TABLE OF CONTENTS

(Scroll down to see the complete list of topics)

Introduction to the 3rd Edition

PREFACE
  The Desire to be Creative – It’s Human… It’s You
  WHEN GOOD SONGS GO BAD
  LISTEN!
  WHAT IS GOOD MUSIC?

CHAPTER 1: An INTRODUCTION TO WRITING MUSIC
  The Sound of Music
  Good Music is Good Partnership
  MAJOR SONG COMPONENTS
  Form
  The Chords You Choose
  Why Great Melodies are Great
  How To Say What You Need To Say
  Hooking the Audience
  Is There a Composer in Me?
  What You Need To Be a Good Songwriter
  Let’s Get Started!
  Make a Demo Recording – Yes, already!
  Get It Done!
  Chapter 1 SUMMARY

CHAPTER 2: Your Music From the Inside
  The Success of Great Writers
  Form
  How Important is Form?
  Good Form Means Good Design
  Good Form Can’t be Accidental
  Song Components Defined
    Intro
   Verse
   Pre-Chorus
   Chorus
   Bridge
   Outro
  Getting to Know Your Song
  Chapter 2 SUMMARY

CHAPTER 3: Designing a Song
  The Blueprint: Putting the Parts Together
  The Contrast Principle of Composition
  Energy – the Forgotten Formal Element
  What Song Form Is Doing For Your Song
  Chapter 3 SUMMARY

CHAPTER 4: CHORD PROGRESSIONS
  Some Straight Talk on Chord Progressions
  I. Chord Basics
   The Basic Triads of Any Major Key
   How We Refer to Chords
  II. How One Chord Moves to Another Chord
   The V-I Progression
   Why Some Progressions Work and Others Don’t
   Strong Progressions – Fragile Progressions
   The Chart of Two-Chord Progressions
   When Progressions Sound Muddled
   When to Use Strong Progressions, and
   When to Use Fragile Ones
   What About Minor Keys?
   Looking for the “Killer Chord Progression”
   How Long Should a Chord Progression Be?
  III. Integrating Balance When Building a
   Longer Progression
   Building Longer Progressions
   Incorporating Balance
  IV. Expanding Your Chord Vocabulary
    I. Adding a 7th to a V-Chord
    II. Modal Mixtures
    III. Secondary Dominant Chords
    IV. Suspensions
    V. Inversions
   Key Changes
   Don’t Go Changin’… Without a Reason
  Chapter 4 SUMMARY

CHAPTER 5: Melody and Lyric
  How Good Melodies Work
  The Melodic Journey: How “Yesterday” Works
  When Melody and Lyrics Are At Cross-Purposes:
  Don’t Write Counterintuitively
  What is Falsetto and Tessitura?
  Writing Good Melodies
  Getting Notes in the Right Place
  Song Sample: “You Belong With Me”
  Shaping a Melody
  Writing Good Song Lyrics
  Too Many Words
  Developing Better Lyrics: Tips and Techniques
  Creating a Song by Layering Ideas
  Other Ways to Compose
  Songwriting Dissatisfaction
  Dissatisfaction Is Normal
  Balancing Lyrics and Melody
  The Balance of “Hotel California”
  Dealing with Unremarkable Lyrics
  Don’t be Weak
  The Melody and Lyrics of a Bridge
  A Bridge That Diminishes Song Energy
  More About Bridge Melodies
  When a Bridge Isn’t Necessary
  Chapter 5 SUMMARY

CHAPTER 6: The Hook and the Motif
  Hook and Motif
  The Danger of the Hook
  A Hook’s Main Characteristics
  The Various Types of Hooks
   1. The Chorus Hook
   2. The Intro Hook
   3. The Instrumental Background Hook
  The Hook as a Basis for Your Song
  The Subtle Hook
  The Myth of the Hook
  The Hook’s Main Responsibility
  Chapter 6 SUMMARY

CHAPTER 7: Inspiration
  The Role of Inspiration
  Misunderstanding Inspiration
  The Steps to Honing Your Songwriting Craft
  Starting Without Inspiration
  Chapter 7 SUMMARY

Chapter 8: The World Beyond Composing – Now What?
  The Most Important Principle of All
  And now… what?
  Getting Your Song Ready: A Brief Tutorial
  Copyright
  Publishing and Other Matters
  Creating Your Own Publishing “Company”
  Mechanical Rights
  Performing Rights Organizations
  In Conclusion
Chapter 8 SUMMARY

Index of Song Samples
Glossary
About Gary Ewer