Book Description
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!
Customer Reviews:
The book I would like to write.......2007-09-11
An interesting an easy reading book. Concepts of melody, pitch, rhythm and tone tendencies. The most important thing is that the author gives a good idea of how melody works in songs. It's not a book for begginers, I thought, there is a lot of necessary skills to read it well. Intermediate or advanced musicians will learn a lot.
AWESOME!!!!.......2006-10-31
Hi guys!!! I'm Dani from Spain. What can i say? I think this is awesome. There are no words to explain what i'm learning with this book. I've been lost a lot of time searching for a book like this one and now i find it. Thanks to Berklee press. And please GIVE ME AN SCHOLARSHIP BERKLEEEEEE!!!! hahahaa. I really need it, i'm good composser. TRUST ME. LOL. I recommend this book to everybody who want's to learn how to write a song without a guitar, piano... All you need is your lyric, pen, and score. Thanks to amazong too, this website is amazing. Sorry about my english guys, i'm still learning. Best regards to all. CYA!!!!!
exhaustive book on the subject.......2006-04-20
I am reading this book for the 5th time. You need to understand some basic music theory and sight reading before hitting this book. But if you are looking for a book to give you a revolution in creation, and blow you open to seemingly endless new possibilities with your songwriting, DO NOT miss this book. Get this book and "the craft of lyric writing by Sheila Davis." and then study some stuff on grooves like maybe "The songwriters workshop harmony" by jimmy kachulis. (then you have hit the three main parts of a song; rhythm, melody and lyrics.)
Realize that melody in songwriting is written by the chair of the songwriting department at berklee school of music in boston. If you didn't know, that is the most recognized contemporary music school in the world. (research it, if this is new knowledge to you) They don't put out fluff and obvious information. It is useful, critical and complete, and prepares you to navigate inspiration when it hits.
This book has changed how I write music in many many ways.
It's About Composition, Plain and Simple.......2006-04-12
This terrific book examines what might be called a "theory of melody" as applied to songwriting, although many of the principles Perricone demonstrates come straight out of classical composition and could be applied to melody in many contexts
other than popular song.
The author wisely divides the work into two large areas he calls
"Melody: Its Components" and "Melody-Harmony Relationships". Separating the horizontal and vertical aspects of melody is an effective learning tool, though such a line would likely never be drawn in the intuitive act of composing.
The Components part of the book deals with the behavior of tones and the contruction of melody: the influence of rhythm on phrases, devices to develop and contrast motives
and the expansion of this basic material into larger sections is covered.
The second part of the book introduces the harmonic element, placing the melodic invention of the first part into its traditional context. Unless you're planning to write Gregorian chant or solo voice Appalachian ballads, your melodies interact
with, and are to a certain extent a function of, the underlying harmony. Tension tones, and the influence of target and bass tones are explored. Gradually the integration of harmony and melody unfolds and a set of tools are demonstrated for creating
both chord progressions and corresponding melody. Indeed, much of this material is as applicable to jazz improvisation and composition as it is to songwriting.
The author assumes you're familiar with musical notation and the harmony illustrations are keyboard-oriented, so if you're a guitarist you'll have to adapt the chord symbols to your own voicings.
The harmonic vocabulary covers a broad range of musical styles and should be familiar to rock/pop musicians as well as those interested in jazz/show tunes. There are a number of references to well-known songs, but in contrast to Jimmy Kochulis' books, Perricone relies somewhat less on examples and possibly
more on the individual's own initiative. He assumes you've got the listening background and experience and have confidence beyond the phase of literal imitation (a phase that's nothing to be ashamed of and has been the starting point for most composers throughout history).
There's a tremendous amount of useful material here for those willing to work at it. This is not a "write a hit song in 21 days"-type of book. It's a serious composition text that will reward serious study.
A very informative and comprehensive tool..........2005-11-09
I bought this book from amazon. where this book is used in the songwriting couses. I produce electronic music, trip hop, chillout and the like, so I thought that this book might help me understand the inner workings of melody in a song. This book is very comprehensive and contains a lot of concepts and composition techniques which I suppose would help in improvising as well. It gives you material to work on by the given exercises which definitely stimulate your thinking mind. This is a large book but not very thick(its a good thing) and the printing format is very attractive. After covering some of the essential lessons I could definitely feel that I was listening to songs and composing in a very technical way. This book changes the way you think and hear music at its very least.
With a bit of inspiration you could write a very sophisticated piece of music.I feel that all this theory will make a better musician if this book is taken seriously enough and worked through. A must for any songwriter or theory student.
Book Description
Learn the essentials of music notation, from fundamental pitch and rhythm placement to intricate meter and voicing alignments. This book also covers the correct way to subdivide rhythms and notate complex articulations and dynamics. An excellent resource for both written and computer notation software!
Customer Reviews:
Excellent and a must read.......2007-04-28
Excellent book to start with. Altough it is not comprehensive and the exercises get you nothing more than started it covers all the basics well.
Concise, comprehensive technical guide to standard notation.......2006-11-24
Mark McGrain's book is the ideal reference for the musician needing access to the rules of standard musical notation in exact detail. McGrain thoroughly describes the fundamentals of contemporary notation, progressing carefully from the basics into advanced techniques, giving helpful and well-chosen illustrations of every rule along the way. Most critically, the hierarchy of rules and exceptions is laid out in plain English: this is as easy to follow as it gets.
Topics covered include: clefs, note-heads, rests, stem length/direction, the logic of accidentals, barlines, time signatures, tempo markings, flags and beams, placement of ties, holds and pauses, repeats, chord symbols, divisi parts, dynamic markings, articulation marks, ornaments, score layout, instrumental transpositions, and then some. The table of contents is nicely organized so as to allow one to quickly & easily find a specific rule in question while one is writing.
This is the kind of guide we expect to be logical, consistent, thorough, and concise, so that our creativity doesn't get delayed by technical questions for too long; this book succeeds admirably on all counts. Indispensable for the working composer/musician. Highly recommended for its practical utility.
Music Education.......2006-11-05
The book was very well written and easy to understand. A must read for persons wishing to progress in music. I highly recomend this book
Important Skill Whether Using Pencil, Ink or Mouse.......2006-04-12
In this age of notation software, MIDI event views and direct wave editing, it's reasonable to ask: Is writing music manuscript by hand an archaic, dying art? I like to think not, though I have no illusions about the generation raised with electronic memo pads in their back pockets where I once carried a small spiral one.
Call me old-fashioned but the image of someone whipping out a piece of manuscript at a rehearsal or in between sets and suddenly scribbling down an idea for a harmony part or an extended jam interlude is just too familiar. When I'm writing something, with or without an instrument in hand, I find the less I have to "operate" as in clicking mouse buttons or touch pens the less distracted I am. Call it left brain intruding on right brain or whatever, we all have to find our own working
path.
Mark McGrain's "Music Notation" was written before such electronic possibilities became widespread, when communicating written musical ideas accurately and efficiently demanded correct and legible notation skills. I'd argue it's still a valuable skill to have and this book lays out the principles
in a thorough, progressive way, requiring little more than manuscript paper, pencil and straightedge.
Unlike that other notation classic "The Art of Music Copying" by Clinton Roemer, McGrain's book is geared not towards teaching you to be a professional "ink" music copyist for which, frankly, job opportunities are likely non-existent. Rather McGrain views notation skills as a valuable part of musicianship, whether in the context of studying, performing, arranging or composing.
Being a Berklee book, it's geared towards jazz instrumentation. I'd recommend Gardner Read if you're searching for a classical text, particularly 20th century techniques.
McGrain begins with rhythmic subdivisions and pitch notation within what he calls the notational grid. He combines micro-detail (how to draw note ovals and stems) with the larger
context of spacing and beaming notes in bars to achieve a uniform appearance across the score page. Articulation
and phrasing markings, tempo, divisi parts, everything you might encounter on a jazz orchestral (and frankly, quite a lot of classical scores) is not just covered, but explained.
And that's a key part of the justification here: notation software often provides you with a "how to" but often
neglects the "why to", many times forcing you into a particular formating that's counter intuitive to the way you conceptualize the music. Yes, you can often jump through hoops to get the
notes precisely the way you want them, but without the knowledge of why particular conventions are used, it's easy to blindly (blandly?) accept an often compromised solution.
Years ago there was an exhibit called "Settling New Scores" in New York at the Frick Library.
It included a gallery of music manuscripts from a variety of 20th century composers. The sheer beauty, variety, and personality that came through those pages was as impressive as any "visual art" show I'd been to. Sure, music will always be first and foremost about the ear; but as they say on the Food Network, "Presentation counts".
Excellent book, excellent teacher.......2004-08-10
Well, giving the book a negative review due to dislike for the teacher seems rather immature. For my part, I had the book long before I had taken a class with Mark, and found him to be a friendly, down-to-earth guy. That said, I had already found this book to be the absolute reference for all things notation. It's got a wealth of information, and is easily understood and useful for years to come.
Book Description
Learn the fundamental techniques behind today's hit songs, with easy-to-follow exercises so you can immediately apply these tools to your own songs. Quit wrestling with writer's block, and learn to make the songwriting process easy, fun, and intuitive. Kachulis covers a variety of topics, including: colors of chords and keys * chord embellishments and progressions to enrich your palette of colors * dozens of ways to modify your harmonies and progressions * the most common chord progressions used in hit songs * and more. Practice your songs with an accompaniment on the play-along CD!
Customer Reviews:
Accessible Intro To Harmony And Song Structure .......2006-04-12
This book, along with its companion by the same author, Songwriter's Workshop: Melody, comprise a solid, straightforward course in writing songs along the lines of what I'd (reluctantly) call "classic rock and pop" of the 60's through the 80's. The harmonic vocabulary covered in this volume is comparable to what most guitar-oriented songwriters
used then and continue to: open position chords with descending bass lines, major triads with thirds and fifths in the bass, etc. It may be a sign of the times at Berklee or, more
likely, just the author's orientation but you won't find jazz/show tune techniques here nor Steely Dan changes so if that's more your cup of joe, I'd recommend Jack Perricone's "Melody in Songwriting" which makes a great followup to this series.
But otherwise, there's little prior knowledge assumed (other than an interest in and listening experience to a wide range of songs) and much to be learned.
Kachulis's approach is to build up song structures by having you focus on individual elements: groove, chord color, modal chord progressions over small sections building to contrasts
over larger forms. Always refering to an example song or to the accompanying recording the approach is logical, and it should work for those requiring different levels of handholding and validation. You can imitate the examples closely or just
glean from the principles, going your own way.
And let's face it: Many of the points about song structure are just as applicable whether your composing German Lieder, folk ballads, cabaret torch songs or a neo-prog synth-drenched epic.
Cure Your Writer's Block.......2005-02-02
I was suffering from a severe case of writer's block before picking up "The Songwriter's Workshop: Harmony". I have picked up new techniques from modifing harmonies to learning popular chord progressions. The play-along CD has been instrumental in my development as a writer. I highly recommend this book if you are suffering from writer's block and want to learn great techniques to creating hit songs.
Book Description
Melody is the true heart of music, often inspired by nothing more than the songwriter's muse. Yet melody can be learned. This book teaches the art of melody and how to write effective tunes. Starting from basics, it covers the essentials - rhythm, intervals, scales, and harmony - and builds to offer a wealth of advanced techniques and tricks. Every musical example in the book is also on the CD, allowing musicians to increase their awareness of melody through both sight and sound.
Customer Reviews:
I Can't Believe No One Has Reviewed This Great Book Yet!!!.......2007-03-30
Then again...Considering the state of popular music...
I guess I can...
I used to play/sing/compose by ear and didn't understand alot of aspects of music theory, but this book breaks it down using (Couldn't be better...) examples ranging from the melody styles of The Beatles, The Smiths, Radiohead, Van Morrison, etc. that makes it fun to learn...and everything clicked!
The first read was Greek, second time I learned how to love my favorite songs in new ways and continue to every day since reading this book!
I couldn't be more excited about the EP I'm preparing to put out.
Other musician friends have noticed the vast improvements in my composing...And I'm just getting warmed up!
Yeah...This reads like an info-mercial, but it's the God honest truth!
To quote Sinatra...
"You can't cheat the notes!"
This book will teach you how to own the notes instead the notes owning you.
Thanx Rikky!
Paul
Book Description
50 wonderful traditional and contemporary Irish melodies arranged by Sylvia Woods for both beginning and advanced hard players. Songs include: The Castle of Dromore * Cockles and Mussels * Danny Boy * The Gartan Mother's Lullaby * Killarney * Limerick Is Beautiful * My Wild Irish Rose * Sweet Rosie O'Grady * Warin' o' the Green * When Irish Eyes Are Smiling * Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral * and more. Also includes an alphabetical index and an index of first lines. Spiral bound.
Customer Reviews:
So so..........2007-01-09
The design is nice, however frankly speaking I expected the songs to be more interesting and beautiful. Nothing special. Though not bad.
Average customer rating:
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Melody and Harmony in Contemporary Songwriting
Ricigliano
Manufacturer: Donato Music Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Music
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| Subjects
| Books
History & Criticism
| Music
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| Books
Songwriting
| Theory, Composition & Performance
| Music
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ASIN: 093505801X |
Customer Reviews:
Quick and to-the-point for beginners.......2000-09-13
I am surprised to see this book getting only one star by a couple of reviewers - they must have been disappointed that the book is very simplistic and meant to be a to-the-point, easy-to-follow beginner's book. I thought the book was great. It quickly explained to me how music is made up of notes from chosen chord progressions and scales. I love the book because it is short and written in boldy formatted paragraphs with diagrams of piano keys and guitar frets. It's a small, slim hardcover book so it's great to take along and read over coffee. It is a very basic book but it does what few writers are able to do: say exactly what needs to be said in as short a time space as possible! I think the author did a great job. I am now searching for my second music theory book, to keep learning about how music is actually created.
for beginners only.......1999-05-28
If you bear in mind that this is intended (or seems to be intended) for those with only a very rudimentary knowledge of music, you'll be less likely to be disappointed with it. The actual materials of melody are of course scales and chords. To learn about scalar material you are probably not familiar with (not matter how extensive your knowledge of music) I recommend PENTATONIC SCALES FOR THE JAZZ-ROCK KEYBOARDIST by Jeff Burns.
The title is a joke!.......1999-05-24
At last I thought, a book that teaches me how to create melodies. What a disappointment. Weissman doesn't explain how to use or develop a motif. Nor does he explain how to develop a melody or to generate prosody between the melody and the lyrics. The best book on writing melodies I've read is by Jai Josefs"writing music for hit songs'. The best book that brings every aspect of songwriting together is John Braheny's "The craft and business of songwriting'. For lyric writing I'd recommend all three of Pat Pattisson's books. I'd study Braheny's book first (In his lyric section he covers all the important aspects of Sheila Davis's 'the craft of lyric writing' and 'writing succesful lyrics')plus adding a lot of other ideas. Moreover, the book helps you to develop your creativity. After studying John's book I'd move on to Pat and Jai to get more detailed information about lyric and Music writing.
Don't waste your time on this book........1998-12-10
As a long-time professional musician who wanted to hone his songwriting skills in order to produce songs that were more aesthetically and commercially pleasing, I recently searched through songwriting books for help and guidance. At first, this book's title seemed promising--there didn't seem to be any other books focusing on the creation of melody. I expected an in-depth study offering insight and inspiration. It turned out to be a profound disappointment. Weissman comes across as a nice, well-meaning man, so I feel hesitant to excoriate his book, but his treatment of melody is superficial and prosaic. There's nothing in this book that a moderately gifted 5-year-old couldn't figure out by banging on a piano; it's based on the most rudimentary music theory, and is quite unimaginative at that. A complete novice might find something useful in this book, but even he/she would be better served by reading other books. I strongly recommend getting a good music theory book, and checking out books by Braheny, Leikin, Citron and Sheila Davis. They have everything Weissman has and much more, and presented much more skillfully. If you're serious about your songwriting, do it right!
Book Description
Back in print in a handsome, elegant paperback with 166 evocative photos and movie stills, many of them rare, this is the only illustrated book on the golden age of movie musicals from the composers' point of view. This unique book, a perfect gift and an asset to every film and music library, includes: separate chapters on the careers and complete movie work of Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Jimmy McHugh, Cole Porter, Ralph Rainger, Richard Rodgers, Harry Warren, and Richard Whiting; shorter studies of Nacio Herb Brown, Hoagy Carmichael, Frank Loesser, Arthur Schwartz, Jule Styne, and James Van Heusen; and a detailed filmography for each songwriter, listing more than 800 movies and 2,000 songs.
Customer Reviews:
For anyone who loves movie musicals........1998-03-02
Roy Hemming has long demonstrated his knowledge of movies and music, and obviously loves the subject. He includes the Broadway shows that some of the movie musicals came from, often with no recognizable link, like "Fifty Million Frenchmen" by Cole Porter.
Whether you've seen any of these films when they first came out, or if you're just learning of their charm and craft, this is a book to enjoy.
-Elizabeth Ahlfors, CityCabaret
Average customer rating:
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Five Melodies for Violin and Piano
Manufacturer: Marks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Classical
| Musical Genres
| Music
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| Books
Songbooks
| Music
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General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Songwriting
| Theory, Composition & Performance
| Music
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ASIN: 1423419766 |
Book Description
Canadian composer Charles Jones adapted these violin pieces from his Five Melodies for Orchestra, written in 1945.
Average customer rating:
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The Songwriter's Guide to Melodies
Joseph R. Lilore
Manufacturer: Lionhead Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Music
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Composition
| Theory, Composition & Performance
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Songwriting
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Techniques
| Theory, Composition & Performance
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ASIN: 0964659611 |
Download Description
Music consists of three elements - melody, harmony, and rhythm. This book deals with the creation of melodies derived from various materials. If put into practice, it will give you an endless wealth of concepts. You should never run out of new and interesting ideas. It starts off very simply and then builds so that you can grow musically. No matter what your level, you'll find new ideas developing as you learn each section. The approach will be the same as learning a new language. You'll start by writing short, direct, clear ideas called "phrases," which are sections of the melody, similar to a clause or sentence in language. You'll then join and expand these phrases into complete songs. The techniques and ideas described in this book are universal to all styles of music - popular, jazz, rock, country, classical, etc. No matter what your preference, this is the book that will finally "show you how."
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The Songwriter's Workshop: Harmony
Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure: Tools and Techniques for Writing Better Lyrics (Songwriting Guides)
The Songwriting Sourcebook: How to Turn Chords Into Great Songs
Songwriting: Essential Guide to Rhyming: A Step-by-Step Guide to Better Rhyming and Lyrics (Songwriting Guides)
How to Write Songs on Guitar: A Guitar-Playing and Songwriting Course
