Customer Rating: 
Summary: Must read for songwriters
Comment: If you are going to write a song or even want learn about the creative process Tunesmith is a must read. The legendary songwriter Jimmy Webb writes the defining book on the subject of songwriting.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great look inside the mind of a great songwriter!
Comment: I picked up this book on a recomendation. And it was well worth it! Very well done! A good look into the life and talent of a songwriter!
Rich
Customer Rating:
Summary: Tunesmith is pure inspiration for songwriters!
Comment: I have been a professional songwriter and producer for many years, but this book gave me so much inspiration it made it all feel fresh and new again. Of course Jimmy Webb's track record as a successful songwriter gives him plenty of credibility as an authority, but that is no guarantee he can write a book. Well, he certainly can! It is very well written, entertaining, informative, and gives us a real insight into his processes and motivations, as well as useful tidbits on how others who practice our craft work their magic. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in any way in the creative processes as they may apply to any creative endeavor.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Serious book for serious songwriters
Comment: One of the reviews cited on the back cover calls the book a master class in songwriting. It is. But it is not for the musically illiterate--gotta know them little dots on the staff before you crack this book.
Webb goes deep into the structures and grammar of musical creation, phrasing, cadence, theme, motif, etc. etc. And his discussion of the blending of lyrics and music is profound and fascinating. But light reading, it ain't. If you are a play-by-ear musician who often says "I don't read enough music to hurt my playing," accompanied by self-deprecating aw-shucks grin, don't even think about buying this book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fundamental book for understanding the meaning of songwriting
Comment: "Tunesmith" is a brilliant, insightful book if you're interested in the structures and methods behind the craft of popular songmaking. Its prose style is very warm, witty and laid back. I can see some people having problems with part of the anecdotical content: I cannot agree, and while one's engagement in such content might be strictly dictated by his/her own generational background, I can't see such content as detrimental in the least in the context of what the book sets itself out to achieve. I am waiting on a further edition of "Tunesmith" with a chapter on basic arranging.
|
