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| Authors: Jim Peterik, Dave Austin, Mary Ellen Bickford
Publisher: Wiley Publishing, Inc.
Category: Book
List Price: $21.99
Buy New: $9.50
You Save: $12.49 (57%)
New (47) Used (16) Collectible (1) from $5.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 42046
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 360
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 0764554042
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.4213
UPC: 785555086364
EAN: 9780764554049
ASIN: 0764554042
Publication Date: August 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new Book, ALL days Low Price !
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| Customer Reviews:
 Very useful book September 26, 2005
9 out of 12 found this review helpful
Interesting, useful, well done. If you are iterested in songwriting this is an indispensable tool; doesn't matter if you know nothing about music theory. Don't miss it.
Smart Book for the Songwriting 'Dummie' December 9, 2004
27 out of 29 found this review helpful
I bought this book when a musician friend recommended it to me. As someone who writes lyrics and who doesn't have even the most basic knowledge of musical terminology, I was looking for something that wasn't too technical and something that wouldn't completely confuse me when I tried to read it. This book definitely fit the bill.
Songwriting for Dummies isn't perfect. It could have done without all the self-promotion of Survivor and 38 Special and it could have done with more late '60s, early '70s music. I was disappointed to find that Stevie Nicks was mentioned in connection with "Bootylicious." Plus, the more technical explanations of writing music caused me to skim over a couple of the chapters. But the overall package gave me what I was looking for.
Despite going through a long period when I would start reading a book, put it down and then forget about it, I concentrated on reading this book and finished it in a matter of days. I enjoyed picking it up and reading it and going back over certain chapters again when necessary.
If you want to find a book that covers chord progressions in great detail, this book isn't for you, but if you want something that touches on the basics of lyrics and melodies, plus gives you an example of the kind of artist rights issues many songwriters face, this is a good reference.
Great beginners guide, examples aside May 15, 2004
25 out of 27 found this review helpful
For what it is and what it's meant to achieve, I would give this 5 stars. It covers all the bases in just enough depth to get one's feet wet so as to not tune the average reader out. One might argue some things could be embellished upon and others really aren't about the art of songwriting itself - for instance the chapters dealing with the business end of things vs. a somewhat brief chapter on chord structure. I feel a 'Dummies' book isn't so much educational as it is to point you in the right direction - you may find the realities of the music business change your attitude toward songwriting. It's nice to have the basics all laid out on the table before you start investing yourself.Where I fault this book is in the song examples covered. For the under 30 demographic, which I imagine this book is targeted at, the examples here are rather obscure. A good three quarters of them are from the 70s and earlier. That in itself I don't have a problem with, but where's the Zep, Hendrix, Who, Doors, Floyd, Beach Boys references? Aside from the Beatles and Berry and Elvis, there's not much mention of songs that would be indelible in a young person's mind, IOW, bands that made a huge social impact. Same with the newer stuff but it's even more spotty here, little mention of the likes of that class from a decade ago of Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, etc. - Train and Nickelback groundbreaking? Huh?!? My ears must have turned inside out. And one of the authors (a guy who co-wrote Eye of the Tiger), mentions his songs in examples ad-nauseum. It's one thing to casually mention some here or there to get his perspective as the writer, but IMO this comes off like a sleazy ploy to pump up royalties. I say this not as a fan of the all the bands or eras of music above but simply to illustrate the irony in what is preached by this book, that in which the successful writer should make his best effort to connect with her audience. I guarantee picking apart Survior and 38 Special songs is not the best avenue to achieve this. All in all, this book is great info, just full of little things that might make you go 'hmmm'.
Great Review April 10, 2004
6 out of 21 found this review helpful
Awesome book! It helped me win the Song of the Year contest at http://www.songoftheyear.com
simply the best December 15, 2003
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
This book is simply the best book on songwriting...and i think i've read them all - believe me! It had a way of simplifying and demystifying the whole process of creating songs. Great for 'ol pros and also great for newcomers too. This book is top on my list.
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