Category: Music Publisher: Stony Meadow Publishing
ISBN-10: 0978792513
Type: Non-Fiction
Pages: 220
Copyright: January 19, 2007
ISBN-13: 9780978792510
A journal that songwriters can use for songwriting ideas and inspiration.
Whether you are new to songwriting or have written hundreds of songs, The Songwriter's Journal should be within arm's reach whenever the mood to write a new tune strikes. It is packed with the fuel you need to ignite the imagination and provides you with more ideas than you could ever hope to write about. With hundreds of entries designed specifically to spark the muse within, the book should reside on every songwriter's bookshelf or desk. It includes songwriting exercises, chord progressions for new songs, word association exercises, ideas to write new songs about, note sequences for new songs, power words to include in your lyrics, items that belong in every songwriter's toolkit and much more.
Professional Reviews
The Muse's Muse
In reviewing songwriting books, it is important to ask the question: "Will this one help someone become a better songwriter?" In this case, it should make anyone a more prolific songwriter, which will provide the opportunity for improvement. It should help tickle a sleeping muse awake, and that can't hurt.
Jon Hood
This is a really great idea, and one my 12 year old son and I (age 50) are both having fun with. My son is using piano (yep, he plays most every day and is in to improvising and taking the next step in his musical journey), me guitar. There's a journal format that encourages developing an individual's song ideas on a regular basis. The hardest part in writing this book is coming up with 52 basically unique sets of entries for - useful songwriting exercises, and sample chord progressions ( this alone is worth the price of the book). There are 13 separate thought invoking ideas (52 x 13) in each week's entry incl. cliches, expressions, power words, word association, and famous songwriters thoughts. There is another segment in there called songwriter toolkit with recording, technical advice and other books about rhyming, lyrics, etc.
The Midwest Book Review
"The Songwriter's Journal: 52 Weeks Of Songwriting Ideas And Inspiration" by professional songwriter Stan Swanson was written to both provide aspiring songwriters with ideas and inspirations for new songs, and a forum in which to jot down their daily notes, thoughts, ideas, and musical notations over the course of a year's time. The formula is straightforward: 'An Idea to Write a Song About'; 'Note Sequence for a Song'; 'Power Words'; 'Cliches, Expressions, Slang and Idioms'; 'Rolling Stone Magazine's Greatest Songs of All Time'; and 'Songwriter's Toolkit'; followed by a page of blank lines and a musical score section just waiting to be filled in. Of special note are the sections arranged by the week and devoted to providing an opportunity to address and record 'Songwriting Exercises'; 'Song Titles'; 'Chord Procession for a Song'; 'Word Association Exercises'; and 'Songwriters Hall of Fame' which showcases a particular musician composer. "The Songwriter's Journal" is an invaluable tool and very strongly recommended for the novice songwriter, and has a great deal of utility and value for even the more experienced composer.
