Book List

Here you will find dozens of books on a wide range of topics related to songwriting and music.

In association with Amazon, most of these books are available for purchase online by clicking on the "[ see at Amazon ]" link next to the title. If you purchase a book after clicking on its Amazon link, a portion of the purchase price will be donated to Songspace.

(If there is no Amazon link, the book is either out of print, or not available through Amazon; other booksellers may have it, however.)

Topics:

creativity & creative writing
songwriting
interviews, profiles, biographies
song/lyric collections
music business
recording & production

(Notes on the titles are by Songspace creator/editor Richard Middleton).

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Creativity & Creative Writing

Impro: Improvisation and the Theater by Keith Johnstone
A wise and irreverent look at how "normalcy" inhibits our creativity, and how to break free.

Trust the Process by Shaun McNiff [ see at Amazon ]
I love McNiff's exploration of repetition and its role in creative work. He's a painter, but his insights are applicable in any medium.

The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julie Cameron [ see at Amazon ]
This book has saved my butt more than once, helping me take the long view and tend to my creative needs.

Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art by Stephen Nachmanovitch
[ see at Amazon ]
Improvisation as a way of living and creating, onstage and off. Liberating and inspiring.

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg [ see at Amazon ]
The now classic guide, used by writers of every ilk.

A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver [ see at Amazon ]
A brilliant contemporary poet's thoughts on the musicality and meaning of language in poetry – which I've found inspiring and useful in songwriting, as well.

Fast Fiction: Creating Fiction in Five Minutes by Roberta Allen [ see at Amazon ]
Allen's approach to writing "short short" stories is also particularly applicable to writing songs.

Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan [ see at Amazon ]
A clear and practical guide to making your writing more descriptive and vivid.

If You Want to Write: A Book About Art, Independence and Spirit by Brenda Ueland [ see at Amazon ]
This gem of a book will help you face down those demons that keep you from doing what you want to do.

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Songwriting

Songwriting and the Creative Process: Suggestions and Starting Points for Songwriters by Steve Gillette [ see at Amazon ]
An eclectic and inspiring collection with contributions by some of contemporary folk's best songwriters – refreshingly "non-commercial" in its approach.

The Craft of Lyric Writing by Sheila Davis [ see at Amazon ]
Successful Lyric Writing: A Step-By-Step Course & Workbook by Sheila Davis [ see at Amazon ]
The Songwriter's Idea Book by Sheila Davis [ see at Amazon ]
Insightful and approachable, Davis's books have helped many fledgling writers find their bearings and understand the nuts and bolts of the craft of songwriting.

Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting by Jimmy Webb [ see at Amazon ]
A highly informative discussion of the songwriting process and song structure, and an entertaining memoir.

Writing Music for Hit Songs by Jai Josefs [ see at Amazon ]
An excellent exploration of music theory – melody, harmony, and rhythm – as it relates to songwriting and arranging.

Melody in Songwriting: Tools and Techniques for Writing Hit Songs by Jack Perricone [ see at Amazon ]
A highly analytical exploration of melody in popular songwriting. Some may be put off by the seemingly counter-intuitive approach, but there's a lot of good information here.

The Songwriting Sourcebook: How to Turn Chords Into Great Songs by Rikky Rooksby [ see at Amazon ]

Chord Progressions for Songwriters by Richard Scott [ see at Amazon ]

88 Songwriting Wrongs & How to Right Them by Pat & Pete Luboff [ see at Amazon ]
An excellent "checklist" for improving your songwriting, from inspiration through to demos and marketing.

Songwriting and the Guitar ed. by Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers [ see at Amazon ]
More about how different musicians approach the guitar and how it influences their songwriting process, but also some good info about songwriting in general.

6 Steps to Songwriting Success by Jason Blume [ see at Amazon ]
Though formulaic, there's still something to be gained from Blume's rigorous insistence on brevity, and from his story of how he broke into the business.

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Interviews, Profiles, Biographies

Songwriters on Songwriting by Paul Zollo [ see at Amazon ]
A comprehensive collection of insightful, knowledgeable interviews with songwriters of every style and period, particularly popular music since the early 60s. A truly inspiring book.

Solo: Women Singer-Songwriters in Their Own Words ed. by Marc Woodworth [ see at Amazon ]
Autobiographical essays by artists spanning contemporary popular music, including Ani DiFranco, Sarah McLachlan, Joan Osborne, Lucinda Williams, Cassandra Wilson, Jonatha Brooke, and more.

Bound for Glory by Woody Guthrie [ see at Amazon ]
The extraordinarily vivid autobiography of an extraordinary man. Great.

Pastures of Plenty, A Self-Portrait: The Unpublished Writings of an American Hero - Woody Guthrie, ed. by Dave Marsh and Harold Leventhal [ see at Amazon ]
The sheer magnitude of Guthrie's creativity energy really comes to life in this book.

Off the Record: Songwriters on Songwriting by Graham Nash [ see at Amazon ]

Inside the Music: Conversations with Contemporary Musicians about Spirituality, Creativity, and Consciousness, by Dimitri Ehrlich
A fascinating exploration of the spiritual dimension of music through interviews with artists including Al Green, Iggy Pop, Jeff Buckley, Meredity Monk, Leonard Cohen, and more.

Stolen Moments: Conversations With Contemporary Musicians by Tom Schnabel [ see at Amazon ]
Interviews with a wide spectrum of artists including King Sunny Ade, Mose Allison, David Byrne, Miriam Makeba, Branford Marsalis, Ravi Shankar, Tom Waits, and more.

Guitar Pull: Conversations with Country Music's Legendary Songwriters by Philip Self [ see at Amazon ]

Rock Troubadors: Conversations on the Art and Craft of Songwriting by Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers [ see at Amazon ]

Music Is My Mistress by Duke Ellington [ see at Amazon ]

Irving Berlin: A Life in Song [ see at Amazon ]

Fascinating Rhythm : The Collaboration of George and Ira Gershwin by Deena Rosenberg [ see at Amazon ]

The Poets of Tin Pan Alley: A History of America's Great Lyricists by Philip Furia [ see at Amazon ]

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Song/Lyric Collections

NOTE: Many of the song/lyric collections also contain a good deal of biographical information.

Bob Dylan Lyrics 1962-2002 [ see at Amazon ]

Joni Mitchell: The Complete Poems and Lyrics [ see at Amazon ]

Between Thought and Expression: Selected Lyrics of Lou Reed [ see at Amazon ]

Patti Smith Complete : Lyrics, Reflections, and Notes for the Future [ see at Amazon ]

The Passionate Eye: The Collected Writing of Suzanne Vega [ see at Amazon ]

Songs in the Rough by Stephen Bishop [ see at Amazon ]
The stories – and actual first drafts – of many famous songs, from "Heartbreak Hotel" to "Higher Love."

Lyrics on Several Occasions by Ira Gershwin [ see at Amazon ]
Not just lyrics, but many wonderful anecdotes by Ira recounting how the songs came to be written.

The Complete Lyrics of Ira Gershwin ed. by Richard Kimball [ see at Amazon ]

Rodgers and Hart: A Musical Anthology [ see at Amazon ]

The Complete Lyrics of Cole Porter ed. by Richard Kimball [ see at Amazon ]

The Rodgers and Hammerstein Collection [ see at Amazon ]

Our Huckleberry Friend: The Life, Times, and Lyrics of Johnny Mercer by Bob Back & Ginger Mercer [ see at Amazon ]

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Music Business

How to Be Your Own Booking Agent by Jeri Goldstein [ see at Amazon ]
A comprehensive guide for musicians to the entire booking process.

How to Make and Sell Your Own Recording by Diane Sward Rapaport [ see at Amazon ]
The latest edition of the classic do-it-yourself guide.

The Musician's Guide to Making & Selling Your own CDs and Cassettes by Jana Stanfield
A very inspiring look at how to market your music through alternative channels.

The Self-Promoting Musician: Strategies for Independent Music Success by Peter Spellman [ see at Amazon ]
Lots of good information in this one.

The Billboard Guide to Music Publicity by Jim Pettigrew [ see at Amazon ]
This one, too.

This Business of Music Marketing and Promotion by Tad Lathrop & Jim Pettigrew [ see at Amazon ]
Ditto – particularly if you're working on record promotion.

The Songwriter's and Musician's Guide to Nashville by Sherry Bond [ see at Amazon ]
For anyone considering visiting Nashville, this book has oodles of information about the community, the culture, and the industry, with lots of practical advice.

How to Pitch and Promote Your Songs by Fred Koller [ see at Amazon ]
Going it alone plugging your songs to publishers, producers, and artists.

All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald Passman [ see at Amazon ]
A realistic look at how "The Music Business" really works, by an experienced entertainment lawyer. Detailed explanations of contracts, royalties and revenue, management, merchandising, and more.

Confessions of a Record Producer by Moses Avalon [ see at Amazon ]
Similar to the previous book but more an exposé the dirty bookkeeping, scams, and contractual pitfalls to watch out for, based on the author's swim-with-the-sharks experiences as a producer and engineer.

Hit Men: Power Brokers & Fast Money Inside the Music Business by Fredric Dannen [ see at Amazon ]
In case you didn't know it – yes, payola is still alive and well.

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Recording & Production

The Mixing Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinski
Hands-on info on getting good results at the console, particularly during mix-down. The interviews with pro engineers offer good practical advice, which isn't always true of books like this.

The Sound on Sound Book of Creative Recording I: Effects & Processors by Paul White
Lots of simple, practical info on how to get good results from signal processors.

Modern Recording Techniques by Huber & Runstein [ see at Amazon ]
A standard text for many audio engineering programs. (I also like the '74 edition, for all the retro gear info.)

Behind the Glass: Top Record Producers Tell How They Craft the Hits by Howard Massey [ see at Amazon ]
Interviews with top producers, including George Martin, Arif Mardin, Alan Parsons, Geoff Emerick, etc. Despite the emphasis on "star" producers and "hits", there's useful info here for recording musicians.

Tape Op: The Book About Creative Music Recording, ed. by Larry Crane [ see at Amazon ]
An entertaining and inspiring collection of interviews with recording musicians and innovative producers. Also some nifty technical articles. All from the great 'zine, Tape Op.

How to Run a Recording Session by Jayce de Santis [ see at Amazon ]
A good overview of how to stay organized on a recording project.

Master Handbook of Acoustics by F. Alton Everest [ see at Amazon ]
Sometimes you just need to know this stuff.

Master Handbook of Audio Production by Jerry Whitaker [ see at Amazon ]

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