5 Books Every Songwriter Must Read!

Summary

In this video, professional songwriters Benny and the host discuss five influential books on songwriting and creative practice. They share key takeaways from each, emphasizing the importance of process over outcome, the diversity of songwriting methods, and the power of storytelling in lyrics. Titles include 'Art & Fear,' 'Songwriters on Songwriting,' 'How to Write One Song,' 'Writing Better Lyrics,' and 'Storyworthy,' offering insights from both renowned songwriters and the hosts' personal experiences.

Takeaways

• 📚 **Art & Fear**: Emphasizes the importance of focusing on the process of art making rather than the outcome, catering to ordinary people engaged in creativity outside of academic or institutional settings.
• 🎼 **Songwriters on Songwriting**: Showcases the diverse songwriting processes of influential songwriters, encouraging readers to embrace their unique approach and experiment with different techniques.
• 🤔 **How to Write One Song**: Highlights the value of the songwriting process over divine inspiration, suggesting that songwriters should actively engage in their craft to invite creativity.
• ✍️ **Writing Better Lyrics**: Stresses the significance of deliberate choices in lyric crafting and the concept of 'pro', which links meaning and structure to enhance emotional impact.
• 📖 **Storyworthy**: Explores the art of storytelling in songwriting, focusing on the power of small, relatable moments to connect with audiences.
• 👀 **Importance of Daily Observation**: Suggests that paying attention to daily life provides a wealth of material for songwriting, countering the notion that grand experiences are necessary for compelling songs.
• 🚀 **Empowerment Through Process**: Encourages songwriters to build and sustain a life of creativity, particularly when not embedded in a culture that inherently values art making.
• 🌟 **Permission to Create**: Gives songwriters permission to lean into their own processes and understand that there is no single 'right' way to write songs.
• 🎶 **Lyric Motion and Emotion**: Demonstrates how the motion and structure of lyrics can amplify emotion, advising songwriters to make deliberate choices in their writing.
• 📈 **Homework for Life Exercise**: Promotes a daily reflection exercise that improves both creative work and life by encouraging attention to detail and the collection of small, impactful moments.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video by Benny and KY?

The main focus of the video is to discuss five influential and impactful books on songwriting and creative practice that have been beneficial to them as songwriters and teachers, and that they often recommend to their students.

Why might some of the books mentioned in the video not show up in a Google search for songwriting books?

Some of the books might not show up in a Google search because they are not specifically written for songwriters but offer valuable insights and transformative ideas that have been deeply influential on Benny and KY's songwriting journeys.

What is the first book mentioned in the video and what is its main theme?

The first book mentioned is 'Art & Fear' by David Bayles and Ted Orland. Its main theme is the process of art making, focusing on the perils and rewards of creating art, and how to maintain focus, motivation, discipline, and self-worth in the art-making process.

How does 'Songwriters on Songwriting' by Paul Zollo differ from other songwriting books?

'Songwriters on Songwriting' is a collection of interviews with influential songwriters, showcasing the diversity of songwriting processes and giving readers permission to lean into their own unique songwriting styles.

What is the key takeaway from 'How to Write One Song' by Jeff Tweedy?

The key takeaway from 'How to Write One Song' is that the process of songwriting is more rewarding and important than waiting for inspiration, emphasizing the importance of engaging with the process to invite inspiration.

What is the significance of the term 'pro' in 'Writing Better Lyrics' by Pat Pattison?

In 'Writing Better Lyrics,' the term 'pro' describes the relationship between meaning and structure in lyrics, highlighting how the shape and form of a lyric can have an emotional impact and amplify the emotion when meaning and structure work together.

How does 'Storyworthy' by Matthew Dicks help songwriters find material for their songs?

'Storyworthy' helps songwriters by teaching them to pay attention to the small moments in life, which are often the most relatable and emotionally impactful, providing a rich source of material for songwriting.

What is the 'homework for life' exercise mentioned in the video and how does it benefit songwriters?

The 'homework for life' exercise involves reflecting on a single moment from each day that made it different from others. This practice helps songwriters to notice more details, improve their creative work, and potentially enhance their overall life experience by paying closer attention to everyday moments.

What is the common thread among the books recommended by Benny and KY?

The common thread among the recommended books is their focus on the process of creation, the importance of engaging with the craft, and the value of paying attention to the small, everyday moments as a source of inspiration for songwriting.

How do the books discussed in the video address the challenges faced by songwriters who are not part of a supportive artistic community?

The books address the challenges faced by songwriters outside of a supportive community by providing practical advice, exercises, and philosophical insights that help maintain focus, motivation, and a sense of value in the art-making process.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Influential Books on Songwriting

Benny and the speaker, both professional songwriters and teachers, discuss five influential books on songwriting that have deeply impacted their craft. They aim to share these books with their students and the broader audience, emphasizing that some of these books may not be commonly found through a simple Google search but are transformative for songwriters. The video promises to provide an overview of these books, their impact, and key concepts that can be immediately useful, though the full benefit comes from reading the books themselves.

05:00

🎵 The Art of Songwriting

The first book highlighted is 'Art & Fear' by David Bayles and Ted Orland, which is not specifically for songwriters but for anyone engaged in the art-making process. It speaks to ordinary people making art, focusing on the daily work and challenges of art creation. The book emphasizes maintaining focus, motivation, discipline, and self-worth, especially for those not embedded in an art-supportive culture or institution. A key takeaway is the importance of focusing on the process of art-making rather than just the outcome.

10:01

🎤 Songwriters on Songwriting

The second book, 'Songwriters on Songwriting' by Paul Zollo, is a collection of interviews with influential songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, and Paul Simon. It showcases the diverse processes and approaches to songwriting, giving readers permission to embrace their unique style. The book provides insights into how different songwriters, like Paul Simon and Jimmy Webb, approach their craft, with some focusing on direction over meaning and others starting with a clear concept.

15:02

🎶 How to Write One Song

Jeff Tweedy, the lead singer of Wilco, authored 'How to Write One Song'. This book is a blend of philosophical reflections and practical songwriting advice. Tweedy emphasizes that the process of songwriting is more rewarding and important than relying on inspiration. He encourages songwriters to engage with the process and invite inspiration, rather than waiting for it to strike. The book offers practical exercises and tips to help songwriters develop their craft.

✍️ Writing Better Lyrics

Pat Patterson's 'Writing Better Lyrics' is a comprehensive guide to crafting lyrics, focusing on the relationship between meaning and structure, known as 'pro'. Patterson, a professor at the Berkeley College of Music, provides detailed techniques and exercises to enhance lyric writing. He advocates for making deliberate choices in shaping lyrics and narratives, emphasizing the emotional impact of lyric structure. The book includes exercises like object writing, which trains songwriters to write from a place of abundance and to pay attention to sensory experiences.

📖 Storyworthy: Storytelling in Songwriting

Matthew Dicks' 'Storyworthy' explores the art of storytelling, particularly focusing on the small, relatable moments that make compelling stories. Dicks, a master storyteller and author, provides tools and exercises for developing story ideas. The book challenges the notion that grand experiences are necessary for storytelling, instead highlighting the value of everyday moments. 'Homework for Life', an exercise from the book, encourages daily reflection on unique moments, improving both creative work and life by promoting attentiveness to details.

👋 Conclusion and Call to Action

The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to share their thoughts on the discussed books and to recommend other impactful books for songwriters. The hosts express their enthusiasm for the craft of songwriting and encourage continued learning and growth through reading and engaging with these resources.

Keywords

💡Songwriting

Songwriting refers to the process of creating a song, which involves crafting music and lyrics. In the video, it is the central theme as the speakers discuss books that have influenced their songwriting journeys and their teaching of the craft. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding different songwriting processes and the transformative impact of these books on the art of songwriting.

💡Creative Practice

Creative practice encompasses the methods, techniques, and habits that artists use to develop and sustain their creative work. The video mentions this concept in relation to books that guide songwriters on maintaining focus, motivation, and discipline, which are crucial for a consistent creative output.

💡Art Making

Art making is a broad term that includes any activity involved in creating art, which can be applied to various forms such as visual arts, music, and writing. The video script references a book that speaks to the perils and rewards of art making, emphasizing the daily work and toil involved in the process, which is particularly relevant to songwriters who are 'makers of art'.

💡Process vs. Outcome

This concept is highlighted in the video as a key takeaway from one of the books discussed. It contrasts the importance of focusing on the act of creating (the process) with the focus on the final product (the outcome). The video suggests that valuing the process of songwriting can be more rewarding and sustainable than solely focusing on the end result.

💡Inspiration

Inspiration is the spark or influence that stimulates thoughts, feelings, or actions. The video discusses how inspiration is often overrated in the context of songwriting, suggesting that it's more about engaging with the process and inviting inspiration rather than waiting for it to strike.

💡Lyric Writing

Lyric writing is the craft of writing the words for a song. The video mentions a book that delves into the detail and care required to craft lyrics, emphasizing the deliberate choices songwriters can make to shape their narrative and the emotional impact of the structure and form of lyrics.

💡Pro (Pronoun)

In the context of the video, 'pro' is a term used to describe the relationship between meaning and structure in lyrics. It's a concept introduced by one of the books to illustrate how the form and structure of lyrics can amplify the emotional content, showing that when meaning and structure work together, they can enhance the song's impact.

💡Object Writing

Object writing, also referred to as sense writing in the video, is a timed writing exercise that encourages songwriters to write from a place of abundance. It's a practice that helps develop the ability to perceive and express experiences and is highlighted as a way to train oneself to write effectively and to think like a songwriter.

💡Storytelling

Storytelling is the art of telling stories, which is a key element in songwriting. The video discusses a book that focuses on the craft of storytelling, emphasizing the importance of paying attention to small, everyday moments that can be turned into compelling stories for songs. It suggests that the most relatable songs often come from these tiny, human moments.

💡Homework for Life

Homework for Life is an exercise mentioned in the video that involves reflecting on a single moment from each day that made it different. This practice is said to improve not only creative work but also life in general by promoting attention to detail and the ability to find significance in everyday experiences.

Highlights

Benny and the speaker discuss five influential books on songwriting and creative practice.

The books are recommended for songwriters and students, offering unique insights not found in typical songwriting books.

Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland emphasizes the importance of the creative process over the outcome.

The book is for ordinary people making art, focusing on the daily work and toil of art making.

Songwriters on Songwriting by Paul Zollo features interviews with influential songwriters, showcasing diverse songwriting processes.

How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy offers a blend of philosophy and practical songwriting exercises.

Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison teaches the art of crafting lyrics with emotional impact through structure and meaning.

Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks explores the art of storytelling and how to find compelling stories in everyday life.

The concept of 'pro' in songwriting, which is the relationship between meaning and structure, is introduced.

The 'object writing' exercise is highlighted as a way to train songwriters to write from a place of abundance.

Homework for life is an exercise that encourages daily reflection on moments that make each day unique.

The importance of paying attention to small moments for storytelling and songwriting is emphasized.

The 'first, last, best, worst' exercise is mentioned as a tool for generating story ideas.

The 'crash and burn' exercise is another method for uncovering personal stories.

The interview with Matt Dicks provides further insights into the value of daily storytelling exercises.

The overall message is that engaging with the songwriting process is more important than waiting for inspiration.

The books collectively aim to improve not just songwriting but also the songwriter's life through increased awareness and reflection.

Transcripts

as professional songwriters and teachers

of songwriting in universities and

colleges Benny and I have collectively

read probably hundreds of books on

songwriting and creative practice and

what we want to do in this video is

really talk about five of the most

influential transformative and impactful

books that we keep coming back to as

songwriters as well as the books that we

recommend most to our students and some

of these books might surprise you

because if you were to Google

songwriting books some of these aren't

going to show up and yet they have been

deeply influential and transformative

for both KY and I on our songwriting

Journeys so our goal in this video is

really to give you an overview of these

books tell you why they are so impactful

on us and also to give you some of the

key takeaways and Concepts that will

hopefully be helpful right now but of

course the real benefit is going to come

from actually picking up these books and

diving into them yourself number one art

and fear observations on the perils and

rewards of art making this is a book

written by David Bales and Ted orand who

are art makers and art practitioners as

well as art teachers and this is a book

written not specifically for songwriters

but for anyone engaged in the art making

process what I love about the very

introduction of this book is they say

this is a book for ordinary people

making art it's not about Geniuses it's

not about the mozarts of the world it's

about the rest of us who are deeply

entrenched in the daily work and the

daily toil of art making what I love

about this book is it's really written

for people who are looking to build and

sustain a life of creativity and

creative art making and particularly

when those people are not embedded in a

culture or an institution that

inherently values the art making process

so they're talking about people who are

not in college who are not in University

who are simply makers of art out in the

world and the real question they address

in this book is how do you maintain

Focus how do you maintain motivation how

do you maintain discipline and

self-worth and a sense of value as you

continue to build your body of work in

short how how do you keep going when it

gets hard and one of the most important

takeaways in this book is focusing on

the process not the outcome to all

viewers but yourself what matters is the

product the finished artwork to you and

you alone what matters is the process

the experience of shaping that artwork

the viewer's concerns are not your

concerns although it's dangerously easy

to adopt their attitudes their job is

whatever it is to be moved by Art to be

entertained by it to make a killing off

it whatever your job is to learn to work

on your

work book number two songwriters on

songwriting by Paul Zolo what is this

book this book is basically an enormous

tone of interviews between Paul Zolo and

just so many of the most influential

songwriters of the past 50 60 70 years

so there's interviews in here with Bob

Dylan Pete Seager Carol King Joan bers

Paul Simon Janice Ian David burn Tom

Petty Susan Vega Katie Lang Madonna Lou

Reed and what is so compelling about

reading this collection of interviews

with these famous songwriters is just

how many different processes there are

just how many different ways there are

to write songs and this is really kind

of an amazing thing as a songwriter to

read because we all have our own style

and we all have our own way of doing it

when you hear these other songwriters

talk about it some of them have

completely opposite processes and that

in a way gives us permission to really

lean into our own songwriting process to

understand there's not a right or a

wrong way to write songs and it also

gives us some things we can try and

experiment with that have been shown by

these other artists who have worked

there's part of the interview with Paul

Simon where he talks about how he kind

of doesn't Focus too much on the meaning

of a song so he talks about really

trying to express an idea or tell a

story than adding a consecutive thought

and a consecutive thought he talks about

the ways he's more concerned with giving

a song Direction rather than giving

meaning Now by way of complete contrast

the interview with Jimmy Webb talks

about how he really likes to start with

the title he really likes to have a

clear concept a clear direction from the

beginning and everything else really

Springs from the Nexus point of that

title and one of the real joys of

reading this book is that Paul Zolo

himself is a songwriter he's not just an

interviewer and so when he's asking

these questions of these famous

songwriters he's asking it through the

lens of someone who really gets the

technical craft of song writing it's

hard to think of someone else who has

had more experience or has done more of

this kind of work cuz he's written this

one he's written the second volume he is

the guy who has spent more time

researching songwriting processes than

anyone else and because he has spoken to

so many songwriters his capacity to

synthesize and comment on the

songwriting process is really unique

despite the impact of songwriters such

as Dylan and Lennon and McCartney who

forever expanded the potential of the

popular song the song form itself was

never exploded and replaced Dylan The

Beatles Simon and the rest showed great

respect for the song and within its

narrow confines created Miracles and it

is in that accomplishment creating

something Eternal and unlimited within a

restricted form that the full and true

phenomenon of the song is realized

number three how to write one song by

Jeff Tweety Jeff Tweety is the lead

singer and songwriter for the alt Rock

genre defying band Wilco and they are

generally adored by their fans for their

unconventional approach to songwriting

and music making some artists and

songwriters are

incredible at what they do but not very

skilled at actually talking about or

communicating about the nuances of The

Craft itself one of the joyful things

about Jeff Tweety is not only is he an

incredible songwriter but he's so

thoughtful and so able to communicate at

the nuances and detail and philosophy

behind the craft and process itself and

he's someone who cares deeply about

helping people write songs that's what

comes through more than anything else in

this book ultimately this book is a

beautiful blend of philosophy

Reflections on the creative process and

some very practical songwriting

exercises and tips there are so many

wonderful takeaways from this book but

if there's one really overarching theme

that threads its way through the whole

book it's really the idea that the

process of songwriting is much more

rewarding and important than inspiration

when I say something like inspiration is

overrated it's not because I think you

don't ever need to be inspired what I'm

trying to tell you and what I still tell

myself frequently is that inspiration is

rarely the first step when it does come

out of the blue it's glorious but it's

much more in your own hands than the

divine inspiration type beliefs we all

tend to have about inspiration

most of the time inspiration has to be

invited and maybe one of the reasons we

love this book so much is because after

writing songs for more than 20 years

this idea resonates more and more with

us that you really have to engage with

the process and invite inspiration to

join the party it's not just going to

happen on its own number

four writing better lyrics by Pat

Patterson let me start by saying that if

you were to Google songwriting books

will come up this has been the number

one selling songwriting book on Amazon

for I don't know 15 or 20 years so Pat

Patterson is a professor at the Berkeley

College of Music he teaches poetry he

also teaches lyric writing he was my

teacher and then my mentor and then my

friend and my colleague so I am well

familiar with this material and the

person behind it when I first

encountered Pat's work it was in a

two-day workshop and I read this book

after that two-day workshop what changed

my life was the fact that he went went

into so much detail and took so much

care when crafting lyrics and he really

was the first person who showed us that

you could make all of these deliberate

choices around how you shaped your

lyrics how you shaped your narrative

here was someone who really cared deeply

about not just what you were saying but

how you were saying it and that is

really I think the gift that Pat has

given the world of songwriters and if I

were to summarize the key takeaway word

that encapsulates Pat's Concepts it's

really the concept of pro and pro is

this term that describes that it

describes the relationship of meaning

and structure and really one of the most

extraordinary things that Pat

demonstrates through really practical

examples is how the shape and form and

structure of your lyric actually has an

emotional impact on what you're trying

to convey and that when the meaning and

the structure are actually working

together that amplifies the emotion one

of the the best ways to give your lyric

extra punch is to understand how to make

your lyric move and how to make that

motion support what you're saying how to

create Pro sometimes you may

accidentally trip onto this sort of

writing unaware of the choices you're

making but if you tune into your lyrics

motion consistently you'll not only

write and rewrite your songs more

effectively but more important you won't

rely on Lucky accidents or divine

inspiration to drop those good bits into

your lap before we move on it's

important to know that this book is

jam-packed with practical exercises and

tips one of the most powerful of these

exercises and something that we talk

about a lot in our other videos is the

object writing exercise object writing

or what I often call sense writing is

really a 10-minute timed writing

exercise and you can find out a lot more

detail about it by clicking there so I

won't go into detail here but really the

transformative thing about this exercise

is it gives songwriters something to do

in 5 to 10 minutes on any day it really

trains you to write from a place of

abundance not to feel like when you sit

down to write a lyric that you have to

get every word right when you do sensor

writing or object writing it allows you

and trains you to just create a lot of

material much of which is gold for your

lyric writing it also trains you to

think and look at the world like a

songwriter it trains you to become

attuned to your sensory experience and I

think one of the gifts of this exercise

and the philosophy underneath it is

really the idea that the most

universally relatable songs and lyrics

are the ones that lean in to your

particular and idiosyncratic experience

and perspective of the world and sense

writing or object writing is one of

these exercises that develops the muscle

to actually perceive and express your

experiences and number five storyworthy

by Matthew dicks

Matthew dicks is the author of multiple

best-selling novels he's also a live

Storyteller and has probably won the

most moth grand slams and story slams of

anyone anywhere he is just an absolute

Master of the craft of Storytelling and

the key question that Matt is really

addressing in This Book story Worthy is

really that it's really asking what are

the stories from our lives that are

worth telling and the answer to that

question is really our lives are full of

stories worth telling it's not actually

a lack of interesting or exciting things

happening in your life it's really about

how to pay attention to the things that

happen every day and turning those

things into interesting and compelling

stories tiny moments are the moments

that connect with people that touch

people's hearts this is not to say that

the big moments can't make a great story

but it turns out even these big stories

need to be more about the little moments

than the big

ones so two things happen when you read

this book firstly you get a deep

exploration of what story really means

Matt takes us deep into the structures

of stories what makes for a compelling

story what's really going on when you

break down the most commonly told

stories and the second thing that

happens is he really gives us a lot of

tools and exercises for developing lots

of ideas if if you do what Matt says in

this book if you follow the exercises as

we've been trying to do over the last

few months you will have an endless

supply of original ideas you'll have

notebooks full of things that you can

turn into your own material there are

three exercises in this book that Matt

describes they are first last best worst

crash and burn but the one we really

want to talk about is homework for life

you can check out Matt's Ted talk in a

link below where he goes through

homework for life but what we really

found amazing about it is when you do it

it reveals to you this almost

counterintuitive truth about

storytelling and that is that whilst

we're often looking for the grand or

epic Story the truth is the small

moments in life the ones that we note

down daily the the things that almost

feel mundane those are the gold those

are the bits that when you collect them

and reflect on them and review them at

the end of the week or the month they

become the things that you really find

most important that you want to talk

about and those are the things you end

up turning into songs because those are

the things that connect with people the

small things are what we can relate to

they're the human things not the big

Grand epic things that are unrelatable I

think a great way to think about that is

that a lot of songwriters think that you

have to have experienced some massive

heartbreak to write a song about

heartbreak but what homework for life

kind of teaches you is the amount of

heart that exists in the small moments

you don't need to have experienced

trauma or catastrophe to actually

experience heartbreak and actually

tapping into those moments and our

experience and sensitivity to that stuff

every every day is really the work of

the songwriter so if you're a songwriter

who feels like your life is too boring

to write about or there's nothing

exciting going on do homework for life

for a month then you'll change your mind

I have one more thing to say about

homework for life okay because we love

it we love it which is this homework for

life which in essence is simply asking

you to spend two or 3 minutes every day

reflecting on a single moment from your

day that made today different to any

other day when you do that reflection it

has a compounding effect rather than

just kind of like swanning through the

day and not paying attention you start

paying attention to the details of every

day and Matt makes the point in the book

that when you notice more things when

you pay attention not only does your

creative work get better but life gets

better he really promotes this exercise

as something that will improve your life

not just improve your creative process

we were lucky enough to actually

interview Matt a couple of months ago

and you can check out that interview in

its full form right here so those are

five books that have had a huge impact

on us as songwriters let us know in the

comments if you've read any of these and

how you felt about them and also let us

know in the comments if there are other

books that have had an impact on you as

some writers happy writing guys

bye