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Becoming Remarkable
Drawing on years of experience as a successful songwriter and an inspirational teacher, Schock covers every aspect involved in making your talents shine. From finding the time to write, to sources of inspiration and how to evaluate criticism, she knows the joys and frustrations of becoming remarkable.
224 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 19, 2022
Holy cow - what an amazing piece of writing about songwriting.
Get this book OFF your "Want To Read" list and into your hands. My first reading of the book was actually years ago, and I saw right away that Harriet had accomplished what she seems to have intended: a book that is a strong guide for songwriters, and a fascinating "look inside" for non-writers who simply love songs.
"Becoming Remarkable" seriously resonated with me in both ways - the part of me that is simply a huge fan of writers and other creatives loved the book, and the songwriter in me appreciated and loved the book.
And in the many years since I first read it, I'm not sure I've come across any other songwriter giving a level of guidance that's comparable to this great offering from Harriet Schock.
Get this book OFF your "Want To Read" list and into your hands. My first reading of the book was actually years ago, and I saw right away that Harriet had accomplished what she seems to have intended: a book that is a strong guide for songwriters, and a fascinating "look inside" for non-writers who simply love songs.
"Becoming Remarkable" seriously resonated with me in both ways - the part of me that is simply a huge fan of writers and other creatives loved the book, and the songwriter in me appreciated and loved the book.
And in the many years since I first read it, I'm not sure I've come across any other songwriter giving a level of guidance that's comparable to this great offering from Harriet Schock.
January 8, 2013
I read the Kindle edition of this book after stumbling upon a wonderful article by the author on not quitting your day job (link below).
http://artistsforabetterworld.org/you...
Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did the article. Don't get me wrong; there is plenty of practical wisdom in this book for aspiring songwriters. I've gone back to revise several of my songs based upon some of the specific suggestions in this book.
Harriett Schock is a huge fan of legendary record producer Nik Venet. Throughout the book (in practically every chapter) she mentions Venet. All of this adoration gets a little tiring after a while. Also, she comes dangerously close to advocating what I would consider to be a very narrow approach to songwriting. She seems to suggest that all songs should have lyrics that directly communicate an emotion that everyone in your audience can relate to. It's my personal bias, but much of my favorite music - the music that I find most moving, and spine-tingling either has no lyrics or has nonsense lyrics. I guess I don't feel that lyrics are always so important.
http://artistsforabetterworld.org/you...
Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did the article. Don't get me wrong; there is plenty of practical wisdom in this book for aspiring songwriters. I've gone back to revise several of my songs based upon some of the specific suggestions in this book.
Harriett Schock is a huge fan of legendary record producer Nik Venet. Throughout the book (in practically every chapter) she mentions Venet. All of this adoration gets a little tiring after a while. Also, she comes dangerously close to advocating what I would consider to be a very narrow approach to songwriting. She seems to suggest that all songs should have lyrics that directly communicate an emotion that everyone in your audience can relate to. It's my personal bias, but much of my favorite music - the music that I find most moving, and spine-tingling either has no lyrics or has nonsense lyrics. I guess I don't feel that lyrics are always so important.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews