Zen Guitar

[RavenLee]

I hit a dry patch when it comes to song writing the other day, so I wandered off to amazon to see if I could find some books that might help.
And this one book caught my eye.
"Zen guitar" by Philip Toshio Sudo.
Now Im not a technical genius, and I hardly know the name of the chords Im playing. And this book stood out cause it took a philosophical approach to the whole thing.

When I received it in the mail I started reading it and I couldnt put it down untill I was finished. It just took a stranglehold on the whole confusing world of songwriting and guitarplaying and brought it within my reach, using terms even I could understand.

I also got another book called "How to write songs on guitar" by Rikky Rooksby. It might be a better book for people who actually know the how and why of chords structures and all the music theory. But it was good for me too seeing it has a pretty cool chord dictionary of strange chords.
It goes very detailed and strategically through all the elements of songwriting, chord sequences, song structure, rythm, melody, lyrics etc.

I dont think a book can teach you how to become a great song writer, but it can be a useful tool

[brandondrury]

I hit a dry patch when it comes to song writing the other day, so I wandered off to amazon to see if I could find some books that might help.

If you want to bust out of your dry patch, I'd recommend reading something that may inspire you. I'm not sure how inspiring a "how to write songs" book would be.

I recommend the following:

• Get dumped by a chick
• Dump a chick
• Get a hold of a chick and then discover she is a man
• Read a book on Japanese POW camps in WW2
• Read a book on racism in the US military in WW2
• Read the "Speak Out" section of the newspaper
• Turn on the TV, wait 5 seconds, whipe the disgusted look off your face, begin writing

All of these things have either had a huge effect on me or probably would have a huge effect on me.

Good luck with the books, but that kind of thing never really worked for me. Believe me, I tried.

Brandon

[cup]

Originally Posted by RavenLee

Now Im not a technical genius, and I hardly know the name of the chords Im playing. And this book stood out cause it took a philosophical approach to the whole thing.

Hi Raven,
I tend to agree with brandondrury - it is all about being inspired. And from what you say it looks like the book inspires you, which is exactly what you need.
So, can you share a bit of the results , just a glimps, nothing more.
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