How to Write a Song that Matters, Dar Williams
How to Write a Song that Matters, Dar Williams
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How to Write a Song that Matters

Author: Dar Williams

Narrator: Dar Williams

Unabridged: 4 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Da Capo Press

Published: 09/06/2022


Synopsis

An effective and inspiring guide to songwriting by prolific, iconic singer-songwriter Dar Williams.How to Write a Song That Matters is an invaluable guide to writing music by a woman who knows how to do it and do it well: iconic singer-songwriter, Dar Williams. For years now, Williams has led songwriting retreats for musicians, from beginners to professionals, in which she elevates the process of songwriting over the assessment of the product. This book makes those intimate experiences accessible for songwriters across the globe, gifting them with the insight Williams has gleaned from her decades of experience. First, it encourages songwriters to find something that inspires them and then to follow that inspiration, letting the clues of those first few notes or lines lead their narrative. Soon, the initial rhythms, the unique sounds of the melody, and/or specific vocabulary emerge, giving birth to a "voice" or a "world" that the song can exist in. As the writer proceeds, Williams encourages them to ask themselves: "Where did I go? Where did I REALLY go? What happened? What REALLY happened? What am I bringing back?"

There are many other songwriting guides that hint to the reader that writing a "hit song" may be on the horizon if only the reader correctly follows the guide or program. In this book, however, Williams shows readers how to tap into their OWN creative process, using their psyches, their unique life experiences, and their muses to write the songs that they are meant to write. By focusing on the process of creating a song that matters, as opposed to producing a well-constructed "widget from a song factory," songwriters will be able to establish their own voice and use it to make meaningful music.

Perfect for music lovers of all sorts who want to write songs, How to Write a Song That Matters is a one-of-a-kind-book that readers will turn to for guidance time and time again.

About Dar Williams

Dar Williams is one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters of her generation. Her albums include My Better Self, The Beauty of the Rain, Out There Live, The Green World, End of the Summer, Mortal City, and The Honesty Room. She lives in New York City. Amalee is her first novel.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Mari on May 15, 2023

INITIAL THOUGHTS - MORE TO FOLLOW AFTER TONIGHT'S DISCUSSION Confession; I am sure that my review does have a slight degree of bias as I was lucky enough to be introduced to the music of Dar Williams by my sister many years ago. Not to mention I am fortunate to have seen her in concert many times, me......more

Goodreads review by Jen on January 20, 2023

I loved this book. Dar is such a wonderful writer and musician. As a fellow songwriter- I keep going back to this book for inspiration and wisdom.......more

Goodreads review by Dan on August 09, 2022

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Hachette Books for an advanced copy of this book on the art of song crafting and creating art. Many books on crafting art take alot of the fun out of being creative. You have to do A to get to B to equal C and D or you won't have a hit song, a best-sellin......more

Goodreads review by Susan on May 10, 2023

A book club read, my choice (having been a fan of Dar's since the mid-90s). I took 5 pages of notes, and didn't even come close to saying everything I wanted to (some of which I *will* include below). We all enjoyed the book, even though most of us are not musicians/songwriters; it was very relatable......more

Goodreads review by Emmalita on September 05, 2022

I love listening to or reading about how artists create. Dar Williams is a phenomenal singer/songwriter. I’ve seen her live in small venues on a couple of occasions and she’s a lovely presence. In May 2020 she released “Something to Get Through” and the video includes signs from therapists. It’s a g......more


Quotes

“Long ago on a hot, late summer night I was driving alone on a beach road, the shadows of my headlights slicing the humid air amidst a million bugs in V formation, while the local radio station played a song called ‘Are You Out There’ by Dar Williams.  It was one of those startling, magical instances where the song I was hearing made me feel more alive and less alone, the way the best songs do.  And I felt connected to something invisible and mysterious—that whoever wrote that song knew what I was feeling.  When Dar and I became friends years later, that was the first thing I wanted to share and to thank her for—for writing a song that mattered to me.  In this beautiful and wise book, she explores how a song can matter in many different ways, to different people, for different reasons.  The wisdom and the lessons she shares will illuminate not only the world of songwriters but anyone who seeks the sustenance of a creative life and practice.”  
 —Mary Chapin Carpenter, Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter

“There are songs that have changed my life, described my life, upped my life, saved my life. I wear those songs like charms on a bracelet. Several of those charms were written by the glorious Dar Williams. As Dar says in this gem of a book, How To Write A Song That Matters, “When I hear a song that I love, something catches and holds me the way gravity holds us to the ground.” And then she takes us deep into the process of creating a song (or a poem, a book, a pot of soup) so that we too can offer others the charms they need to ground their lives with meaning...a healing charm, a power charm, a beauty charm. Thank you, Dar. I’ll keep coming back to this book for inspiration and direction.”—Elizabeth Lesser, cofounder, Omega Institute, and author of bestselling books including Broken Open and Cassandra Speaks

"Williams smoothly describes the process of 'listening for cues and clues' to discover the focus of the song... Even those with no musical experience or aspirations will appreciate the author’s illumination of the mechanics of songcraft, and she is consistently encouraging."—Kirkus