Overview

Songs, pervasive sonic ephemeral acts that combine words and music, live in a contemporary world of commercialization as commodity. Flowing through our everyday lives as a given and oft-underacknowledged artifact to accompany our shopping, car trips, date nights, and gym days. Yet songs have a history as long as humanity and language. They hold a place, up until recently in our evolution, as an oral history library of the human species. Why then is there limited scholarship about how songs tell stories, and the ways in which those stories come together with sounds? And why is there a disconnect between songwriting as industrial practice and academic thought? A New Philosophy of Songwriting argues that all songwriting choices are storytelling choices and asks the question: how can we think about Song as one of the most memorable, potent, multimodal, and portable storytelling devices ever devised? In doing so, Andy Ward and Briony Luttrell make the case for rethinking the analysis of songs and practice of songwriting with an emphasis on listening. This is a book for songwriters, scholars, and song lovers alike. Ultimately, the authors challenge contemporary thinking on music and song itself and argue for a new theorisation of song as a multimodal storytelling sonic act.

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9781666931679

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Reviews

This fantastically refreshing and accessible book from Ward and Luttrell gets to the heart of what makes songs work. A superb contribution to the field, A New Philosophy of Songwriting unpacks the how and why of music making and transforms our understanding of songs as multimodal systems for storytelling and human connection. --Simon Barber, Birmingham City University Through a study of over 300 songs, Ward and Luttrell have created a book that is academically rigorous, deeply accessible, and immensely fun. The research in this book helps to bridge a gap that has existed in popular music studies for some time - how pop songs work from the perspective of songwriters, and what kinds of creative tools can be learned through the critical listening of a broad range of music. Not only will this book give you insight into why your favourite songs continue to move you, it will inspire you pick up a pen, grab an instrument, and write a new song of your own. A must for songwriters everywhere. --Jadey O'Regan, The University of Sydney

Through a study of over 300 songs, Ward and Luttrell have created a book that is academically rigorous, deeply accessible, and immensely fun. The research in this book helps to bridge a gap that has existed in popular music studies for some time - how pop songs work from the perspective of songwriters, and what kinds of creative tools can be learned through the critical listening of a broad range of music. Not only will this book give you insight into why your favourite songs continue to move you, it will inspire you pick up a pen, grab an instrument, and write a new song of your own. A must for songwriters everywhere. --Jadey O'Regan, The University of Sydney

Author Information

Briony Luttrell is lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Andy Ward is a songwriter, producer, recording artist, researcher and teacher.

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