Where can I find info on song writing?

Subject: Where can I find info on song writing?
From:
Date: 12 Jun 02 - 06:27 AM

Hi

Do you have any information on song writing?

Kind regards

Neil Lanham Ivy Todd, Helions Bumpstead, Nr Haverhill, Suffolk, CB8 7AT

Tel: [phone]

Subject: RE: Where can I find info on song writing?
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Jun 02 - 06:35 AM

Have a look through a few of these links (click here)

Subject: RE: Where can I find info on song writing?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 12 Jun 02 - 08:10 AM

This one is absolutely solid:

Songwriting and the Creative Process. That's a "tutorial" which serves as a fine preview of an excellent book by Steve Gillette.

There have also been a number of excellent discussions here, packed with information. If you enter the word songwriting in the filter box on the main forum page, and set the age setting back several years, you can find them and choose the ones that look interesting to you.

Good luck!

~Susan

Subject: RE: Where can I find info on song writing?
From: Whistle Stop
Date: 12 Jun 02 - 10:22 AM

I was going to mention the same book that Susan just did; it's an excellent resource, and an enjoyable read. And it includes a quote from Mudcat's own Art Theime (and probably others who frequent this forum as well).

Subject: RE: Where can I find info on song writing?
From: Mr Red
Date: 12 Jun 02 - 02:40 PM

Many Festivals have songwriting workshops. Upton (May Day BH) always have one or two. Some are discussion groups, some are have-a-go, some are showcases for the "name". Find one that suits you and get a couple of attendees to talk. Songwriting is often a singleton sport and it helps to get other ideas. You will probably dismiss the ideas but after a year or two you will be amazed to see you have used them - if you can remember where you found to the wheezes.
Try Books if you can find it "How to be a Successfull Songwriter" very cynical and American and out of print. Creative Dreaming by Dr Patricia Garfield PhD (197ish)is worth a read - get them on inter-library loan. I wrote a pamphlet called "the Creative Wordsmiths Toolkit" - email me at [e-mail].

Subject: RE: Where can I find info on song writing?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Jun 02 - 09:35 AM

Mentioned as good at another site, by Jamie Anderson (who has presented songwriting classes):

Songwriting and the Guitar, editor: Jeffrey Pepper Rogers, String Letter Publishing, 2000 (includes Jamie's chapter, Songwriting Traps and How To Avoid Them), www.acousticguitar.com

The Craft of Lyric Writing, Sheila Davis, Writer's Digest Books, 1985

Writing Down the Bones, Natalie Goldberg, Shambhala, 1986

Five Hundred Songwriting Ideas, Lisa Aschmann, Mix Books, 1997

~S~

Subject: RE: Where can I find info on song writing?
From: Sir Roger de Beverley
Date: 14 Jun 02 - 10:36 AM

Might be a bit far for you to come but Beverley next weekend has a very good beginners songwriting workshop. The whole festival is free so you would only have your travel expense.

Roger

Subject: RE: Where can I find info on song writing?
From: GMT
Date: 14 Jun 02 - 10:58 AM

I agree the Steve Gillette book is good (well as far as I've read, only had it four days).
I also found Tunesmith by Jimmy Webb an interesting read.
Cheers Gary

Subject: RE: Where can I find info on song writing?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Jun 02 - 11:00 AM

e-mail sent to requestor

~S~

Subject: RE: Where can I find info on song writing?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Jun 02 - 11:02 AM

e-mail sent to requestor

Also, for anyone interested in songwriting, here at Mudcat we practice on a regular basis, in threads called "Song Challenge". You can use that in the filter search box to look back on some examples, or just view the daily thread list where the latest song challenge usually can be found.

~S~

Subject: RE: Where can I find info on song writing?
From: mousethief
Date: 14 Jun 02 - 12:04 PM

Are you interested in the lyrics side, or the composition side? In my ever-so-humble opinion, the creative process for each can be looked at apart from the other, and I always have a harder time writing tunes than words. Great practice for writing words is fitting them into somebody else's tune -- like is often done in the Song Challenge! as WYSIWIG pointed out, above. I don't know how I write tunes, though. They're either there or they aren't.

Alex