Good song analyzation book or teaching?
-
- KVRist
- 260 posts since 14 Mar, 2008
Hi, does anyone know of a good book or teaching, that takes you through the process of analyzing a hit song and dissecting it and learning from the analysis? Also, what things to take note of for analysis. I can't read notation that well so if it was a book that was geared towards guitarists and has tabs that would be great, or midi. If not I'd still settle for a good music analysis book if it was notation. Thanks.
-
- KVRist
- 128 posts since 22 Apr, 2011
Try The Essential Secrets Of Songwriting ive found it on this guy's website: http://garyewer.wordpress.com/ also found the one book in a torrent through google just to get a glimpse. You can also buy a bundle,
quote: "Download ALL of Gary Ewer's Songwriting e-books TODAY
for only $37 USD"
Anyway there's a few analyzing of hits on his blog. Here: http://garyewer.wordpress.com/2011/03/0 ... -it-works/
Hope it what you was looking for.
quote: "Download ALL of Gary Ewer's Songwriting e-books TODAY
for only $37 USD"
Anyway there's a few analyzing of hits on his blog. Here: http://garyewer.wordpress.com/2011/03/0 ... -it-works/
Hope it what you was looking for.
-
- KVRAF
- 1800 posts since 10 Feb, 2007
I want to recommend them too. I learned a lot from them.Nicksaf wrote:Try The Essential Secrets Of Songwriting ive found it on this guy's website: http://garyewer.wordpress.com/
-
- KVRAF
- 2217 posts since 15 Jul, 2003
Rikky Rooksby does a lot with pop song structure guitar or keybaords
quite a number of books to choose from
quite a number of books to choose from
-
- KVRAF
- 2118 posts since 1 Apr, 2004 from Athens, Greece
I think that if you're really interested in songwriting you should get more familiar with notation. It will actually make things easier to understand.
-
- KVRAF
- 7846 posts since 20 Jan, 2008
While I can and do read notation I think the last guy who actually used it to write popular music was Burt Bacharach.
The inherant flaw with notation or straight tab is that it doesn't allow one to see the forest for the trees. That's where form and progression enter the picture. Form gives you the big picture but it's easier to switch up the form without having to re score the entire song. Same goes with progression. Sometimes you find out that you've got a great idea but it works better in a different key. Rather then having to re score the entire composition to make adjustments All one has to do is transpose the chord names.
When most popular songwriters work they play out the idea. If they had to chart everything they would lose imputeus quite quickly and become dissillutioned. Back in the early days of Irving Berlin he had a great sense of melody though was terrible with the mechanics of chords. He would partmer (although I wouldn't call it that type of relationship) with his transcriber.
Play the melody and then demand that his transcriber play every chord in the book looking for the right one. Even today when a songwriter has an idea generally they have a "Style" or particular rhythm in mind. They jot down the chord progression and sing/play a melody along with it. In one scenario that is then put to audio where a transcriber goes back and figures out what they did. It then goes to an arranger who has to compliment whats already written by developing a score of what all the musicians will be doing. They both listen to the original recording and or get tips on performance. Sometimes they have the entire part worked out in advanced. And sometimes they just have chord symbols to work from. These guys are paid to perform the score not interpert. Only if they recieve a smattering of information because it's not directly laid out in front of them or the arranger/composer is flexible do they have any leeway.
Which gets back to my point oddly. As a writer you don't get the full idea in one go. If you are writing you don't want to start out by scoring what everyone in the final out come will be doing on the first beat of the first bar then the next and the next. What you want to get out is your fundemental idea. And generally playing it through is better faster and more reliable then scoring it to notation regardless of your abilities to transcribe.
Notation is wonderful for covering material but when you are covering material you aren't writing it. If you are collaborating with someone or working out your own ideas the audio meaning play the piece and listen to it is a more effective means of getting it out. And If you have a specific part that you want a musician to perform playing it for them makes it more instantly recognizable to them then scoring it for them. If you have to score simple chord figures are a way to send enough information to your fellow musicians without getting bogged down in minor details that if they have a clue really don't require extensive elaboration.
That's why I love biab for scoring. Pick a style punch some chords into it and start working out a melody line.
The inherant flaw with notation or straight tab is that it doesn't allow one to see the forest for the trees. That's where form and progression enter the picture. Form gives you the big picture but it's easier to switch up the form without having to re score the entire song. Same goes with progression. Sometimes you find out that you've got a great idea but it works better in a different key. Rather then having to re score the entire composition to make adjustments All one has to do is transpose the chord names.
When most popular songwriters work they play out the idea. If they had to chart everything they would lose imputeus quite quickly and become dissillutioned. Back in the early days of Irving Berlin he had a great sense of melody though was terrible with the mechanics of chords. He would partmer (although I wouldn't call it that type of relationship) with his transcriber.
Play the melody and then demand that his transcriber play every chord in the book looking for the right one. Even today when a songwriter has an idea generally they have a "Style" or particular rhythm in mind. They jot down the chord progression and sing/play a melody along with it. In one scenario that is then put to audio where a transcriber goes back and figures out what they did. It then goes to an arranger who has to compliment whats already written by developing a score of what all the musicians will be doing. They both listen to the original recording and or get tips on performance. Sometimes they have the entire part worked out in advanced. And sometimes they just have chord symbols to work from. These guys are paid to perform the score not interpert. Only if they recieve a smattering of information because it's not directly laid out in front of them or the arranger/composer is flexible do they have any leeway.
Which gets back to my point oddly. As a writer you don't get the full idea in one go. If you are writing you don't want to start out by scoring what everyone in the final out come will be doing on the first beat of the first bar then the next and the next. What you want to get out is your fundemental idea. And generally playing it through is better faster and more reliable then scoring it to notation regardless of your abilities to transcribe.
Notation is wonderful for covering material but when you are covering material you aren't writing it. If you are collaborating with someone or working out your own ideas the audio meaning play the piece and listen to it is a more effective means of getting it out. And If you have a specific part that you want a musician to perform playing it for them makes it more instantly recognizable to them then scoring it for them. If you have to score simple chord figures are a way to send enough information to your fellow musicians without getting bogged down in minor details that if they have a clue really don't require extensive elaboration.
That's why I love biab for scoring. Pick a style punch some chords into it and start working out a melody line.
Dell Vostro i9 64GB Ram Windows 11 Pro, Cubase, Bitwig, Mixcraft Guitar Pod Go, Linntrument Nektar P1, Novation Launchpad
-
- KVRAF
- 2118 posts since 1 Apr, 2004 from Athens, Greece
Well, I rarely use notation to compose nowadays for the reason tapper mike suggested above. I use it only if there's a more complicated part that needs careful arranging, which doesn't happen very frequently here.
I suggested getting more familiar with notation mainly to analyze existing compositions. The notes are there, the form is there, the relationship of melody notes to chords is there and it's easier to see these things in a score rather than in a tablature which only shows you where to fret the notes on your guitar. Tablature doesn't give you much information about the "mechanics" of music itself.
I suggested getting more familiar with notation mainly to analyze existing compositions. The notes are there, the form is there, the relationship of melody notes to chords is there and it's easier to see these things in a score rather than in a tablature which only shows you where to fret the notes on your guitar. Tablature doesn't give you much information about the "mechanics" of music itself.