From discovering raw talent to developing a professional career, The Art of Songwriting offers invaluable guidance to songwriters on how to find an individual voice and write compelling songs.

Andrew West is a songwriter and Professor and Head of Postgraduate Studies at Leeds College of Music, UK. Whilst at Bath Spa University, where he was made a Teaching Fellow, he designed and course directed the world's first MA in Songwriting. His songs have featured in the Grammy award winning shows Lost, Heroes and True Blood and been recorded by artists as diverse as Joe Brown and Stackridge. A seasoned producer and performer, he has also made critically acclaimed records as part of the trio 'CCW' with Hugh Cornwell and Roger Cook, and as a solo artist while based in the United States.

Acknowledgements Foreword Introduction Chapter 1. What are Songs? Scope; Typology; Music; Creativity; Communication Chapter 2. What is Songwriting? Solo Collaboration; Audience Chapter 3. The Writing Styles of The Great Songwriters: Tom Waits; Lucinda Williams; Jeff Tweedy; Bob Dylan; Amy Winehouse; Morrissey and Marr; Arcade Fire; Neil Finn; Joni Mitchell; George and Ira Gershwin; Lennon and McCartney; Neil Young; Marvin Gaye; Shane MacGowan; Kraftwerk; Carole King; Cole Porter; Radiohead; Robert Johnson; Adele; Hank Williams; Elvis Costello; Daniel Johnston; Van Morrison; Ulvaeus and Andersson Chapter 4. How to Develop As a Songwriter: Composition; Production; Performance; Arrangement; Culture Notes Bibliography Index