5 Books Every Songwriter Must Read!

These 5 books are a must for any songwriter looking to taking their craft to the next level!
🌶 Songwriting Course! "The Songwriting Process Start to Finish" - 3 hours of perfectly sequenced learning, with demonstrations, examples, and 18 downloadable resources - all for LESS THAN $30 - www.udemy.com/course/how-to-w...
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Matt Dicks TED Talk: • Homework for Life | Ma...
ABOUT KEPPIE
Hi I'm Keppie! I'm a professional songwriter, and songwriting teacher. I've been teaching song and lyric writing for over 10 years now for some of the best contemporary music colleges in the world- Berklee Online, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music's Open Academy, as well as for the Australian College of the Arts. At other times, I've taught for the Australian Institute of Music, as well as the LA School of Songwriting.
My goal is to help people write better songs! My experience in the classroom, with thousands of students at this point (many going on to find careers and success in music), is that your songwriting, like all things, can get better with meaningful, deliberate practice. My intention is to share the skills, knowledge, information, and ideas that I've gathered with anyone who wants to improve their songwriting.
Keppie's music is here:
www.keppiecouttsmusic.com/music
ABOUT BENNY
Hi I'm Benny. My passion for music and creativity stretches across multiple disciplines and art-forms. I am a founding member and songwriter / lap-slide guitarist for one of Australia's best and most bearded country-bluegrass-folk bands, THE GREEN MOHAIR SUITS. To date the Mohairs have released 4 full-length albums and tour both nationally and overseas.
I am also the Founder and Head Producer of SILAMOR STUDIOS, a boutique studio specialising in Composition for Film, TV and Interactive Media. I write extensively across various instrumental and lyric-based genres and has been commissioned for major projects by Adobe, Cathay Pacific and Audible. I currently release original songs under the name SILAMOR.
I am also passionate about education and have taught song and lyric writing as well as film composition for JMC Academy, Collarts and the Australian Institute of Music. I design and regularly facilitate workshops on creative process and innovation.
Links to Bennny's music are here:
The Green Mohair Suits
open.spotify.com/artist/7M3Zf...
SILAMOR
open.spotify.com/artist/5HOpa...
www.silamor.com/music
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[@hailfellowwellmetTV]

'The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield is fantastic for mini bites of inspiration, and tuning back into your artistry

[@DarrenToth]

I recommend watching the whole video, but here are the 5 books in case you forget and don't want to have to go back to remember the names: Art & Fear by David Bayles/ Songwriters on Songwriting by Paul Zollo/ How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy/ Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Patterson/ Story Worthy by Matthew Dicks.. AGAIN--watch the video to learn more, like and subscribe, and check out more great videos from this channel, but in case you didn't catch a book or forgot the authors, here they are, fellow music lovers!

[@maryanne2025]

Thank you😅

[@whatabouttheearth]

*Pattison, not Pat Patterson. I've been messing that up alot too.

[@slingpeace]

I have Jeff’s book. Loved it! Took the pressure off me to “be inspired” to write. It’s just write. Do the work and inspiration will come.

[@hansgettheflammenwerfer69420]

Recording my first record in a few weeks and your videos have been invaluable in helping me write lyrics for the first time in my 16 years playing guitar. Going to be trying to read one of these before I head into the studio

[@hansrajasthan]

Love ❤ from India

[@opdrummer]

The best songwriting book I've encountered is Music, Lyrics, and Life by Mike Errico. It's a great mix of encouragement, inspiration, and practical advice. I liked the Jeff Tweedy book but thought the Errico book was MUCH more valuable.

[@jonaperez4845]

thanks for this video, it's very interesting!! 😁

[@mdmorris6193]

Pat’s book is genius. I also often refer to Sheila Davis’ book “The craft of lyric writing” and Andrea Stolpe’s “Popular lyric writing”…but Andrea is one of Pat’s collaborators…so maybe that one doesn’t count!

[@racquelroberts]

Andrea's book definitely counts! :) Pat and Andrea know one another well, and just the other day Pat was commenting on how Andrea (once his student), went on to take his methods and make them even better. Andrea's a gem and her advice on the craft of songwriting is very keen, and it always comes with heart.

[@smallships]

Recently read How to Write a Song that Matters by Dar Williams and found it helpful. Love the Pat Patterson and Tweedy books too. Will check out the others. Great vid guys!

[@DJ2109]

good morning!!! thanks for the post!! :)

[@johnpresnell]

My introduction to the art of lyric-writing were the Sheila Davis books. You should absolutely cover her!

[@michaeljoesmith3977]

Best way to make a mint in songwriting, write a book about songwriting..

[@johnnyxmusic]

A breath mint

[@timball8429]

Thanks again for your brilliant channel. I absolutely love the channel. The Jeff Tweedy book is going on my Christmas list. Also, in the song review sessions I’d love to find out about how each song writer started their song. Was it lyrics, a title, a chord sequence, a riff… and how did they expand that start to a complete song or demo? Thanks Keppie and Bennie!

[@htws]

Great suggestion. Thanks Tim.

[@ZackkZackkk]

You always know what I need before I know it.

[@RinnRuannan]

Two books come quickly to mind. Bob Geldof's autobiography Is That It? and Rainer Maria Rilke's poetry collection New Poems (two volumes: 1907; 1908). Neither is a book about songwriting. What I find magical is what is portrayed and how it is shown. Whether it's the state of Dún Laoghaire of Geldof's childhood or the transformation of unconscious to conscious feeling in Rilke's 'Lady on a Balcony', the scenes, and so the feelings evoked, are vivid. And, inspiring. I find writers that I enjoy often do this.

[@parsamoalemian5008]

Bout to buy all of these

[@RandyHall324]

Really appreciate this one, guys! I've read Zollo's books (there are two volumes) and absolutely loved them. I've also seen bits and pieces of the Tweedy book, which I plan on reading. Recently read The War of Art, which had been recommended, but wasn't really my cup of tea. One that's been on my list though is Mary Gauthier's Saved by a Song, another recommendation - if anyone's read it, let me know your thoughts!

[@user-be8hd8tw1b]

Hey I will buy the book what is your Instagram so I can tell you my thoughts

[@1minutecomicswalahollywood648]

Hello Keppie and Ben, Would you like to tell us about your lifestyle? And food habits? Also What is your opinion on religion?❤

[@heartshinemusic]

Thanks for the video, I haven't come across How to Write One Song before. I'll check it out. The book I ALWAYS recommend is The Song Machine (How to make a hit) by John Seabrook, it's so inspiring, informative and just a fun read. There is also the new Rick Rubin book, I know it's not really a songwriting book, but still really insightful (and reassuring) about making art. (Creativity, intuition and inspiration.)

[@guitaring1]

I was so excited to see that I already own 4 out 5! So I only have to buy one. Or actually read the other other four...

[@houseofgraceworship]

😂😅

[@lawrencesargent1392]

I have some of these books but my favorite and most influential is THE CRAFT OF LYRIC WRITING by SHEILA DAVIS.

[@MsDenver2]

The books look great but I have dyslexia and cannot cope with big thick books, I can only cope with thin booklets or books with not much writing and more practical?

[@user-bv6xn6ik8u]

Dear Madam and Sir, This video is very interesting and effective to me that helps me to study books. Dear Madam and Sir, Where will I get these books? Will I get these books from you as PDF?

[@kdpw17]

the Creative Act by Rick Rubin was a great one for me

[@whatabouttheearth]

😮 Rick Rubin has books? Now you're making me think, I wonder what Steve Albini or Brenden O'Brian have written as far as articles goes

[@ruperteverington]

The udemy course link is broken.

[@maestro2033]

The second book I have doubts about.

[@renzellous]

I would love to see BIPOC’s perspective on songwriting as a black queer singer/songwriter. Are there any books you’re reading or found that highlights multicultural perspectives?

[@truthme332]

The addiction formula?

[@Georgefloydrocks96]

What about people that can’t come up with a story? Would you say theirs still hope?

[@whatabouttheearth]

A story? You don't need a story to write songs if you don't want to, you can go "abstract" like a plethora of songs, especially rock, check out these lyrics and songs: 'Time' and 'Breath' by Pink Floyd, 'Cold Contagious' and 'Thirty Miles from the Sun' by Bush 'Lungs' and 'Flying Shoes' by Townes Van Zandt 'Susanne', 'Everybody Knows', 'If You Want it Darker', 'Maryanne', by Leonard Cohen 'Boy With a Coin', 'American Mouth, Flightless Bird' by Iron and Wine 'Muck and Mire', 'Fingers to the Bone' by Brown Bird' 'False Weavers', 'Bare Ground' by Blackbird Raum The album 'Bury The Sound' by Gembrokers 'Cannonball' by The Breeders Anything by The Pixies ...It's endless, literally most songs don't use story format friend.

[@aunghein9326]

clicking there. clicking where?

[@rwm4738]

They're fake aren't they?