Product Description

Pattison presents a unique, in-depth approach to the process of lyric writing. Songwriters will examine 17 extraordinary songs and learn the distinct elements that make them so effective. Pattison then presents more than 30 lyric-writing exercises designed to achieve the same results. From generating lyric ideas and managing repetition to developing verses, it's all here. Songwriters will: find warm-up exercises that revolutionize songwriting imagery; use a rhyming dictionary and a thesaurus to generate ideas and find snappy rhyme; create meaningful metaphors and similes while avoiding cliches; develop verses by using or breaking conventional rules; experiment with point of view in every lyric to make a song stand out

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #100620 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

About the Author
Pat Pattison is a professor of music and songwriting at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He developed the curriculum for Berklee's songwriting major - the first of its kind anywhere. He is the author of Managing Lyric Structure and Rhyming Techniques and Strategies, and was a regular contributor to Home and Studio Recording magazine.

Customer Reviews

Excellent discussion and demostration of writing process
Pat Pattison's book, WRITING BETTER LYRICS, was a great foundational tool for me as amateur song writer. It focussed on the writing process by leading me through various professional song examples--from rough draft to polished form-- while providing exercises to focus my own writing. Great book for the aspiring amateur and fresh inspiration for the experienced veteran.

Great insight to improving your lyrics.
This book is excellent -- it is very informative and very well written. Also, it has lots of exercises that make you apply the techniques. I am a music student in San Francisco (Blue Bear School of American Music) and really got good value from this book.

Useful book for anyone who writes song lyrics or poetry
I found this book when I decided to use song lyrics to teach poetry concepts to my eighth-grade English class. Writing Better Lyrics is an excellent blend of basic lyric theory and helpful writing activities. Pattison illustrates his concepts with examples from great poets as well as contemporary lyricists, and he is not afraid to discuss the poetic mechanics of the lyricist's craft. I highly recommend this book.