Recommended books
some useful DIY reference books

Here’s a reading list of books I found useful. There are more off-site music resources on the Music biz links pages.

Songwriting books

These four books are fairly similar in their coverage but very different in content and presentation. All lean towards the USA to a greater or lesser extent but you probably won’t learn the detail of the business from them anyway. I’ve put them in the order I rate them with Tunesmith top, but you might find one of the others suits you better.

BookAuthorComment
TunesmithJimmy WebbThis is his autobiography with chapters on various aspects of songwriting, and it’s useful whether you like his stuff or not (how many rules does MacArthur Park break?).
Heart and SoulChris BradfordUK/USA: Revealing the craft of songwriting. Main sections on craft, business, history and reference interspersed with interviews and quotes from a panel of songwriters (the best bit of the book).
6 Steps to Songwriting SuccessJason BlumeUSA: Three steps cover songwriting and three cover demos, business, persistence and expectations.
The Craft And Business Of SongwritingJohn BrahenyUSA: Writing, collaboration, self-publishing, song contests, marketing, demos and DIY.

These books cover different ground.

BookAuthorComment
Songwriters On SongwritingPaul ZolloThis is a collection of interviews with about fifty major songwriters, and refreshingly, deals with questions of songwriting.
Write To The PointBill StottThis is about writing clearly. Not specifically about songwriting but I’d recommend it to any writer.
88 Songwriting Wrongs and How To Right ThemPat Luboff and Pete LuboffYou can’t learn songwriting from a book but this is about potential pitfalls and covers lyrics, music, demos, collaboration and publishing.

Recording books

BookAuthorComment
Mastering AudioBob KatzA comprehensive, readable guide to audio recording and mastering.
Behind the GlassHoward MasseyA collection of interviews with about 40 major producers, but not Hugh Padgham, Brian Eno or Mutt Lange (well, you never know) in this edition. It’s organic information about making better records so there are various different angles on any one question—David Gibson (below) has more about theory.
The Art of MixingDavid GibsonA good audio production book with useful information about why things sound the way they do, and an interesting visualisation technique.
Basic Mixing TechniquesPaul WhiteRecommended as an introduction to mixing.
Basic MasteringPaul WhiteRecommended as an introduction to mastering.

Web site books

BookAuthorComment
The Non-designers Web BookRobin Williams and John TollettRobin William’s books on typography and design are brilliant. This one has everything you need to know about designing a web site (and obviously a lot more than I used here!).
Creating a Music Web SiteMike SimmonsRecommended if you need more information about adding music functions to your site.

go to the top of this page  go to the main menu for this page  go to the home page


© Rob Cumberland 2002–2013, all rights reserved • This is a UK web site • About Bemuso