I dont think any intelligent human believes that Sheila Davis can make them a great songwriter, or reading her book can. No more than a guitar teacher can make his student Eddie Van Halen, no more than a hitting coach can make somebody Mickey Mantle.

Of course talent matters..... Sheila Davis is just an educator, I bet if you asked her, she wouldn't even consider herself a great songwriter. She taught at UCLA i believe, and just as a spelling teacher cant make somebody win a national spelling bee, a songwriting teacher cant make them a hit songwriter.

It's just a way of helping bring out the talent somebody might have. Sometimes a person needs focus or guidance, maybe they have great capability and dont know how to tap into it. Whats the big frickon deal about a damn book?
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This reply by f demetrio ways it all up for me he is absolutely right--- we can learn from the best books, and anyone who thinks not , is so wrapped up in their own world its beyond belief; What Sheila does is explain the many formats of writing and she also breaks down why certain songs work - If you cant sing your words , and understand where the melody needs to rise of fall ; no collaborator worth his or her sort would even attempt to put the best music they can to it , collaboration should take part at the birth of any song . There are not many top lyric writers who are not prepared to re write; That's why they are successful


Last edited by Cheyenne; 06/23/19 09:43 AM.
One of the most important principles of songwriting is to remember that a good song is a partnership of many different components, all working together to produce a satisfying musical experience.

In that respect, song components are either enhancing or compromising their combined effects.