Customer Reviews

Chord Progressions For Songwriters

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Harmonic progression is (often) the first thing that comes in the songwriting process. If it's not the first thing and if your song is not based on a riff, you'll have to put chords somewhere in the process anyway.

To me, this book has a big advantage on all others "chords progression" books : it puts each chord progression in one of the 21 kinds that are referenced. So you know all kinds of progressions, all the variations you can make and on what hits it has been used.
A great thing too : the book distingues the different inversions or pedal that are used on the progressions.
I am an arranger and building a interesting bass line over a progression can really refresh that classic progression that people already heard one million times.

You won't "discover THE music secret" thanks to this book or write hit songs just by using one of the chords progression (and if you think that a book like this exists, I have some very bad news for you :) ) but you will have all the basic material for harmony in songwriting, at the same place. There is nothing more to look at, it's all there.

I also bought this book just to give me new ideas and change my habits. Check yourself, you might always use the same progressions ... I did and this book teaches me new ones (no big discovery but even if I know these chords, I don't really use them in that order), and gives me a new approach on the harmonic analysis of the progressions I frequently use.

to finish with, sorry for my poor english ...

This book is packed with some great info and I find it most useful. I do however find the binding of the book to create a problem. It would be better served in a spiral binding. For instance, the book says 'pick up your guitar...and play these chords' but as soon as you play the chord the book snaps shut. It makes it difficult and frustrating and any type of clip to hold the page just makes more difficulty because I find myself flipping through a lot, therefor having to move the clip. Other than that the book is really useful and informative and I do love it, I would have preferred an online download to print and bind it myself under the circumstances. It really is great, well written, ,etc.

If you are a songwriter, it is of crucial importance to have as many tools in your toolbelt as possible. This book is an aid to avoid being a one trick pony in terms of songwriting style, structure, or overall tone.

Looking to improve your improvisational skills? This book is a fantastic resource. "Chord Progressions" clearly defines the chord progressions used for various different styles of music. Regardless of whether or not you play jazz, or by the Nashville charts, understanding the lessons of this book are crucial to the art.

Regarding the above reviews, there was no promise that this is any way a fake book or "encyclopedia of chord progressions" as the first reviewer states (if you are looking for a great book that is in that area by this author, try Money Chords, or the website MoneyChords.com, as the second review mentioned). At the same time, I don't agree with the third reviewer either. If I could find a product that could do this, I would certainly be willing to pay more than $30 so I could collect my millions.

I hope this review helps sort out some issues, because this book is an essential tool and resource.

On a personal note, Amazon should disallow reviews from anyone who has not purchased the book directly from the site (especially to curb the effect of editorials not related directly to the work being reviewed).

I wish I would have had this book ten years ago! After spending hundreds (yikes probably more) on music lessons, books, and dvd's for about ten years now- I bought this two weeks ago and the improvement in my understanding is immense. Suddenly the hours and hours of scales and chord inversions make sense! Hurray! I don't read written music (well, very poorly) and having a book that explains how songs (of all sorts) are put together means never having to buy a fake book again. So, he gives you the progression in roman numerals and then in C, then he lists quite a few songs (from diverse genre's) that use that progression- (yeah! Immediate application!) so while you practice the progression in various keys you are learning a quantity of songs at a time- AND becoming so familiar with that progression that you can HEAR it elsewhere. It makes "practicing" fun because you are playing songs instead of exercises, and developing an understand of how song patterns are repeated, which is the key to playing with other folks. If you have your basic theory down (know your major & minor chords, scales, basic transposing, and maybe some chord inversions) you can't go wrong with this book (and even if you don't, he has handy charts in the back). I wish I would have had this years sooner, but am so so glad to have it now. Quite possibly the most useful music book I've ever come across.

If you play bass like I do, and study chord progressions, this is the best book I can recommend! The author has put together a compendium of chord progressions from dozens and dozens of songs from blues to rock n' roll to jazz to folk & popular music. In fact, there is 500 pages of chord progressions. Anyone who plays an instrument and knows chords will find this book invaluable. This is excellent in both content and technique. I use it together with Mel Bay's Complete Book of Chords by Dana Roth and I have really improved my understanding of music and also my playing. This is a highsierrabassplayer top choice!

Great book for those who love music. Songwriters especially. I've never found so much information about chord progressions in any other book. A must have!

A fairly useful text but really needs an index. At least one instance of a chord ( a G(alt)) is not shown
In the chord list in the appendix. The major problem is sparcity of extended chord progression examples:
actual notation examples would have been helpful vice lists of song titles.

I was expecting a book I could use as a refference manual. This book isn't. However, as a self-teaching
text (the "now-you-try-it" exercizes are a nice touch) it is well worth the cost.

This book very useful formusic teachers , song writers, any one occupated with music creating.
For practising jazz material on common chord progression especially students who are not yet familiar with common chord progression from the American Songbook.
Good explanation of beginning functional Harmonie.

Great Item and service. Will order from this vendor again. Future customers should highly consider this item and vendor. Thanks!

I found this book to be very good..both in conditon and content.