The Young Musician's Guide to Songwriting

Book excerpt: Why not write your own songs? You've learned the basics and rehearsed other musicians' pieces-now you want to try your own hand at writing. But it can be hard to get started...and sometimes even harder to know when to stop. "The Young Musician's Guide to Songwriting" is an ideal resource, designed specifically for guiding the young musician through the songwriting process-from idea generation to completed song. It is also a refreshing tool for music teachers, private instructors, and parents of musicians, who have a young artist in need of some rails to guide them down the songwriting tracks. Whether you're a beginning or advanced musician, author and musician Lisa Donovan Lukas compiles her years of experience teaching and working in the music industry to provide exercises that help the songwriter get started quickly; lessons on structure, lyrics, melody, harmony, and rhythm; and perhaps most importantly-the discovery and development of a good song idea. So grab your instrument (and maybe your teacher), and crack open this book to unlock the gates to your own musical journey.