Books

Writing Better Lyrics
Writer's Digest Books, October, 1995

Writing Better Lyrics is a terrific tool book of techniques that will help bring a writer to the peak of his potential, while maintaining his style and identity. Chapter by chapter there are examples and exercises -- from creating metaphors to finding uncommon rhymes to diving deep into the senses for lyrical gems that enable the writer to produce words that speak for him in his most creative individual style. And, it will be in a way that spotlights the most important words and phrases, positioning them so they are easily sung by the artist and understood by the listener. Just what we're looking for in a book about writing better lyrics.
-Beverly Houston, Dallas Songwriters Newsletter

Finally...the book we've all been waiting for! This is the newest, most authoritative, and most complete treatment of lyric writing available. If you have questions about metaphor, meter, structure, rhyme scheme, simile, or virtually anything else related to lyric writing, the answers are all here and all in one place. Best of all, for each subject covered, Pattison includes at least one exercise for the reader to do, using the skills taught in the chapter. Pat Pattison is a teacher in the highest sense of the word -- he not only tells us what we can do, he shows us how to do it. Using examples from such songwriters as Janis Ian, Pat Alger, and Beth Nielsen-Chapman among others, he expertly examines every aspect of lyric writing in a way that leaves the reader with that wonderful feeling of "OOH! Now I get it!"
So... if you want to "get it," get this book. If you feel you’ve already got it, get the book anyway -- the last chapter alone is worth it.
-Renee Watkins, The Austin Songwriter

This is a much better book than I will be able to describe it as being, but I can tell you that if you only ever got to read the first two pages of it, your outlook of song craft would be dramatically shifted into a more profound and universal perspective. It's that kind of good.     Read the full review
-James Linderman, The Muse's News, Canadian Musician Magazine, and Professional Musician Magazine.

Writing Better Lyrics is a thought-expanding, creativity-enhancing book which takes you from diving to diatonic word constructs to building individualized worksheets that will help break you free from your typical rhymes.
And that's just the beginning. If you read this book through you'll learn about such topics as verse-development, repetition, meter, balance, point of view and other useful songwriting tools. If you want to call yourself a songwriter, you'd better check this book out.
-Songwriter's Monthly, March 1997

This has got to be the *mother* of "how-to's". Chock full of information and exercises for inspiration from start to finish, Pat takes the tough part of songwriting - the structure - and makes it seem simple. His way of thinking seems so different from any I've come across before and yet all his words really strike home. They make me think about my song writing in a way I never thought about it before - as a process that really does have some sort of cohesive structure, whether I choose to acknowledge that or not. After having read this book, I can see that not acknowledging it would be awfully silly. Why not try to write the best song I can write? This book will certainly help you do just that. In fact, this book is a *must have* in any songwriter's library.     Read the full review
-Jodi Krangle,The Muse's Muse

"If I had a dollar for every time I've used this book, I'd be writing this in Napa Valley."
-Tom Hays,Platinum Pearls

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Essential Guide to Rhyming
Formerly titled Rhyming Techniques and Strategies
Berklee Press, distributed by Hal Leonard January, 1992

This is great stuff, the sort of kindle that lights the fires of your imagination. To make sure your imagination is stirred, every lesson includes a series of exersises. These exersises are not merely bemusing doodles; Pattison takes you well beyond the 'beginner' levels. ...your lyrics will improve. Pattison has created a thoroughly accessible approach to learning and improving the skills that make for great lyrics. These books are chiropractic therapy for writer's cramp, and loaded with the sort of common sense that even the most prolific lyricist will find enlightening. There is no overlapping material here, since both books have their very specific purpose, and both [Rhyming Techniques and Strategies and Managing Lyric Structure] cover their ground magnificently. Buy them both. If you're like me, you just can't get enough of Pattison's straight-from-the-hip wisdom.
-Daniel Rue, Home & Studio Recording Magazine

Rhyming Techniques & Strategies is an interactive workbook which begins by explaining the nature of rhyme, why we use it, and how it works, then lays a foundation with exersises for the development of this crucial element in lyric creation. The author is clear in his explainations and provides insight and verbal illustrations, allowing the reader to explore the resultant possibilities.
-Dan Kimpel, Songwriter's Musepaper

[ Order via: Pat or Berkleemusic ]

Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure
Formerly titled Managing Lyric Structure
Berklee Press, distributed by Hal Leonard, January, 1992

Simply put, to know Pat's work is to revere it. He is the absolute master of the craft of lyric structure and it's consequential impact on the quality of a song. Period!

Instead of trying to deal with all aspects of lyric writing in a diluted overview, Pat instead, offers a very concentrated and detailed discourse on the aspect of song craft that seems to be most absent in most songwriters background...the deliberate use of structure.

The thing that Pat Pattison's books do better than any books out there, is make people write purposefully objective rather than aimlessly subjective. He does it in a way that channels creativity rather than controlling it and he does it with a sense of style and humour that is very engaging.

I can now see why the publisher decided to name this book, Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure because essential is just how I would describe it.

- James Linderman, The Muse's News, Canadian Musician Magazine, and Professional Musician Magazine.

[ Order via: Pat or Berkleemusic ]