“Mark Winkler is a musical marvel. Finally, a writer who sings, and a singer who swings.” —Rex Reed THE SONGWRITER’S HANDBOOK: POWER STRATEGIES FOR CREATING GREAT LYRICS by award–winning singer & lyricist MARK WINKLER is a handbook on writing great lyrics. It is chock full of songwriting exercises and engaging personal vignettes.
THE SONGWRITER’S HANDBOOK includes: · Highlights of great songwriters and their songs · Exercises that focus on storytelling and rhyming while adding specificity and color · Practical tips for writing great lyrics with accompanying templates · Annotated examples of songs to illustrate effective exercises · Information about people you need on your creative and business team · Next steps after you’ve written a great song · Tips on being a successful live performer to make songs pop
More than 250 of Winkler’s songs have been recorded by such artists as Dianne Reeves, Liza Minnelli, Jane Monheit, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kenny Rankin, and Claire Martin. He is also a prolific recording artist and performer. With 23 well-regarded albums in his catalog, he has headlined shows around the world, including Birdland, Blue Note, and Iridium in New York City. Winkler also wrote lyrics for six musicals that played around the country. “Naked Boys Singing!” was performed in an Off-Broadway theater for 21 years, the 2nd longest running show in Off-Broadway history.
By using great songwriters and their songs as blueprints, Winkler reveals the tricks of the trade and shows how you can improve your songwriting skills.
“Mark Winkler demonstrates that he is as talented on the page as on the stage. His book is an incredibly detailed primer for all kinds of songwriting, bridging the gap between the classic era and now. It’s charmingly filled with great anecdotes and useful information.” -- Michael Feinstein, five-time Grammy-nominated singer and pianist; founder, Great American Songbook Foundation
“Mark Winkler lays out clearly and concisely the rules of the road for writing popular songs. He gives you the lay of the land and the map of the territory. Don’t wait for the angel of inspiration to land on your pen—get down to work with The Songwriter’s Handbook and get ready for the ride of a lifetime.” -- Ben Sidran, producer & keyboardist; host of NPR’s Jazz Alive
SAMPLE: INTRODUCTION “I wish I remembered the name of the guy who saved my songwriting career. It was a long time ago, about 1974. I’ve asked a few of my friends, but no one can remember him…all I can recall is that he was a crusty, no-nonsense older man. I remember his office was on Sunset Boulevard, but every L.A. music publisher’s office was on Sunset in those days.
Up until that time, I had been writing songs without any formal instruction (I’d also learned to play the piano along the way), I already knew the drill and I played and sang him my three songs. To give you an idea of the quality of my material, one song was called “King Kong.” Since my songs weren’t interrupted by his secretary or a phone call, and he didn’t cut me off after a verse or two, I thought that maybe this time I’d get somewhere.
After I finished my songs, he looked at me and asked, “Who do you think you write like?” Since I was a middle-class Jewish guy who played the piano and favored the Great American Songbook, I answered “Randy Newman.” I’d even played this guy “I Want to Be Bored with You,” a song that I thought captured Newman’s signature jaunty, yet nostalgic chords.
My would-be publisher crossed his arms and said, “No, you’re not good enough to be Randy Newman. You need to take some songwriting classes.” No coddling for this guy! Naturally, my heart sank, and I went through the seven stages of grief in thirty seconds on a loop—and I left the office feeling really mad at this man. Now, I’d like to give him a medal, thank him for being honest with me and changing my life.
After my ego recovered, I enrolled in this crazy ’70s learning institution called the Sherwood Oaks Experimental College and took my first songwriting class with a seasoned songwriter, Al Kasha, a two-time Academy Award Best Song winner. (You might remember one of those songs, “The Morning After,” which was lip-synched by actress Carole Lynley just before the boat sank in The Poseidon Adventure.)
Taking Al’s class changed my life. It taught me the rules to writing a good song. It also gave me three songwriting partners for the next few years (and an ex-girlfriend), but most importantly, it started me on a songwriting journey that I’m still enjoying to this day.
Since I’m probably older than you are and somewhat crusty, perhaps I can do the same for you."
PLEASE CONTACT US TO RECEIVE YOUR REVIEW COPY BY INDICATING PAPERBOOK OR E-BOOK!
Online: Markwinklermusic.com Rowman & Littlefield Amazon Barnes & Noble | 
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote 
Topic: "THE SONGWRITERS HANDBOOK" by MARK WINKLER
Tweet
Topic Options