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- Trying to create a rhyme pushes people to either 1) use unnatural vocabulary/grammar, or 2) use cliche rhymes.
- As a result, many songwriters go through a phase where they just don't bother trying to make their lines rhyme.
- But this is a mistake; rhymes are "the ear's road signs" when listening to a song. Poetry that's meant to be read can get away with not rhyming because the reader can see the line breaks.
- NW: He doesn't give a great argument IMO, it's just this 'road signs' analogy. It seems ridiculous for him to say spoken poetry always rhymed, given that (for example) Shakespeare used more blank verse than rhyming verse. I would say: rhyme is naturally aesthetically appealing to people; it tickles their natural pattern-recognition abilities. And by not rhyming you'll lose that aspect of the appeal of music with lyrics. But if you know what you're doing and have some other way of grabbing their interest or don't care about having their interest, then go for it.
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8. Sonic bonding
9. Craft and rhyme types
Lists of songwriting book recommendations
- OxfordSongwriting.com - Songwriting Reading List
- Lyric writing
- The Craft of Lyric Writing by Sheila Davis
- The Songwriter's Idea Book by Sheila Davis
- The Elements of Eloquence: How To Turn the Perfect English Phrase
- Poets of Tin Pan Alley: A History of America’s Great Lyricists
- 'Notes on Lyrics' in Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein
- Classic American Popular Song: The Second Half-Century, 1950-2000
- ‘How To Write Lyrics’, in Modern Rhyming Dictionary
- ‘Introduction’ in New Oxford Rhyming Dictionary
- Writing Better Lyrics: the essential guide for powerful songwriting
- A rhyming dictionary:
- Modern Rhyming Dictionary A Practical Guide To Lyric Writing For Song
- New Oxford Rhyming Dictionary
- Songwriter’s Rhyming Dictionary
- Lyrics: Writing Better Words for Your Songs
- Interview with Sammy Cahn in 'Zollo'
- Finishing the Hat: The Collected Lyrics of Stephen Sondheim, with attendant comments, principles, heresies, grudges, whines and anecdotes
- A thesaurus:
- Roget.org
- Thesaurus.com
- Rhymezone.com
- Music writing / Composing
- General
- 1000 Songwriting Ideas
- Heart and Soul: Revealing the Craft of Songwriting
- How music works
- Messy: how to be creative and resilient in a tidy-minded world
- Song Maps: a new system to write your best lyrics
- Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions
- Great Songwriting Techniques
- Isle of Noises: Conversations with great British songwriters
- The Craftsman
- Beginning Songwriting: writing your own lyrics, melodies and chords
- Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting
- Songwriters on Songwriting
- Lyric writing
- SpeedSongwriting.com - The best songwriting books of all time
- The Frustrated Songwriter’s Handbook: A Radical Guide to Cutting Loose, Overcoming Blocks, & Writing the Best Songs of Your Life by Karl Coryat and Nicholas Dobson
- Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling by Andrea Stolpe
- Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison
- Songwriting Without Boundaries: Lyric Writing Exercises for Finding Your Voice by Pat Pattison
- Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure: Tools and Techniques for Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattison
- Songwriting: Essential Guide to Rhyming: A Step-by-Step Guide to Better Rhyming and Lyrics by Pat Pattison
- Melody in Songwriting: Tools and Techniques for Writing Hit Songs by Jack Perricone
- The Songwriter’s Workshop: Melody by Jimmy Kachulis
- The Songwriter’s Workshop: Harmony by Jimmy Kachulis
- Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting by Jimmy Webb
- Songwriters On Songwriting by Paul Zollo
- The Craft of Lyric Writing by Sheila Davis
- Successful Lyric Writing: A Step-By-Step Course & Workbook by Sheila Davis
- The Songwriters Idea Book: 40 Strategies to Excite Your Imagination, Help You Design Distinctive Songs, and Keep Your Creative Flow by Sheila Davis
- Lyrics: Writing Better Words for Your Songs by Rikky Rooksby
- Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting: 126 Proven Techniques for Writing Songs That Sell by Robin Frederick
- Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film & TV: 114 Tips for Writing, Recording, & Pitching in Today’s Hottest Market by Robin Frederick
- The Craft & Business of Songwriting by John Braheny
- Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting by Ralph J. Murph
- 101 Songwriting Wrongs and How to Right Them: How to Craft and Sell Your Songs by Pete Luboff and Pat Luboff
- Writing Music For Hit Songs by Jai Josefs
- How Music Really Works : The Essential Handbook for Songwriters, Performers, and Music Students by Wayne Chase
- Six Steps to Songwriting Success: The Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Marketing Hit Songs by Jason Blume
- Songwriters Playground: Innovative Exercises in Creative Songwriting by Barbara L. Jordan
- Written in My Soul: Conversations With Rock’s Great Songwriters by Bill Flanagan
- The Poets of Tin Pan Alley: A History of America’s Great Lyricists by Phillip Furia
- The Blues Line: Blues Lyrics from Leadbelly to Muddy Waters by Eric Sackheim
- The Complete Singer-Songwriter: A Troubadour’s Guide to Writing, Performing, Recording and Business by Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
- How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC by Paul Edwards
- How to Rap 2: Advanced Flow and Delivery Techniques by Paul Edwards
- The Complete Rhyming Dictionary: Including The Poet’s Craft by Clement Wood
- Inside Greatness: Ordinary People Break Down How They Do Extraordinary Things by Graham English
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