Product Description

Complementing Rikky Rooksby's bestselling How to Write Songs on Guitar (00330574), this easy-to-use reference book will teach you how to write better songs. It analyzes important issues including writing harmonies, melodies and lyrics, and how to improve your songs by redrafting. The reference section includes sequences from a variety of diverse songs, outlining 20 songwriting moments, recommended listening for songwriters, and quotes about songwriting from professional songwriters. The enclosed CD features examples of chords, chord progressions and harmonies featured in the book, with a case history illustrating how to develop a song.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27178 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Customer Reviews

Sincerest flattery - I've "borrowed" some progressions for my own songs
I've been playing guitar forever, and writing songs for years, but like most other writers I get stuck in ruts from time to time. Now, whenever I need some new ideas, whether an entire song, a verse, a chorus, a bridge, or a lift, I just look through this book. Even a basic I-IV-V can be made more interesting by advancing or delaying a change. I also like that he relates the CD examples to particular musical styles, which provides a good template for writing to that style.

As with Rooksby's other books, the material is presented with great clarity and is well edited. A songwriter could do a lot worse than build a library of his books.

Insight, Inspiring and Suprising
I have over last two years developed into a real fan of Rikky's books. This one really surprised me for progressive depth in the structure of each chapter. Each chapter builds on the next. And sandwiched between the 'tips' are these gems of compositions that helps broaden and deepen the constructive elements of songwriting. The book is focused more on chord progression in songs and then the composition of the song's components, verse, chorus, bridge, etc. The great surprise, and I think, and real beauty of the book is the way he uses the CD with the last chapter. He records 12 or so songs, and then in that chapter, he breaks them down in to their component structure, and tells you why he made the choices he did. A really GREAT book. Worth the price!

A Must for Songwriters
This book taught me so much about songwriting, it's scary. I'm not a novice, either! It teaches you about chord theory better than any other book I've read.