Songwriter Magazines and Trade Magazines
4. Other Music Related Books
Books & Tapes On The Craft Of Songwriting
The Craft Of Lyric Writing -
Sheila Davis. This book probably covers the fundamentals of lyric writing more
thoroughly than any other book. It features more than 300 pages of explanations of song
forms, rhyme schemes, rhythms, and figures of speech. This is basic information, but if
you don't know it, your writing may suffer. This is an excellent book for beginners and a
valuable reference work for the more advanced. Note: THE CRAFT OF LYRIC WRITING is a
textbook. There are not many exercises in this book.
The Songwriter's
Survival Kit - Produced by The Songwriting
Education Resource in conjunction with The Azalea
Music Group. This essential set for the songwriter includes the following four audio
tapes: Top 10 Musical Tips For Songwriters
(Danny Arena), Writing Winning Lyrics (Sara Light), Making The Most Of Your Demo Dollar (Fett), and Tips For The Performing Songwriter/Artist (Nancy
Moran).
Six Steps To Songwriting Success - Jason
Blume. "6 Steps to Songwriting Success" (Billboard Books)is an
inspirational and detailed new songwriting book by a writer having success in the current
market (Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Collin Raye, John Berry). His site offers
exercises and a critiquing service as well as a listing of seminars..
Successful Lyric Writing - Sheila
Davis. This book is loaded with exercises. A large-size paperback, it’s
designed to be a home-study course in lyric writing. There is some overlap between this
book and THE CRAFT OF LYRIC WRITING. However, there's enough different information
in each book to make both books valuable.
Tunesmith - Jimmy Webb. Jimmy Webb is the solo songwriter responsible for such classics as "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman," "Up, Up And Away," and "MacArthur Park." In this brand new book, he carefully analyzes song construction, covering both lyrics and music. He also discusses his personal philosophies about the art, as well as the business, of songwriting. You’ll get his take on such subjects as developing rhyme schemes and chord progressions, matching a song’s idea to its structure, dealing with writer’s block, and establishing a safe place (emotionally as well as physically) in which to create. This is probably not a book for the beginning songwriter.
Writing Better Lyrics - Pat Pattison. This hardback book, written by Berklee’s Professor Pattison, can be used in a number of ways. The text describes methods to invigorate your lyric writing through daily exercises called "object writing." Exercises are included to help develop and strengthen your ideas, language, images, and structure. Instruction is also given on ways to edit and re-write songs.
Back to topAll You Need To Know About The Music
Business - Donald Passman. This is a very good book about the BUSINESS of the
music business. It’s not an introductory work – it has lots of details on all
aspects of the business. What makes the book particularly useful is its layout. It is
designed so that if you need just a little information on a specific topic, you only need
to read key sections; this is for the reader on the "Extremely Fast Track."
Topics covered include songwriting deals, publishing, record deals, royalties, and much
more.
The Musician's Guide To Making And
Selling Your Own CD's and Casettes - Jana Stanfield. The author is a
Nashville-based singer/songwriter who has had cuts by Reba McEntire and Suzy Bogguss, but
she makes the majority of her income by marketing herself --- through concert appearances
and the sale of her CDs and cassettes. This book has much to offer any singer/songwriter,
but the non-performing songwriter may still gain from the author’s comments on
presentation and demo-ing.
How To Pitch And Promote Your Own
Songs - Fred Koller. This popular book, out of print for several years, has
recently been revised and reprinted. The author is a Nashville-based songwriter whose
credits include Kathy Mattea’s hits, "Goin’ Gone" and "She Came
From Ft. Worth." Writing from an insider’s point of view, he discusses how the
music business works (particularly in the Nashville Country music market), and he
discusses the strategies that have worked for him in getting songs cut
The Musician's Guide To Making And
Selling Your Own CD's and Casettes - Jana Stanfield. The author is a
Nashville-based singer/songwriter who has had cuts by Reba McEntire and Suzy Bogguss, but
she makes the majority of her income by marketing herself --- through concert appearances
and the sale of her CDs and cassettes. This book has much to offer any singer/songwriter,
but the non-performing songwriter may still gain from the author’s comments on
presentation and demo-ing.
Back to
top
Balafon
Music Books - The largest
independent publishers dedicated to music with over 70 titles widely
available throughout
Europe and the USA. Our aim is to combine a lively story, fully researched detail, and the
highest quality visuals. We work with an unrivalled team of freelance writers including
Charles Alexander, Tony Bacon, Walter Carter, Paul Day, Andre Duchossoir, Dave
Gelly, DaveGregory, Charles Shaar Murray, Geoff Nicholls, Hiroyuki Noguchi, Brian
Priestley, Paul Trynka, Tom Wheeler and Michael Wright. We have books on a
variety of subjects ranging from
ancient violins to guitars of the 20th Century.
Back to
top