Songwriting For Dummies^®

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: So You Want to Be a Songwriter

Part II: Unleashing the Lyricist in You

Part III: Creating Memorable Music

Part IV: Cooperation, Collaboration, and Community

Part V: Getting Down to Business

Part VI: The Part of Tens

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: So You Want to Be a Songwriter

Chapter 1: Capturing That Solid-Gold Nugget

Ground Zero — Before You Write a Single Note

Is formal music training a must?

Being prepared when inspiration strikes

Finding you own inner voice and expression

Creating the mood

Drip, Drip, Drop: The Six-Step Process

Pay Attention: Stop, Look, and Listen

Finding the inspiration zone

Coming up with concepts for songs

Setting your antennae to listen for lyrics

Making up music “dummy” style

On-the-Go Tools of the Trade for Recording and Organizing

Using a digital recording device

Jotting down ideas in a notebook

Practice Makes Perfect

Chapter 2: Looking at the Genres: From Country to Rock and Everything in Between

Creating Your Own Style: The Singer-Songwriter

Looking for Mainstream Success: Commercial Appeal

Rock

Pop

R and B, urban, hip-hop, and rap

Country

Seeking a Road Less Travelled: Other Notable Genres

Christian

Gospel

Blues and folk

Jazz

Practice Makes Perfect

Chapter 3: Working It Out: Getting Your Song into Shape

Talking Shop about Song Form

Dealing with Verses

The single-verse form

The two-verse form

The ...