Writing Better Lyrics :: Education by Design Store

Customer Reviews

Very rich and deep

2008-10-04
A lot of great ideas here. The exercises in the first couple of chapters and the instructions about using a rhyming dictionary and thesaurus were very helpful to me. I find the layout to be a bit confusing. Some times it takes me a little while of reading to try and figure out what he is talking about. (for example one exercise says to write about a "real" object, and then he uses "holding your breath" as an example). I find I have to really work hard to make sure I'm doing the exercises right. I would have also liked a little more in-depth analysis of the songs. Very good book.

An invaluable resource

2008-07-10
This book is a gem. Any songwriter who wishes to improve their lyric writing will find techniques and tools which are immediately applicable and which can also be referred to time and time again.

As far as insights and tools to aid your own writing process this book is by far the best I have read.

I have had this book two years now and I still have "aha" moments when I read it today.

SO useful

2008-06-28
I'm a serious student of songwriting. This book was recommended to me by a multi-award winning songwriter and I can see why. The exercises and presentation of concepts are extremely valuable. A must-have book.

Very thorough..a bit too much for me

2007-12-03
In short, I feel this book is focussed too strong on technique and excercises that require a LOT of time to grasp. It is written for people who have a mission in life to WRITE and have a lot of time on their hands trying to learn and practice. I feel the writer sometimes confuses poetry with lyrics, but coming from a Berklee Professor that is probably fair...

Need a jumpstart?

2007-08-15
If you do, her exercises will help you jump right in with an idea. I agree with someone else who recommended Jimmy Webb's Tunesmith (the best songwriting book I've read) but this is my second favorite- very practical, very creative.

Lyric writing

2007-06-10
Pattison presents a unique, in-depth approach to the process of lyric writing. Apprentice songwriters will examine 17 extraordinary songs and learn the distinct elements that make them so effective. Pattison then presents more than 30 lyric-writing exercises designed to help them achieve the same results. From generating lyric ideas and managing repetition to developing verses, it's all here. Songwriters will:

* find warm-up exercises that revolutionize songwriting imagery
* use a rhyming dictionary and a thesaurus to generate ideas and find snappy rhymes
* create meaningful metaphors and similes while avoiding clichés
* develop verses by using or by breaking conventional rules
* experiment with point of view in every lyric to make a song stand out

gets the job done 2006-07-12
this seems to be more of a compilation of pat's other "essential songwriting guides" i have this book and the "songwriting: essential guide to rhyming, i am planning on getting the one for form and structure. as for this book in question, it tends to be difficult to comprehend,
the author is supposed to be a professor at berkley, and what i am getting at is when reading and trying to do the exercises i feel like i need to go enroll in a songwriting class and have an instructor go over the exercises with me.

Excellent work. 2006-03-20
This book has advanced concepts that can be used by professional songwriters or those aspiring to become one. Excellent information.
I wish the book was available in hardcover. My pages have begun to fall out.

Had to buy this book! 2006-01-15
I checked this book out from my public library and after reading
it, I needed to buy it for further use. I suggest that people who get this book, read it as if a fiction book the first time through...just to get a total overview of the direction Pattison is taking with his teaching. Then, read it a second time, doing the exercises, and studying and practicing the material. The book develops upon development until it summarizes the whole lyric writing process in the final pages of the book. Pattison, a professional writer, lets the reader "watch" how he himself creates a real lyric from start to finish in the final chapter of this book. But in order to understand what he is doing, a reader must have read all the prior chapters.
The only criticism that I have is that I felt as if I was being
programmed into only one style of lyric writing--a country western ballad-type, the kind that would tell a short story just so that the repeated refrain could be looked at with new eyes and not be boring. I think though that is because I'm new at proper lyric writing and haven't studied much before this book. A person who buys this book will probably need to read other material and authors as well, so as not to get into a same-old, same-old rut. But what the heck...a person has to start learning somewhere...and this is a great book to start with.

Read the lyric chapters in Jimmy Webb's "Tunesmith" instead 2005-08-13
This book might be useful if you've never completed a lyric, or if you think REO Speedwagon are brilliant songwriters.
But if you can write at all, this won't help.
Save your money, I wish I had. I even feel bad about giving this to any aspiring songwriter, as it's loaded with bad rhyming habits and silly exercises.
Take a pass and just listen to the great songwriters' songs instead!