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- Explore songwriting genres to find your fit
- Try your hand at writing lyrics and discover your own voice
- Create demo recordings of your latest songs
Proven techniques for songwriting success This friendly, hands-on guide shares insight from songwriters who've written legendary songs that have gotten airplay for five decades. Discover tips on identifying the music genre that best fits your talents, building your own lyric-writing voice, and creating music and melodies. This book also guides you through collaborating with other writers, creating demo recordings, and navigating the business of professional songwriting.
Inside... - Finding songwriting inspiration
- Using poetic devices in lyrics
- Adding in rhythm and melody
- Writing for stage, screen, and television
- Collaborating with other songwriters
- Making money from your music
List of contents
Foreword xv
Introduction 1
Part 1: So You Want to Be a Songwriter 5 Chapter 1: Capturing That Solid-Gold Nugget 7
Chapter 2: Looking at the Genres: From Country to Rock and Everything in Between 31
Chapter 3: Working It Out: Getting Your Song into Shape 53
Part 2: Unleashing the Lyricist in You 73 Chapter 4: Snagging Your Listeners with a Hook 75
Chapter 5: Making an Impact with Lyrics 91
Chapter 6: Finding Your Voice in the Lyrics 111
Chapter 7: Using Rhymes in Your Songs 137
Part 3: Creating Memorable Music 155 Chapter 8: Feel the Rhythm, Feel the Ride 157
Chapter 9: Making Melody Magic 171
Chapter 10: Using Chords in Songwriting 189
Chapter 11: The Cheating Side of Town: Shortcuts and Cool Technologies 201
Part 4: Cooperation, Collaboration, and Community 217 Chapter 12: Bringing Talent Together: Collaboration and Networking 219
Chapter 13: Online Marketing and Social Networking for Songwriters 239
Chapter 14: Writing for the Stage, Screen, Television, and More 251
Chapter 15: Getting Your Songs Heard: Making the Demo 267
Part 5: Getting Down to Business 291 Chapter 16: Creating Goals and Meeting Deadlines 293
Chapter 17: Ka-Ching: How Your Song Makes Money 303
Chapter 18: Introducing the Business Players 319
Chapter 19: Looking at the Legal End: Dealing with Paperwork 339
Part 6: The Part of Tens 357 Chapter 20: Ten Songs You Should Know 359
Chapter 21: Ten Common Song-Related Contracts You Should Know 365
Index 369
About the author
Jim Peterik, a Grammy-winning songwriter, has written many
Billboard Top 10 hits, including the legendary #1 hit "Eye of the Tiger".
Dave Austin is a National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences "Presidential Award" recipient.
Cathy Lynn is a screenwriter and nonfiction writer.
Summary
This edition originally published in 2010.
