Product Description

'The Songwriter's Rhyming Dictionary' is for all who know the frustration of seeing their inspiration come to nothing, simply because they just cannot find the right rhymes. No other rhyming dictionary has been put together so carefully, with the songwriter's needs so much in mind. But this dictionary is more than just a collection of rhyming words: it is a companion no songwriter can afford to be without. The introduction alone is full of generous tips and amusing anecdotes, and as Sammy Cahn reminices about his songs and how he came to find the right rhyme for every occasion, he gives the reader invaluable insights into the whole process of songwriting. Most important of all, he reveals the secret of that extra 'something' that made his songs the perennial favourites they remain - the fact all his rhymes are singable. I doesn't matter what the rhyme looks like on paper, he tells the reader, it is how it sounds when sung that counts. And so the 50,000 words contained in this dictionary are arranged phonetically, according to vowel sounds, rather than alphabetically. For anyone with a song in his heart but a block in his mind, there is no better guide than Sammy Cahn's 'Songwriter's Rhyming Dictionary'.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25832 in Books
• Published on: 1984-06-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 210 pages

About the Author
Sammy Cahn was, without doubt, one of the best songwriters ever, with a genius for rhyming that it would be hard to beat. A professional songwriter for more than forty years, he earned over thirty Academy Award Nominations and numerous Oscars. He knew everything there was to know about the art of lyric writing, and his dictionary was his bequest to his successors - the fruit of his long experience.

Customer Reviews

Superb, highly useful book
As a keen singer / songwriter, I often need to come up with decent lyrics very quickly, as well as avoiding obvious, overdone rhymes.

Sammy Cahn's Songwriting Dictionary was the first of its kind to be written from the singers', amateur or professional lyricist or jingle writers point of view, unlike other dictionaries that are geared towards linguists and poets. If you can rhyme parlimentary with elementary and get a good tune out of it, you're a better writer than me! Lyrics are not the same as poetry!

Perhaps most enlightening is the 30 page introduction from Sammy Cahn, himself, explaining the creation of some of his best-known and loved works. This is a masterclass from Sinatra's favourite lyricist, worth the price of the book in itself.

Regardless of whether your tastes run from pop, jazz, musicals, punk (me!) or heavy metal, you can learn something from the intro! Hits and good songs, are hits and good songs, regardless of genre. The fact that his songs are still being sung today is testament to this.

WHAT IT IS NOT - it is not a ready reckoner of rhymes that will give you a surefire hit. Sammy himself says that a rhyming dictionary should provide ideas, not be a substitute for creative thinking and originality.

I personally use a lot of near or impure rhymes in my work (mainly because my singing voice allows me to get away with it!), to break free of stale lyrics. However, there are times when this can be a cliche in itself, so I'll reach for Sammy's tome.

A great price for a great little book!

Could be more comprehensive
Decently priced and written from a songwriter's point of view, it's probably the best you'll get for the money. However, this is quite a slim volume, not overly comprehensive, and quite confusing to navigate. Personally I found that it served me quite well for my first couple of years as a songwriter, and then I felt the need to upgrade. If you've got a little more money to spend, I would recommend the Oxford Rhyming Dictionary instead.