How to Write Lyrics
Better Words for Your Songs
2nd Edition
Published on 15. September 2021
176 pages
978-1-4930-5616-3 (ISBN)
Description
Lyrics sheds light on all aspects of writing lyrics for music and will make lyricists and songwriters feel more confident and creative when they tackle lyrics. It's perfect for all songwriters: those who don't like their own lyrics and find lyrics difficult to write, experienced writers looking for a creative edge, and those offering lyrics to set to music in a partnership.
The book discusses channeling personal experiences into lyrics, overcoming writer's block, the right lyrics for a bridge, the separation between lyrics and poetry, exploring imagery and metaphor, avoiding clichés, and more. It also offers tips on the various styles of lyrics, from protests, spirituals, and confessionals to narratives and comic songs.
New to this edition are artist and song references throughout to reflect musical history to date. Also, a new section provides examples of taking lyric ideas right through the drafting process, illustrating development and re-drafting and using a handful of contrasting approaches.
The book discusses channeling personal experiences into lyrics, overcoming writer's block, the right lyrics for a bridge, the separation between lyrics and poetry, exploring imagery and metaphor, avoiding clichés, and more. It also offers tips on the various styles of lyrics, from protests, spirituals, and confessionals to narratives and comic songs.
New to this edition are artist and song references throughout to reflect musical history to date. Also, a new section provides examples of taking lyric ideas right through the drafting process, illustrating development and re-drafting and using a handful of contrasting approaches.
More details
Edition
2nd Revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Hal Leonard Corporation
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Edition type
Revised edition
Illustrations
60 b/w illustrations; 200 tables
ISBN-13
978-1-4930-5616-3 (9781493056163)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
09/2021
2nd Edition
Backbeat Books
€33.30
Shipment within 10-20 days
Person
Rikky Rooksby is a guitar teacher, songwriter/composer, and writer on popular music. He is the author of How to Write Songs on Guitar (2000, revised edition 2009), Inside Classic Rock Tracks (2001), Riffs (2002, revised edition 2010), The Songwriting Sourcebook (2003, revised edition 2011), Chord Master (2004, revised edition 2016), Melody (2004), Songwriting Secrets: Bruce Springsteen (2005), How to Write Songs on Keyboards (2005), Lyrics (2006), Arranging Songs (2007), How to Write Songs in Altered Guitar Tunings (2010), and Songs and Solos (2014). He has also written fourteen Fast Forward guitar books and arranged over three dozen chord songbooks, including The Complete Beatles. He has written entries on rock musicians for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, and published interviews, reviews, and transcriptions in many UK music magazines. He is a member of the Society of Authors, Sibelius One, and the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society.
Content
- how to write lyrics
- contents
- preface to the second edition
- how to use this book
- part 1 finding inspiration, learning the craft
- section 1 making a start
- section 2 30 ways to find inspiration
- section 3 from sketch to final draft
- section 4 the magic of titles
- section 5 techniques and craft
- section 6 painting pictures with words
- section 7 telling a story
- section 8 writing lyrics today
- section 9 a gallery of lyrics
- part 2 further exploration, words of wisdom
- section 10 a sourcebook of themes
- section 11 songwriter interviews
- acknowledgments
- about the author
