Books about Songwriting from Amazon.com

A lavishly illustrated, rollicking account of the real people and events that inspired the Beatles' lyrics.

Who was "just seventeen" and made Paul's heart go "boom"? Was there really an Eleanor Rigby? Where's Penny Lane? In A Hard Day's Write, music journalist Steve Turner shatters many well-worn myths and adds a new dimension to the Fab Four's rich legacy by investigating for the first time the ordinary people and events immortalized in the Beatles' music and now occupying a special niche in popular culture's collective imagination.

Arranged chronologically by album, the book breaks new ground by exploring how private incidents influenced the group's writing and how their music evolved. Turner reveals that Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was really a drawing by Julian Lennon of his childhood friend; Bungalow Bill was an all-American tiger hunter; Doctor Robert was a New York 'speech doctor'; and much more. A longtime Beatles admirer, Turner tracked down and interviewed the real-life subjects of the songs, probed public records and newspaper archives, and spoke in depth to the people closet to the Beatles to unearth tales that have never before been made public. The result is a book that chronicles an untold story of the Beatles themselves.

Illustrated with over 200 photographs, A Hard Day's Write is a visually alluring and highly entertaining journey to the land stretching just beneath your conscious mind, mapped out with strawberry fields, fool-topped hills, and long and winding roads.

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Price: $16.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Here are 126 Shortcuts that will take your songs from good to great! Discover the melody and lyric writing techniques of today’s top songwriters and learn how you can use the very same secrets to give your songs the power and edge that will make listeners want to hear them over and over again. You’ll learn...

38 proven strategies for creating powerful, unforgettable lyrics

30 simple ways to make your melody fresh, exciting, and memorable

How to use hit songs as "ghost songs" to get quick results

Plus, you get 58 more Shortcuts to help you lay the groundwork, choose the perfect structure, and pick the chords to give your songs even more hit potential. And there are more than 100 "Do It Now" exercises to get you started right away!

Reviews
"For people serious about writing great songs, it’s got it all!" -- Kara DioGuardi, BMI "Songwriter of the Year," American Idol judge

"Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting should be in every songwriter’s arsenal." -- Jason Blume, hit songwriter and author

"An excellent road map for writers at all levels. This is the songwriter’s GPS!" -- Ralph Murphy, Vice President, ASCAP Nashville

"A Swiss Army knife of a songwriting manual." -- John Braheny, author

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Price: $28.95 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Using visual examples of songwriting techniques, this book teaches guitarists to write better songs. The CD demonstrates how the examples sound, and it includes dozens of chord progressions, evolving melodies and structures, and harmony effects, making the book especially useful to those who don't read music. The book starts with basic chords, describes how to write a song with simple elements, then gradually develops more complex structures. By seeing and hearing step-by-step examples of the song craft, the reader can easily learn the secrets of songwriting..
Price: $14.77 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Rikky Rooksby helps you transform your guitar-playing skills into creative songwriting techniques Using well-known songs as examples, plus lots of easy-to-read graphics, he explains and demonstrates how lyrics, melody, harmony, and rhythm work in a song. Rikky's straightforward style will have you up and writing on your guitar with easeâ€"even if you never have before.

You'll learn how to write words to melodies and vice versa; how to understand, develop, and embellish a melody; how chords create harmony; and how tempos and time signatures differ. The book also analyzes classic and unusual song structures and their elementsâ€"from intros to bridges to codasâ€"and discusses the benefits and problems of writing songs on different kinds of guitars..
Price: $11.87 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Lyrics sheds light on all aspects of lyric writing Topics explored in the book include channeling personal experiences into lyrics, overcoming writer’s block, the right lyrics for a bridge, the separation between lyrics and poetry, exploring imagery and metaphor, avoiding clichés, writing a lyric around a character, and how to create more original love songs. The book also offers tips on the various styles of lyrics, such as protests, spirituals, and confessionals..
Price: $13.49 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This book has a very specific purpose: to help songwriters find better rhymes and use them more effectively Rhyme is one of the most crucial areas of lyrics writing, and this guide will provide all of the technical information necessary to develop your skills completely. The exercises and worksheets help experienced writers take a fresh look at their techniques, and prevent novices from developing bad habits. Use this book to start writing better than ever before!.
Price: $8.66 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Discover songwriting techniques from the hit makers! This comprehensive guide unlocks the secrets of hit songs, examining them, and revealing why they succeed. Learn to write memorable melodies and discover the dynamic relationships between melody, harmony, rhythm, and rhyme. Fine-tune your craft and start writing hits!.
Price: $14.78 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Genuine Moleskine. Music Ruled Pages. Handy Pocket Size. Hard Black Cover. Complete with Shrink Wrapping.
Price: $5.89 [Notify me when price goes down.]

A must-have for any bass player! This outstanding 200-song collection features note-for-note bass transcriptions with tab, straight from the original recordings. All styles of music are represented in this massive, 1024-page compilation. Includes: All Apologies * All Shook Up * Another One Bites the Dust * Are You Gonna Go My Way * Baby Love * Bad Medicine * Badge * Barracuda * Beast of Burden * Blue on Black * Blue Suede Shoes * Blueberry Hill * Brass in Pocket * Bulls on Parade * Carry on Wayward Son * Cherry Pie * Come Out and Play * Come to My Window * Come Together * Couldn't Stand the Weather * Detroit Rock City * Eight Days a Week * Fly Away * Free Ride * Get Ready * Great Balls of Fire * Hard to Handle * Hey Joe * Hey Man Nice Shot * Higher Ground * I Can See for Miles * I Fought the Law * The Impression That I Get * Into the Great Wide Open * Iris * Iron Man * Jessica * Learn to Fly * Maggie May * Maria Maria * Money * My Girl * Oye Como Va * Paperback Writer * Paranoid * Pride and Joy * Riding with the King * Semi-Charmed Life * Sultans of Swing * Under Pressure * Walk of Life * Would? * Wonderwall * and many more!.
Price: $18.78 [Notify me when price goes down.]