The Songwriter's Handbook

<p>I remember when I first got to Nashville says Tom T. Hall. I would have like to have had a book like this. It would have saved me a lot of time finding answers to questions.</p><p>To help other songwriters Tom T. Hall has put the answers in this book. Songwriting is as much a craft as it is a talent he says. In order to write songs you have to be able to recognize what a song is. You have to recognize the importance of something that is entertaining and you have to say what you want to say very briefly.</p><p>In this down-to-earth handbook the Storyteller teaches the secrets of becoming a successful songwriter. Among the important topics treated are: </p><ul><li>What is a song and how will I know when I have one?</li><li>How can I find edeas for songs?</li><li>How do I combine words with music?</li><li>What is the Nashville music industry really like?</li><li>Definitions of terms and expressions used in the music business</li></ul><p><i>The Songwriter's Handbook</i> also includes stories of how he wrote some of his own hits such as I Flew Over Our House Last Night Ravishing Ruby I See and Old Dogs Children and Watermelon Wine. He analyzes the songs showing how he uses his own rules for successful songwriting. </p><p>Included in the book are words and music to many of Tom T. Hall's most successful songs along with personal photos. An earlier version of <i>The Songwriter's Handbook</i> was published as <i>How I Write Songs; Why You Can</i></p>