Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting: 126 Proven Techniques for Writing Songs That Sell Paperback – Illustrated, October 1, 2008

Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting, by Robin Frederick, is a no nonsense, user friendly songwriter's manual. The title of the book is somewhat of a misnomer though. While Ms. Frederick does, in fact, carefully present 126 "shortcuts" to hit songwriting, she assures the reader that there is work to be done. Each of the techniques in this fine book needs to be applied to the craft of songwriting and the reader is walked through the process with a refreshing blend of seriousness and humor. Ms. Frederick recommends that the student choose a song within their preferred genre and use that song as a "ghost" template for creating a new original song. In this way, the new song will have all the structural elements of a proven hit song. I am finding this concept most useful.As a member of Taxi, the independent A&R Company which published this fine book, I have seen Ms. Frederick speak on the topic of songwriting and have been very impressed with her confidence and her track record as a songwriter. I have been writing and demoing my own songs for 30 years unprofessionally. Joining Taxi and reading this book are two serious steps that I have taken towards the goal of hit songwriting.

I didn't know what to expect when I began reading this book. As I dived deeper and deeper, I found many gems and very valuable information on how to approach songwriting. It was enough to start me on a quest to seek out additional works and resources from this author. As a result, my approach to songwriting has completely changed, thanks to Robin. Sometimes, a book can give you the completed roadmap, and sometimes, a book can begin your journey. I found the latter to be true for me and this book.

I am a newbie to song writing, however, I am a musician for quite a number of years. I never really 'tried' to seriously sit down and write a whole song. It just seemed out of reach and distant to me. I can write tons of music , just not lyrics! I don't know why it was always so out of reach for me to accomplish a whole finished song with lyrics. So, one day I decided- "I need to really learn how to do this and stop being so scared of doing it". Well, I strolled around Amazon until I found one that seemed simple, yet fun to work with.I stumbled across THIS book by Robin A. Frederick and just started reading it. Wow - after just a few chapters I really began to understand what I had been doing wrong all along! I really needed this 'Guide' to direct me in the right way to just START. Buy this book and you will see what I mean. Totally easy to understand - layman's terms! If you really want to understand - You Will! A+++

I was expecting a really cheesy and vacuous book with only a handful of useful insights. I was surprised to find that this book doesn't waste a lot of time.The main cheese factor is right there in the title: the focus is on hit songs, and the idea that the reason you have the book is that you want to write a radio hit. Well, I have the book because I am interested in how songs - not necessarily hits, just good songs - work, and I like to collect any ideas along these lines. I know almost none of the songs mentioned in the book since I don't listen to Billboard-style music. But I have to say that even if you like to write avante-garde songs, or even instrumentals with a song-like feel, you will find a lot of tips for making your pieces interesting and keeping them at a high level of professionalism and art.As I said, I don't know really know the pop music that is referenced in the book, so I've thought of going through the songs I love and seeing which ones might serve as examples for each of the "126 Proven Techniques."By the way, for aspiring songwriters out there, one of the best tips in the book is to listen to a favorite song and write your own lyrics. This is a great exercise that lets you just work on the daunting task of lyrics but also lets you easily see how music supports the lyrics. Okay, you can't sell your finished song but it lets you gently build up a songwriting habit without having to constantly start from scratch (and you might actually come up with some lyrics you can use with music of your own).