Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure

Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Better Lyrics

Pat Pattison, a veteran songwriter, has taught many of Berklee College of Music's best and brightest how to write truly great lyrics.

This book will help you handle your lyric structures more effectively. Showing you how to take control of your lyrics by honing your creative process, this essential guidebook reveals the secrets of how to become a naturally great lyricist. By studying examples of famous songs, you will learn to integrate the techniques of the pros into your own lyric-writing craft.

The exercises and tools in this book will help you eliminate some trial and error and start writing better lyrics more quickly and efficiently.

Features:

• Write more interesting lyrics and songs
• Integrate spontaneous soloing as part of your expressive vocabulary
• Strategically manage the timing and placement of your most important ideas
• Enjoy more creative possibilities than you've experienced before.

About the Author

Pat Pattison has been teaching lyric writing and poetry at Berklee College of Music since 1975. He played a central role in developing Berklee's unique songwriting major, the first complete songwriting degree offered anywhere. Doctoral work in philosophy at Indiana University and a Master of Arts in Literary Criticism gave him the knowledge and inspiration necessary to concentrate on the art of lyric writing. In addition to his work for television and film, as well as numerous clinics and workshops, Pat writes monthly articles for Home and Studio Recording magazine.

ENROLL IN AN ONLINE SONGWRITING CLASS WITH AUTHOR PAT PATTISON AT BERKLEEMUSIC.COM!

Sample Lessons on Berklee Shares

Samples from this title are available on Berkleeshares.com, where you can download free music lessons and share them with your friends.

• Basic Lyrical Elements (PDF lesson)
  
• Musical Stress (PDF lesson)
  
• Contrasting the Verse and the Chorus
  
• Pat Pattison - Writing Lyrics to Music
  
• Pat Pattison - Writing from the Title
  
• Pat Pattison - Writing Fearlessly
  
• Repetition Techniques for Building Song Sections (PDF lesson)
  
• Developing a Songwriting Routine (PDF lesson)
  
• The Function of a Title (PDF lesson)
  
• Melodic Phrases and Lyric Phrases: Another Aspect of Preserving the Natural Shape of the Language
  
• Melodic Rhythm and Lyric Rhythm
  
• Melodic Rhythm and Lyric Rhythm: Stressed Notes as Spotlights
  

Also by Pat Pattison

Songwriting: Essential Guide to Rhyming (2nd Edition)