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| | Home The Songwriting Sourcebook: How to Turn Chords Into Great Songs | |
|  | |  | | | The Songwriting Sourcebook: How to Turn Chords Into Great Songs | | | | | SKU:
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Usually ships in 28-42 business days | | | | | | Using visual examples of songwriting techniques, this book teaches guitarists to write better songs. The CD demonstrates how the examples sound, and it includes dozens of chord progressions, evolving melodies and structures, and harmony effects, making the book especially useful to those who don't read music. The book starts with basic chords, describes how to write a song with simple elements, then gradually develops more complex structures. By seeing and hearing step-by-step examples of the song craft, the reader can easily learn the secrets of songwriting. | | | |
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| | Product Details | | Author: | Rikky Rooksby | | Paperback: | 224 pages | | Publisher: | Backbeat Books | | Publication Date: | 2003-09 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 0879307498 | | Product Length: | 11.26 inches | | Product Width: | 8.26 inches | | Product Height: | 0.56 inches | | Product Weight: | 1.89 pounds | | Package Length: | 10.5 inches | | Package Width: | 8.4 inches | | Package Height: | 0.6 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.55 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 22 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 22 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
51 of 51 found the following review helpful:
 CD is a gem! Feb 03, 2006
By reviewer
I didn't touch the cd until after I had read the book. My reasoning wasn't to save the best for last. I just didn't expect to hear anything useful since I would be playing the examples on my keyboard while reading through the topics. I was completely satisfied with what the book alone did for me. I'd been writing for a while and knew much of the information presented already, but what Rooksby did was organize my tool drawer. It's mainly a book on the use of chords as the basis for writing popular songs in any genre, from the most basic to the most colorful. He shows us the resource we have in these chords and how popular songs have used them and will continue to use them. By the end of the book you really feel like writing, because much of the mystery about the craft has been resolved.
Then you pop in the cd and listen to no less than "20" beautifully recorded pop tracks(sans vocals) written in various styles which apply the book's teachings. But you aren't just listening. You're following along with the cd section of the book, which shows every chord used and an accounting of every measure in every track recorded, along with comments on the most significant events.
I came away with a much greater appreciation of popular song and its potential.
41 of 44 found the following review helpful:
 Simple, Clean and Very Helpful Sep 17, 2004
By David W. Opderbeck
"Guitarguy"
This is a book about chord progressions and song structures used in popular music. It is basic, but in a good way. I'm a pretty experienced songwriter, and I already intuitively do much of what the book describes, but now I know why what I do works or doesn't work, and also have a palette of new ideas. The layout and graphics are excellent, and I also appreciate the glossy paper stock -- the publishing work is beautifully done. If you enjoy writing songs, particularly if you're a guitar player who enjoys writing songs, and you want to better understand the foundations of popular song structure conventions, I heartily recommend this book.
23 of 25 found the following review helpful:
you need to own ALL of rikky rooksby's books. Dec 27, 2003
By Chris
"the most passionate music/film fan alive."
i can't praise rikky's books enough. i have all of them (at least the ones that are still in print). he knows his stuff. get this book, and its companion "how to write songs on guitar", and you're well on your way to making great music. he cites The Smiths and other great bands, in all of his books. now any author who uses the Smiths as an example of songwriting technique is aces in my book. seriously, the amount of knowledge you will get from his books (this one especially) is priceless. you'll never get writer's block again. GET HIS BOOKS. no others come close. -chris
14 of 15 found the following review helpful:
I love this Book Jun 26, 2005
By Eric Monse
"Eric"
This is the best book I've read on using chords in songs. Without knowing much about chord progressions and harmony, I went to a music teacher for a while who taught me what the basic chords were, but this book really put into place exactly how those chords can be used in a song.
This book uses I, IV, V chord type of notation, with the note (like G, F, etc.) written underneath it. I use keyboard and not guitar so the basic chords were fine but some of the notation was a bit more geared for guitar (I think guitar tends to use G where as keyboard is oriented at middle C). Possibly it would have been clearer if they'd had a version of the book geared specifically for keyboard.
But none-the-less, this book has been a godsend. I'd been looking for a book like this for a long time, one that explicitly shows you the techniques that popular music has been using for years, techniques that someone like me, who does not come from a musical background, can try out and run with.
Again, if you have questions like, what is harmony, what is a relative minor/major, you may want to find out the basics first, but once you know a tiny bit about chords, this book could very well give you a new "aha!" every time you study from it.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Practical, concise and useful. Sep 03, 2005
By Cesar J. M. Feijoo
"César"
If you want to learn music theory in a formal way this is not a book for you. But if you want to have a broad vision of the practical use of chords into songs, buy this one. It gives a very clear information on many techniques that can be applied inmediately to actual songs. There is no need of a previous deep knowledge of theory but some is a must. Finally, this is neither a chord dictionary nor a guitar method; all the information given is chord related so it's useful for any songwriter/composer. See ya.
See all 22 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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