The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Songwriting, 2nd Edition

The most thorough guide to songwriting for the amateur musician. Written by an Oscar-winning and Grammy and Tony award nominated author, this is the most comprehensive book for today’s amateur musician who is interested in creating and writing his or her own songs. It reveals everything the reader needs to know, including coming up with ideas, rhyming schemes, hooks, melodies, and lyrics; selling songs; working in the industry; and even coming up with titles.

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By: wildsPosted on Categories : Categories : Uncategorized

2 Replies to “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Songwriting, 2nd Edition”

  1. 46 of 51 people found the following review helpful
    4.0 out of 5 stars
    Fooled this idiot, October 29, 2001
    By A Customer
    This review is from: Complete Idiot’s Guide to Songwriting (Paperback)
    This, in spite of the title, is not a book about writing songs. It’s a book about being a songwriter, about the music industry as it applies to songwriting. If you’re not familiar with the writing of songs but would like to learn the basics for fun if not profit, look elsewhere. Where else, I can’t tell you. Certainly one would learn more from studying a songbook of hit songs.
    Not to say there isn’t some helpful stuff in the book. There’s a chapter on rhyme that couldn’t hurt the aspiring songwriter. But most of the information is about how to break into the business with a smash hit, how to avoid the pitfalls you’ll encounter on your upward journey to the big time. The instructions on playing the lottery are simpler and free. Same odds.

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  2. 42 of 49 people found the following review helpful
    1.0 out of 5 stars
    I’m an idiot for buying this…, March 23, 2005
    By 
    TommyT (South Africa) –

    This review is from: Complete Idiot’s Guide to Songwriting (Paperback)
    I have played guitar for a few years and thought that writing/singing songs would be fun. So I popped into the bookstore and got this. I thought it would be about songwriting. It’s mostly not. Much padding, like long lists of titles, that help get the authors point across. Eg: “Use colors in your titles” Pink Cadillac, Red Red Wine, Blue Monday etc etc etc. In columns to fill space.

    In short, most of the book is a pep talk, about how you, the reader, “have what it takes”, if you change your outlook on life. Watch movies, read books etc all while trying to see the songwriting angle. This is sad, I’d think.

    All i wanted was the craft side of it. The “structural rules”, verse chorus verse, nuts and bolts. And some analysis of great songs. None here. Just boring namedropping, and “I’m a successful songwriter, who keeps an eye on other songs”. He quotes some truely awful songs/artists, which is also off putting.

    Avoid.

    I dont want to write a commercial mega-smash for radio, sung by a plastic pop star. I want to write campfire ditties. This book discusses some obvious little “cheats” (which is how they feel), to get your songs to appeal to the masses.

    To be honest, anyone who truely has the right stuff to be a mega-writer, probably won’t need a book. (let alone one with the label IDIOT on the cover)

    Rubbish

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