By Joel Hirschhorn - the Ashgrove

[Pages:356]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 system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed 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, address 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 numbers 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 professional services in the book. If the reader requires personal assistance or advice, a competent 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 indirectly, 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

12 Crossing Into Country Let simple chords and honest heartache lead you to the Grand Ole Opry.

123

125

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

18 The Power of a Hit Demo Making a model of a hit song.

19 Becoming a Great Song Salesman Networking your way to your next hit.

20 The Singer/Songwriter Creating an image as an artist and a writer.

21 Home Studio Have the convenience of recording whenever the mood strikes you.

22 Producing Your Own Hit Songs Writing, recording, arranging, mixing--it's all you.

197

199 211 223 233

243

Part 5: Finishing Touches

23 Royalties and Guilds How BMI and ASCAP help you get what you have coming to you.

24 What's Happening in Songwriting? The effects of the Internet on the songwriting industry, and how the Grammys signal musical trends.

255

257

271

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

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