Complete Idiot's Guide to Songwriting

356 Pages·2004·4.67 MB·English

Songwriting
by Joel Hirschhorn
A Pearson Education Company
To Jennifer, with appreciation for her love, her support, and her creative
brilliance.
Copyright © 2001 by Joel Hirschhorn
All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval sys-
tem, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. No patent liability is as-
sumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every
precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author
assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for
damages resulting from the use of information contained herein. For information, ad-
dress Alpha Books, 201 West 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46290.
THE COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO and Design are registered trademarks of Pearson
Education.
International Standard Book Number: 0-02-864144-2
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 200188754
03 02 01 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Interpretation of the printing code: The rightmost number of the first series of num-
bers is the year of the book’s printing; the rightmost number of the second series of
numbers is the number of the book’s printing. For example, a printing code of 01-1
shows that the first printing occurred in 2001.
Printed in the United States of America
Note: This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to
provide helpful and informative material on the subject matter covered. It is sold with
the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering profes-
sional services in the book. If the reader requires personal assistance or advice, a com-
petent professional should be consulted.
The author and publisher specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss,
or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indi-
rectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.
Publisher
Marie Butler-Knight
Product Manager
Phil Kitchel
Managing Editor
Jennifer Chisholm
Acquisitions Editor
Amy Zavatto
Development Editor
Doris Cross
Senior Production Editor
Christy Wagner
Copy Editor
Heather Stith
Illustrator
Chris Sabatino
Cover Designers
Mike Freeland
Kevin Spear
Book Designers
Scott Cook and Amy Adams of DesignLab
Indexer
Angie Bess
Layout/Proofreading
Svetlana Dominguez
Cheryl Lynch
Lizbeth Patterson
Contents at a Glance
Part 1: How to Write a Hit 1
1 Music Training: Is It a Must? 3
Make the most of your musical education.
2 A Century of Songwriting 13
A look at some of the factors that make a song a hit, from
the era of vaudeville to the age of videos.
3 The Idea Is King 25
Absorb every influence for inspiration and stop suffering
from writer’s block.
4 What Comes First, Words or Music? 37
Well-known songwriters weigh in on this chicken-and-the-
egg debate.
5 Finding and Keeping Collaborators 47
Communication is the name of the game in establishing a
successful musical marriage.
6 Title Power! 59
A good title helps to tell the song’s story and hook the au-
dience.
Part 2: Dressing Up the Song 69
7 The Visual Songwriter 71
Develop your visual sense, use all your senses in your
songwriting, and you might see a hit record.
8 Cooking Up Your Hit Ingredients 79
With a savory song structure and a rich rhyme scheme
(add a dash of alliteration), you can create a tasty tune.
9 Repetition and Hooks 89
You can say that again!
10 The Secrets of Hit Melody Writing 101
Get the best grooves and killer chords, and you’ll be on
your way to success.
11 Rewriting 111
Fight to make it right.
Part 3: Genre Gold 123
12 Crossing Into Country 125
Let simple chords and honest heartache lead you to the
Grand Ole Opry.
13 R&B and Rap 135
Rhythm plus passion equals chart success.
14 Commercials and Children’s Music 147
The joy of jingles and the charm of children.
15 Movie Scoring and Songwriting 159
From Hammerstein to Horner: how composers match their
music to the movies.
16 Live and Animated Musicals 171
Capturing movie characters with words and music.
17 Musicals for the Stage 181
How to write tunes that win Tonys.
Part 4: Showing It Off 197
18 The Power of a Hit Demo 199
Making a model of a hit song.
19 Becoming a Great Song Salesman 211
Networking your way to your next hit.
20 The Singer/Songwriter 223
Creating an image as an artist and a writer.
21 Home Studio 233
Have the convenience of recording whenever the mood
strikes you.
22 Producing Your Own Hit Songs 243
Writing, recording, arranging, mixing—it’s all you.
Part 5: Finishing Touches 255
23 Royalties and Guilds 257
How BMI and ASCAP help you get what you have coming
to you.
24 What’s Happening in Songwriting? 271
The effects of the Internet on the songwriting industry, and
how the Grammys signal musical trends.
Appendixes
A Glossary 287
B Resources 291
C Contests and Competitions 297
Index 299
Contents
Part 1: How to Write a Hit 1
1 Music Training: Is It a Must? 3
Looking at the Hit-Makers....................................................3
Is There Success Without Counterpoint? ................................5
Prestige vs. Poverty ................................................................5
Don’t Delay Your Dreams ....................................................6
From the Harbor Club to Elvis ..............................................6
Make It Big Through a Local Gig ..........................................7
Accompany Your Way to a Hit ..............................................7
Play Sessions ........................................................................7
Join an Orchestra ..................................................................8
Say Yes! ................................................................................8
Put Your Musical Knowledge to Work ................................8
Teach Me Tonight ................................................................8
Write What You Know..........................................................9
Spin Some Tunes ..................................................................9
Let the Music Keep You Going ..............................................9
Preserving and Submitting Your Songs ................................9
Keep the Cassette Player Running ........................................10
Lead Sheet vs. Lyric Sheet ....................................................11
Preparing a Lead Sheet ........................................................11
2 A Century of Songwriting 13
Hey Mr. Ziegfeld, Here I Am!..............................................13
The Rise of Ragtime ............................................................14
Beyond Blackface ................................................................14
“Give My Regards to Broadway” ........................................15
George M. Cohan ................................................................15
Jerome Kern ........................................................................15
George Gershwin ................................................................16
Irving Berlin, a Man of the People ......................................16
The Elite Cole Porter ..........................................................16
Songs of the Great Depression and World War II ................16
Rodgers, Hart, and Hammerstein ........................................17
Crosby, Sinatra, and the Pop Singers ................................17
The Role of Rock ................................................................17
Rocking the Clock Forward ..................................................18
Bob Dylan ..........................................................................18
Sex in a Red Jumpsuit ........................................................19
The Beach Boys ..................................................................19
The Beatles’ Artistic Fearlessness ........................................19
The Rolling Stones ..............................................................20
Motown Magic ....................................................................20
Independent Women............................................................20
Bruce Springsteen ................................................................21
The Rap Revolution ............................................................21
Michael Jackson and the MTV Explosion ..........................21
Quick Cuts..........................................................................21
Videos Come of Age ............................................................22
A Rock Genre Mini Guide ..................................................22
3 The Idea Is King 25
Banish Writer’s Block ..........................................................26
Dig Deeper ..........................................................................26
Keep Your Eye on the Idea ..................................................26
Satisfy Yourself....................................................................27
Inspiring Characters ..........................................................27
The People on the Street ......................................................28
Loved Ones ........................................................................29
Your Own Life ....................................................................29
Universal Themes ..............................................................29
The Blues............................................................................29
The Tragedy Trigger ............................................................29
Cheating Hearts ..................................................................30
Breaking Up ........................................................................30
Endless Love ......................................................................30
Pride in Your Parents ..........................................................30
Traveling Back in Time ......................................................31
All Apologies ......................................................................31
Mining the Media ..............................................................31
Chance Encounters Lead to Hits ..........................................31
I Am Woman......................................................................32
Simple Starting Points ........................................................32
Devil or Angel ....................................................................32
“Barbara Ann” to “A Boy Named Sue”................................32
Location, Location, Location ..............................................33
The Songwriter’s Paintbrush ................................................33
Animal Magic ....................................................................33
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Songwriting
Good Days and Bad Days ..................................................33
Questions and Answers ......................................................34
Holiday Songs ....................................................................34
The Four-Minute Screenplay ..............................................34
Priming the Idea Pump ......................................................35
Travel the Highway to Hits ................................................35
4 What Comes First, Words or Music? 37
Working Styles ....................................................................37
Preparing to Create Songs for Artists ................................39
As a Composer....................................................................39
As a Lyricist........................................................................39
Major Songwriters Weigh In ..............................................40
Was Richard Rodgers Wrong?..............................................40
Tim Rice ............................................................................40
Hal David ..........................................................................40
Randy Newman ..................................................................41
The Rhythm in Your Mind ................................................41
Practice Wearing Both Hats ................................................41
No Borders ..........................................................................42
Take This Song and Shove It................................................42
Don’t Stick to Your Own Area..............................................43
Positive Disaster..................................................................43
Hooked on a Feeling ............................................................44
Feel Your Way to Creativity................................................45
5 Finding and Keeping Collaborators 47
A Roller Coaster Worth Riding ..........................................47
Work Habits ........................................................................49
How Important Is the Job? ..................................................49
Punctuality Problems ..........................................................49
Last-Minute Blues ..............................................................49
Deferring to the Larger Ego ..................................................50
It’s the Song, Stupid ............................................................50
“Let’s Try It Another Way”..................................................50
Stick to Your Guns ..............................................................51
I Do (but Sometimes I Don’t) ..............................................51
Part-Time Collaboration......................................................51
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Contents
How to Find Your Partner ..................................................52
Start Locally........................................................................52
Advertise ............................................................................53
Establish Industry Contacts ................................................53
Be in the Right Place at the Right Time ..............................53
Contact ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC........................................54
Go for a Lucky Long Shot ....................................................54
Work an Artist’s Muscle ......................................................54
Cold, Hard Business............................................................55
Inspiration from Across the Sea ........................................55
Long-Distance Gold ............................................................56
Traveling in Your Mind ......................................................56
Starting Out with a Hit ......................................................57
Gaining a Worldwide Reputation ........................................57
6 Title Power! 59
Titles That Tell the Story ....................................................59
Simple and Straightforward ................................................59
Title Characters ..................................................................60
Titles That Set the Tone......................................................61
Built-In Drama ..................................................................61
The Message in the Music ..................................................62
Pleading, Hoping, Begging ..................................................62
Hot-Blooded ........................................................................62
For All the Victims of the World..........................................63
Title Triggers........................................................................64
Go from Text to Title ..........................................................64
Find the Right Word............................................................64
Dance to the Music ............................................................64
Cover the Country ..............................................................65
Keep Your Titles in the Trunk ..............................................65
Words That Work................................................................65
“Come On, Baby, Light My Fire” ........................................66
Letters ................................................................................66
Cry Your Way to the Charts ................................................66
A Taste of Sugar..................................................................66
One Is the Magic Number....................................................67
Only ..................................................................................67
Kiss ....................................................................................67
First-Line Fever....................................................................67
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