Essential Songwriting Everything You Need to Compose, Perform, and Sell Great Songs

This is a top notch book on the foundations of music theory as they apply to modern songwriting. Covering everything from the most basic fundamentals to more advanced concepts like flat VII chords and secondary dominants, this book has something to offer beginners and advanced musicians alike. But what truly makes this books fantastic are the numerous real world examples the author uses to illustrate the various concepts. All the examples are from classic songs that everyone knows, and he also provides chord charts for those who either don't have access to the recordings or want to experiment with the progressions. The only reason I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is because, while the author does an excellent job of relating most of the concepts in a clear and user-friendly way, there were some things that I felt could have been explained a little better. But don't let that small criticism deter you. If you are serious about learning how songs work from the inside out, this book will open many doors and switch on many light bulbs for you. I highly recommend it.

The book covers all aspects of songwriting with easy reading and pretty good humor. Although aimed at the novice, there is plenty of good advice for those who think they know it all, but fail to follow the basics. I've bought several for friends, and they all gave it a solid thumbs up.

I own about 50 songwriting books on different sub-topics. This one is the broadest look at the subject- it covers what any ten of the others do. It's not perfect, but if it was a thousand pages longer, it would be. I'm planning a trip to Nashville soon and this will be a big help!Kenny