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Writer's Digest Books

Writing Better Lyrics

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Publisher ‏ : ‎ Writer's Digest Books; Second edition (January 8, 2010)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1582975779


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 71


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.45 x 0.75 x 8.42 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #10,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in Classical Musician Biographies #3 in Music Reference (Books) #3 in Music Encyclopedias


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • A Superb Book For Some Songwriters, Maybe Not So For Others
This is an excellent book which not everyone will like. If you want a book that you can skim through with lots of lists that you can quickly digest, put into use and immediately improve your songwriting, then buy something else like Robin Frederick's book "Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting: 126 Proven Techniques for Writing Songs That Sell", which is a great book in its own right: (http://www.amazon.com/Shortcuts-Hit-Songwriting-Techniques-Writing/dp/0982004001 ) . This book requires work, dedicated concentration and more than anything else, practice. You can easily live with this book for 6 months or more. Pattison's approach is very analytical and it deals only with lyrics and how to communicate them in a way that best transmits the emotional effect which the songwriter has in mind. The book goes far beyond Pattison's Coursera Songwriting course and his Youtube video lectures. I have found that for me, his techniques work best in rewriting my songs. There is so much here, that it is difficult to implement it all in the real-time process of songwriting. But once I have written a song, I can go back and apply his techniques to improve my songs. Especially interesting is his technique to use the 5 rhyme-types (perfect, family, additive/subtractive, assonance, consonance) and a rhyming dictionary as a search engine to brainstorm ideas to write a song from a concept or a title. I have never heard anyone else use this method, but I find that not only does it work for me, it also opens my ear to more easily find rhymes other than the perfect rhyme. Some people will not have the patience to work through this book, and for them, it will be a waste of money to buy. But I really like the book and it has taught me a lot of useful information to improve my songwriting. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2015 by robert
    • Definitely worth the money
I heard about this author and book from CD Baby’s podcast, DIY Musician. After songwriting for over two years, this is my first lyric help book I have purchased and while I’m only on page 27, so far I have not been disappointed. Pattison gives a nomenclature for techniques I was already using and expands and encourages the reader in those areas. It has been a creative blast for someone not only to give me permission but to give me an assignment to engage daily in creative writing. Regarding the very first exercise, daily 10-minute Object Writing, instead of picking random objects, pick objects/concepts within current song ideas you’re developing and apply his other concepts within that time. Powerful exercise. Thank you, Pat! Write on, creatives!! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2018 by julia bowling
    • Okay, but not great for me
This might be a great book for some people... like unemployed people who have all day to work on getting better through lengthy super-time-consuming processes. I was actually looking for a different approach to training and writing exercises. But then maybe my problem is I need to make more time somehow and do this work? IDK. Maybe I should quit my day job and go all-in on songwriting? :-) Maybe I need a book to tell me how to do that and avoid living under a bridge with my family at the same time. I do remember that the pain and uncertainty that soaks into your soul when you are poor is a source of ideas and inspiration and power when you are writing. But I guess none of this is about the book. The book is well written and will likely be helpful to many people... but you should go into it knowing that for every few pages you read there is a connected extended sometime very lengthy exercise that goes along with it. This book shows you ways to change your daily writing habits for the better. But if you don't go all-in with each idea it's a bit of a time suck. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2020 by MP
    • Even if you’re formally trained in creative writing, this book is worth the read!
I’m only 3 chapters in and already feel that this is improving my poetry/song writing efforts. It’s potentially a little more “nerdy” or granular than some writers might enjoy but as someone who spent 4 years of college focusing on creative writing, it appeals to me on intellectual and nostalgic levels. It feels familiar in the way that reminds me of college writing workshops, but (unlike college classes) it has given me practical tools to improve my ability to generate really “tasty” words and vivid imagery in an easy and natural way. I’ve been doing the “object writing” exercises daily for 4 weeks now and can already see an improvement in my more formal/intentional writing efforts. This is the closest thing to a “writer’s workout trainer” I’ve ever read. Somehow it improved upon the lessons of King’s ‘On Writing’ and Lamott’s ‘Bird By Bird’ and has “clicked” for me the way that college classes never did. I’m looking forward to letting the rest of the book guide me through more useful exercises to build up my creative muscles so that I can find my flow more quickly and create even better pieces. Now… if only it could teach me piano basics! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2021 by D'nelle Dowis
    • Good ideas
Book contains some interesting ideas. One of the key thoughts in it is that lyrics that simply describe internal dialogue are usually boring to everyone, and instead focus on showing rather than telling, through sense language. The object writing is also interesting. The chapters about meter are really long. Not clear that those techniques are improving the lyrics in the examples. Maybe with examples of the song performed (in audio) it would be clearer. I do think the book could get a revision for more current songs. Many if not most of the examples are from the 60s and 70s. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2019 by TX
    • a great book on lyric writing. probably the main one you will need in your arsenal
the ideas and systems being set in place very early on in this book have gotten me more focused and thoughtful of the craft. it is a great book, one I knew I would want in a hardcopy, not kindle, as it feels better reading it in a book for some reason. that said, if you are struggling with writing lyrics or just need a boost, this is top advice from a master of the method. very much worth the money. there are a lot of excercises. I am doing some of them, most, but not doing all if they seem too much. there is a lot of emphasis on a writing class, which sounds nice, but I am not in one, so this is the next best thing. I think people already writing lyrics would do well to buy this. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2017 by Jared shoegaze

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