The Arts

The Elements of Song Craft

by Billy Seidman

Description

An effective new songwriting vocabulary supported by ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. The Elements Of Song Craft does for songwriters what William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White’s The Elements Of Style did for English language students and writers alike; gives an all-in-one definitive manifesto for contemporary songwriters in every genre to organize, understand, and practice the rules, principles, definitions, forms, and song craft needed to create good songs, songs of undeniable creative power and beauty, songs that last.

The Elements of Song Craft beelines directly to the most important aspect of writing good songs—identifying the key emotion living at the heart of the song—then offers a step-by-step process to harnessing that singular emotional power. Additionally, a dozen other strategies, formulas, perspectives, and exercises are offered in the book.

The Elements of Song Craft introduces, for the first time to a general songwriting audience, an effective new songwriting vocabulary utilized by songwriters taught in the SONG ARTS ACADEMY method and supported by ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC, the world’s leading Performance Rights Organizations at the heart of the songwriting business, as well as at NYU Steinhardt’s and The New School’s songwriting programs, for over sixteen years. Thousands of song arts participants, including hit songwriters and The Voice and American Idol contestants, have been trained in this method.

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Rights Information

World rights all languages excluding North America

Author Biography

Billy Seidman's songwriting career includes staff positions at Sony/ATV/Tree Publishing in Nashville, Careers/BMG Publishing and Carlin America Music Publishing in New York. His songs have been recorded by Gold and Platinum artists including Irene Cara, Vicki Sue Robinson and Evelyn "Champagne" King.

As a session and touring guitarist, he's worked with Motown legends Ashford & Simpson, as well as with Patti Austin, Jocelyn Brown, David Sanborn and Philippe Saisse to name a few.

Billy developed and teaches the BMI NY Contemporary Songwriting Workshop since its inception in 2000. He also conducts classes and workshops for
New York University Dept. of Music and Performing Arts, Scoring for Film and Multimedia; Steinhardt as well as The Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Robert Lecker Agency

Robert Lecker Agency

Robert Lecker Agency is a dynamic literary management and consulting firm devoted to securing and advancing the careers of its client authors. The Agency draws on 30 years of publishing experience to obtain profitable and fair contracts with North America’s fastest growing publishers. Robert Lecker has worked extensively in trade publishing and has an established track record as an editor, coordinator, and subsidiary rights manager. RLA specializes in books about entertainment, music, popular culture, popular science, intellectual and cultural history, food, and travel. However, we are open to any idea that is original and well presented. We are also receptive to books written by academics that can attract a broad range of readers.

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Bibliographic Information

  • Publisher Globe Pequot
  • Publication Date October 2020
  • Orginal LanguageEnglish
  • ISBN/Identifier 9781493047659 / 1493047655
  • Publication Country or regionUnited States
  • FormatPaperback
  • Primary Price 25 USD
  • Pages288
  • Publish StatusPublished
  • Original Language TitleThe Elements of Song Craft
  • Original Language AuthorsEnglish
  • Copyright Year2020
  • Page size9.25 x 7.25 (9 x 7) inches

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