The Philosophy of Modern Song is Bob Dylan's first book of new writing since 2004's Chronicles: Volume One and since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016. Dylan, who began working on the book in 2010, offers a master class on the art and craft of songwriting. He writes over sixty essays focusing on songs by other artists, spanning from Stephen Foster to Elvis Costello, and in between ranging from Hank Williams to Nina Simone. He analyzes...

"An effective and inspiring guide to songwriting by prolific singer-songwriter Dar Williams. How to Write a Song That Matters is an invaluable guide to writing music by a woman who knows how to do it and do it well: iconic singer-songwriter, Dar Williams. For years now, Williams has led songwriting retreats for musicians, from beginners to professionals, in which she elevates the process of songwriting over the assessment of the product. This book...

A comprehensive course for beginning and experienced songwriters includes cogent advice on how to write the always-popular genres--from the country song to ska--as well as how to find a song concept, distill the hook, choose a form, add harmony, and select rhythm. An appendix features tips on how to copyright, computerize, notate, record, and sell your song.

"For more than twenty-five years, All you need to know about the music business has been regarded as the definitive guide to the music industry. Now in its tenth edition, Donald Passman leads novices and experts alike through what has been the most profound change in the music business since the days of wax cylinders and piano rolls: streaming. For the first time in history, music is no longer monetized by selling something--it's monetized by how...

"From the Grammy nominated folk singer and songwriter, an inspiring exploration of creativity and the redemptive power of song. Mary Gauthier was twelve years old when she was given her Aunt Jenny's old guitar and taught herself to play with a Mel Bay basic guitar workbook. Music offered her a window to a world where others felt the way she did. Songs became lifelines to her, and she longed to write her own, one day. Then, for a decade, while struggling...

Whispering Pines is the first comprehensive history of Canada's immense songwriting legacy, from Gordon Lightfoot to Joni Mitchell. Canadian songwriters have always struggled to create work that reflects the environment in which they were raised, while simultaneously connecting with a mass audience. For most of the 20th century, that audience lay outside Canada, making the challenge that much greater. While nearly every songwriter who successfully...

This is a book about inspiration--exactly what every songwriter needs. There is always something new, whether it's teaching you the basics of the craft, helping you to improve, or pointing out unexplored directions. You will soon be writing songs that will not only please you and your friends, but just might please the ears of people in the music industry. And with its easy-to-use style, uncomplicated language, and clear, explanatory diagrams, it...

Rainsong is the title of a lovesong Hollis Sands wrote expressly for her husband, Ricky Sands, famous popular singer. After a romantic courtship and brief marriage, Ricky is dead, an apparent suicide. Hollis travels to Long Island's quaint Cold Spring Harbor, far from the taunting questions of the media and public. Hollis finds that there are more disturbing questions to face about Ricky's death, some of them involving the private lives of her closest...

An accomplished near 55-year old poet, Paul Chowder, tries his hand at songwriting, Quaker meetings, and tobacco experiments while he copes with turning 55 and his ex-girlfriend's new relationship with a local NPR radio host.

A comprehensive account of Bob Dylan's album cuts, bootlegs, and soundtrack recordings includes details that led to the composition of each song, what went on in the recording studio, and behind-the-scenes accounts of musicians on each track.