Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting

Songwriting, songwriters, etc

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mojobone
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Re: Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting

Post by mojobone » Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:27 am

Tim_Behrens wrote:Are these books geared toward someone who is writing music for film/TV who is primarily doing instrumentals? Or another way to ask that... is there any value in them for someone who is planning primarily to write production music?

I'm curious, but haven't made the leap to buy them yet.
Both books are a great value, imo, but if you write only instrumentals, I'd suggest picking up the TV & Film book first. Most of the shortcuts in both books are "music literacy" agnostic. (I consider that to be both a strength and a weakness of both books, but I totally understand why they weren't written specifically for notation readers, ;) )
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Re: Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting

Post by Tim_Behrens » Sun Feb 06, 2011 11:34 am

Thanks for the clarification, Mojo. I actually got the shortcuts for film/TV book in the mail a few days ago. So far, there's some really helpful stuff in there, and I do kind of like how you can jump around. Definitely lots of inspiration, enough that I might try and pick up the other one as well.
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Re: Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting

Post by shoodBworkin » Wed Mar 30, 2011 1:26 pm

I received this book via Faith's PA Library "Inter-Library Request" back in February. I enjoyed it a bunch, but ran out of time before I absorbed the last several chapters. Now, some weeks later, I receive the book again, do to what appears to be an administrative glitch but what would be cool if twas part of some wonderful conspiracy, like La Cosa Nostra or The New World Order but, nah . . . it's karma, you bet :D

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Re: Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting

Post by Dwayne Russell » Tue Apr 05, 2011 10:10 am

davewalton wrote:Jan 1, 2009, 12:36pm, cameron wrote:Has Robin ever written a hit? Seems like if you're going to write a book about how to do it that would be a prerequisite. Maybe... has Tiger Woods' golf coach ever won a major (or even a single PGA golf tournament)? He's written LOTS of books (in addition to coaching Tiger). Plus, Jason Blue and Kara DioGuardi certainly wouldn't endorse a publication that had no substance.

Actually Tiger won more BEFORE he worked with his golf coach.

His coach just messed him up in my opinion.

......now back to the topic. I was thinking along those lines as I thought Robins own songs were terrible. Sorry Robin!

BUT, she is the best teacher for song writing I think I have even seen!!!! In the case of Tiger, he was already great. In the case of us non hit song writers, we need some one like Robin.

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Re: Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting

Post by gtrmann » Mon Jun 13, 2011 7:38 pm

I have both of Robin's books now....hope she can help me

I am so bad at song writing, I call my self a song wronger......
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Re: Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting

Post by sen » Thu Sep 01, 2011 2:30 pm

Am I the only one who felt ripped off by this book?

After all the praise heaped on about it by Michael and Blume and DioGuardi I thought It'd be more...but that's hype for you, and why you should always buy in a bookstore or read through first.

It feels like a 'songwriting for beginners', all the tips you have ever heard, compiled into one book. Christ, I could have written it.

However, there are a few new things I learnt in there (ok only one,) but the most valuable thing was probably the different perspective on various ways to approach songwriting it offered (approaches I already knew).

I could have done without this book and gotten along fine in my musical journey/career, there was nothing I learnt.

I recently also bought Kara's semi-autobiography, and I think that'll help more than this.

Am I the only one alone in thinking this book is/was overhyped and honestly does not offer anything new that it supposedly does? Did I miss anything, cos I'm pretty disappointed.

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Re: Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting

Post by mojobone » Sat Sep 03, 2011 1:00 pm

Well, it might be considered remedial, in part, if you've been reading in these forums for six or eight years. IMO, the value is in having all that info near to hand, in a portable, bathroom-friendly format that can easily be read in situ, as it were.


















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Re: Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting

Post by sen » Sat Sep 03, 2011 9:18 pm

I'm sorry, remedial ??? Is this some kind of class?

And no, I've only just joined this forum because the book was published by Taxi.

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Re: Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting

Post by Kelil » Wed Sep 07, 2011 5:00 pm

sen wrote:I'm sorry, remedial ??? Is this some kind of class?

And no, I've only just joined this forum because the book was published by Taxi.
Be nice Obi Wan Kenobi. :|

Not all of us are as professional as you are. I've never used a book but since coming to taxi and listening to a lot of guidences from the A&R's here that would be in such a book have got me my first forward and I'm only here 6 months. I'm not bragging there but simply pointing out a fact of life. I dont like having to listen to my one song over and over again in the studio but in the end from reptitively hearing it I often get new ideas for it. Same with ideas that are largely known and found in books. Always nice to hear another area covered again and again to really drive it home. Some books however repitive do have a better way of explaining it than others.

I have not read the book referenced but I'm sure a lot of members here prefer it over others for the simple fact that it contains ideas in it that are put across in a more simple manner they can understand.

Stephen

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Re: Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting

Post by sen » Wed Sep 07, 2011 5:19 pm

Kelil wrote:
sen wrote:I'm sorry, remedial ??? Is this some kind of class?

And no, I've only just joined this forum because the book was published by Taxi.
Be nice Obi Wan Kenobi. :|
No man, I just didn't understand the word why he would say that. Remedial doesn't make sense to me.

And yea I get all the rest of what you're saying, but the truth is the recommendations they wrote on the back of the book doesn't match up to the material inside.

I was over this a long time ago, but I do think that since this is a thread about the book people should actually know it doesn't live up to its own hype, or the recommendations Michael etc. gives.

I agree with what you say, it explains what other books/other people have said maybe in a better way, but it is NOT what itself says it is, so if you're thinking that just because Frederick has a lot of experience she knows some extra 'secrets' or 'shortcuts' or has something over say someone who has been writing for a year, you're wrong. She knows nothing more, and if you're at that stage I recommend you just keep writing and producing like you have been doing.

Reading her opinions will even mess up your songwriting head a little if you're an impressionable sort of person (and even if you're not, because that's a lot of pages=more reading time to be influenced by), though whether for good or bad I know not, depends on where your songwriting is at.

I don't think its worth what it/others say its worth, but I do think I got at least $20 worth out of that book.

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