Writing Music For Hit Songs (Omnibus Press)
by Jai Josefs
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jai JosefsBrand: Schirmer Trade Books
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2000-11-01
ISBN: 0825672457
Number of pages: 262
Publisher: Schirmer Trade Books
Product features:
- Published by Schirmer Trade Books 262 Pages
- by Jai Josefs
- Author: Jai Josefs
Book Reviews of Writing Music For Hit Songs (Omnibus Press)
Book Review: How does he do it?
Summary: 5 Stars
In my experience, there are generally two types of songwriting books out there...the kind that try to keep things "fun" by dumbing down the more complex concepts to avoid losing you, and the kind that plow tirelessly through mountains of information with little or no thought given to actually keeping the reader awake, much less engaging his/her imagination.
This book, however, is the best of both worlds. Not only is it the most in-depth and detailed book on creating modern music for songs that I have ever read, it is also one of the most easily digested. The author has a gift for explaining very sophisticated songwriting techniques in such a way as to not make you feel overwhelmed, and he goes well beyond the scope of most other books by helping you understand not only the concept, but how and when to use it. "Writing Music For Hit Songs" covers an enormous range of key concepts including song form, music theory fundamentals, modern harmonic techniques (including borrowed chords, secondary dominants, inversions, pedal point, modulation, and chord extensions and alterations), melody techniques (including pitch, rhythm, phrasing, contrast, tessitura, and motivic development), writing in minor keys, rhythm and groove, and even a section on arranging your finished song for a demo recording. And yet despite covering all of these very complex topics within one book, I don't feel that the author made any sacrifices as to the level of detail he put into each section. His approach is fast paced enough to not get bogged down, but not so fast as to leave you still struggling to connect the dots. And as if this wasn't enough, he provides multiple real-world examples of each concept from hit songs drawn from every genre and from every time period, including oldies, country, grunge, pop, blues, traditional...the list goes on and on.
I never once felt that I was being "lectured" while reading this book, and that makes all the difference bacause it makes you WANT to read it. It should be incredibly useful to anyone looking to break out of old habits and/or escape the limitations that come with not having a thorough understanding of how songs really work.
Summary of Writing Music For Hit Songs (Omnibus Press)
This book is for everyone who dreams of placing a song on the Top-40 charts. From the musical basics through the completed song, Josefs reveals the hit-making mixture for rock, country, R&B, and theatrical forms. Illustrated with over 100 real-world examples.History & Criticism Books
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