Songwriter's Handbook

Mark Winkler is a platinum award-winning singer/lyricist who has had over 250 of his songs recorded by such artists as Dianne Reeves, Steve Tyrell, Liza Minnelli, Jane Monheit, and Lea Salonga. He has written lyrics for tunes by such esteemed composers as Wayne Shorter, Dexter Gordon, Joshua Redman, and David Benoit. He has released 21 solo albums that regularly place high on the jazz charts, and he has gotten excellent reviews including two “Top Vocal CDs of the year” in 2021 and 2023 in Jazziz Magazine. He has written songs for the hit musical revue Naked Boys Singing! and is also the co-writer for the musical revues Bark!, Too Old for the Chorus, and Play It Cool. As an educator, he has taught his lyric writing class at UCLA extension for 19 years and at The Songwriting School for over 10 years.

• Table of ContentsChapter 1: IntroductionChapter 2: A Working SongwriterChapter 3: How to Judge if Your Lyric Is GoodChapter 4: Come Up with a Great TitleChapter 5: Song FormsChapter 6: Be SpecificChapter 7: Top Ten Tips for Lyric Writers: Tips 1–5Chapter 8: Rewriting the Beatles, and Other ThingsChapter 9: RhymingChapter 10: Laundry List SongsChapter 11: Top Ten Tips for Lyric Writers: (6–10)Chapter 12: Tropical Nights: Me ‘n’ Liza!Chapter 13: Getting Outside Your BubbleChapter 14: Writing to an Existing MelodyChapter 15: Performing LiveChapter 16: Break Time!Chapter 17: Writing for the Musical TheaterChapter 18: Strategies for Creating New SongsChapter 19: Show Don’t TellChapter 20: Write a Song Like a MovieChapter 21: Writing with CollaboratorsChapter 22: Dirty Little Secrets of SongwritingChapter 23: Am I Doing This Thing Right?Chapter 24: You Can Write a SongChapter 25: A Song Is Like a House—ToolbeltChapter 26: Publishing and CopyrightingChapter 27: Final ReviewChapter 28: What Do I Do Now?GlossaryIndexAbout the Author

Mark Winkler demonstrates that he is as talented on the page as on the stage. His book is an incredibly detailed primer for all kinds of songwriting, bridging the gap between the classic era and now. It’s charmingly filled with great anecdotes and useful information.