ESSENTIAL SECRETS OF SONGWRITING - 3rd Edition

Table&of&Contents&
Introduction*to*the*3rd*Edition ...................................................11!

PREFACE ............................................................................................18!
The*Desire*to*be*Creative**Its*Human*Its*You...................... 18!
WHEN*GOOD*SONGS*GO*BAD ............................................................ 23!
LISTEN! .................................................................................................... 26!
WHAT*IS*GOOD*MUSIC? ...................................................................... 29!

CHAPTER*1:*An*INTRODUCTION*TO*WRITING*MUSIC........36!
The*Sound*of*Music.............................................................................. 37!
Good!Music!is!Good!Partnership .............................................................39!
MAJOR*SONG*COMPONENTS ............................................................. 42!
Form.....................................................................................................................42!
The!Chords!You!Choose...............................................................................46!
Why!Great!Melodies!are!Great .................................................................47!
How!To!Say!What!You!Need!To!Say .......................................................49!
Hooking!the!Audience ..................................................................................50!
Is*There*a*Composer*in*Me?.............................................................. 53!
What*You*Need*To*Be*a*Good*Songwriter .................................... 55!
Lets*Get*Started! .................................................................................. 59!
Make!a!Demo!Recording!!Yes,!already! ..............................................59!
Get!It!Done! .......................................................................................................60!
Chapter*1*SUMMARY ........................................................................... 63!

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CHAPTER*2:*Your*Music*From*the*Inside ...............................64!
The*Success*of*Great*Writers ........................................................... 65!
Form ......................................................................................................... 68!
How!Important!is!Form?.............................................................................68!
Good!Form!Means!Good!Design...............................................................69!
Good!Form!Cant!be!Accidental................................................................71!
Song*Components*Defined ................................................................ 73!
Intro .....................................................................................................................73!
Verse ....................................................................................................................78!
PreVChorus ........................................................................................................81!
Chorus .................................................................................................................85!
Bridge ..................................................................................................................87!
Outro....................................................................................................................90!
Getting*to*Know*Your*Song ............................................................... 92!
Chapter*2*SUMMARY ........................................................................... 95!

CHAPTER*3:*Designing*a*Song ....................................................96!
The*Blueprint:*Putting*the*Parts*Together.................................. 97!
The!Contrast!Principle!of!Composition ................................................98!
Energy**the*Forgotten*Formal*Element.....................................115!
What!Song!Form!Is!Doing!For!Your!Song .........................................120!
Chapter*3*SUMMARY .........................................................................123!

CHAPTER*4:*CHORD*PROGRESSIONS..................................... 125!
Some*Straight*Talk*on*Chord*Progressions...............................128!
I.*Chord*Basics .....................................................................................131!
The!Basic!Triads!of!Any!Major!Key......................................................133!

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 How!We!Refer!to!Chords..........................................................................135!
II.*How*One*Chord*Moves*to*Another*Chord .............................136!
The!VVI!Progression....................................................................................137!
Why!Some!Progressions!Work!and!Others!Dont .........................137!
Strong!Progressions!!Fragile!Progressions....................................143!
The!Chart!of!TwoVChord!Progressions ..............................................149!
When!Progressions!Sound!Muddled...................................................150!
When!to!Use!Strong!Progressions,!and!
!!!!!!!!!!When!to!Use!Fragile!Ones.............................................................152!
What!About!Minor!Keys? .........................................................................156!
Looking!for!the!Killer!Chord!Progression.....................................161!
How!Long!Should!a!Chord!Progression!Be? ....................................163!
III.*Integrating*Balance*When*Building*a*
**************Longer*Progression ..............................................................165!
Building!Longer!Progressions ...............................................................167!
Incorporating!Balance...............................................................................171!
IV.*Expanding*Your*Chord*Vocabulary........................................177!
I.!Adding!a!7th!to!a!VVChord ...................................................................178!
II.!Modal!Mixtures .......................................................................................184!
III.!Secondary!Dominant!Chords ..........................................................187!
IV.!Suspensions ............................................................................................192!
V.!Inversions..................................................................................................196!
Key*Changes .........................................................................................200!
Dont!Go!Changin!Without!a!Reason ..............................................200!
Chapter*4*SUMMARY .........................................................................206!

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CHAPTER*5:*Melody*and*Lyric................................................. 209!
How*Good*Melodies*Work ...............................................................211!
The!Melodic!Journey:!How!Yesterday!Works .............................213!
When!Melody!and!Lyrics!Are!At!CrossVPurposes:!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Dont!Write!Counterintuitively .............................................216!
What!is!Falsetto!and!Tessitura?............................................................218!
Writing*Good*Melodies.....................................................................221!
Getting!Notes!in!the!Right!Place ...........................................................221!
Song!Sample:!You!Belong!With!Me ..................................................224!
Shaping*a*Melody ...............................................................................229!
Writing*Good*Song*Lyrics ................................................................231!
Too!Many!Words .........................................................................................232!
Developing!Better!Lyrics:!Tips!and!Techniques ............................235!
Creating*a*Song*by*Layering*Ideas................................................239!
Other!Ways!to!Compose...........................................................................248!
Songwriting*Dissatisfaction............................................................250!
Dissatisfaction!Is!Normal.........................................................................252!
Balancing*Lyrics*and*Melody..........................................................255!
The!Balance!of!Hotel!California.........................................................256!
Dealing!with!Unremarkable!Lyrics......................................................257!
Dont!be!Weak...............................................................................................259!
The*Melody*and*Lyrics*of*a*Bridge ...............................................260!
A!Bridge!That!Diminishes!Song!Energy.............................................263!
More!About!Bridge!Melodies .................................................................264!
When!a!Bridge!Isnt!Necessary..............................................................266!
Chapter*5*SUMMARY .........................................................................267!

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CHAPTER*6:*The*Hook*and*the*Motif .................................... 270!
Hook!and!Motif.............................................................................................274!
The!Danger!of!the!Hook............................................................................277!
A!Hooks!Main!Characteristics...............................................................278!
The*Various*Types*of*Hooks ...........................................................280!
1.!The!Chorus!Hook ....................................................................................281!
2.!The!Intro!Hook ........................................................................................281!
3.!The!Instrumental!Background!Hook .............................................282!
The*Hook*as*a*Basis*for*Your*Song ...............................................283!
The!Subtle!Hook ..........................................................................................284!
The!Myth!of!the!Hook................................................................................285!
The!Hooks!Main!Responsibility ...........................................................287!
Chapter*6*SUMMARY .........................................................................289!

CHAPTER*7:*Inspiration ............................................................ 291!

The*Role*of*Inspiration.....................................................................291!
Misunderstanding!Inspiration...............................................................292!
The*Steps*to*Honing*Your*Songwriting*Craft ............................297!
Starting!Without!Inspiration..................................................................299!
Chapter*7*SUMMARY .........................................................................301!

Chapter*8:*The*World*Beyond*Composing**Now*What? 302!
The*Most*Important*Principle*of*All ............................................302!
And!now!what?.........................................................................................304!
Getting*Your*Song*Ready:*A*Brief*Tutorial ................................305!
Copyright ........................................................................................................305!
Publishing*and*Other*Matters........................................................312!

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 Creating!Your!Own!Publishing!Company......................................312!
Mechanical!Rights .......................................................................................314!
Performing!Rights!Organizations.........................................................314!
In*Conclusion .......................................................................................315!
Chapter*8*SUMMARY .........................................................................317*

Index*of*Song*Samples*.**319*

Glossary*328*

About*Gary*Ewer*...*333*