I like having "go-to" books when I sit down to write - those books I can count on to give me terrific ideas.
And my favorite one? The Complete Singer- Songwriter: A Troubador's Guide To Writing, Performing, Recording, and Business, Second Edition, by Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers.
It was a library book I checked out so often, I finally bought it. What makes it so good?
Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers writes like a songwriter thinks. And he's very encouraging to new songwriters. He says "If you can sing a song, you can write one." He simplifies the whole process without dumbing it down.
His book was also the first place I learned about chord progressions. I'd never actually heard of them before. His graphics and the text helped me start understanding how they work.
And the book is loaded with interviews with, admittedly, many of my songwriting influences, like James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, and Brandi Carlile. The pictures of these songwriters truly show them in their element, and the quotes from them sprinkled throughout the book let you get to know them and their songwriting styles even better than you did already.
The section on recording has solid advice for recording at your level, and on your budget, with the space you have.
Don't be like me, and check it out 25,716 times from the library. The sooner you buy it, the sooner you can highlight the hell out of it, and write in it to your heart's content. It will stay in your stack of go-to songwriting books.
Available directly from Jeffrey:
https://www.jeffreypepperrodgers.com/the-complete-singer-songwriter
It's also on Amazon:
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