Author, guitarist, and my friend, Chad Jeffers introduced me to this book. Ralph Murphy is a songwriter / producer / publisher and an executive for ASCAP. I’ve been reading the book off and on for a couple of months (I digest books slowly). Oddly enough for a book on writing, it can be a clumsy read with plenty of editorial mistakes. Songwriting and prose are clearly different disciplines. I also find the title confusing (is it The Book: Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting or Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting: The Book?) and the cover art hideous. Furthermore, with a price of for the paperback, it’s not cheap. (There were no used books on the market when I bought mine).
Now that I got those things out of the way, I heartily recommend the book if you’re serious about making any money by writing songs. Murphy has been in the song and record business since the ’60s. He’s been an artist, a songwriter, a producer, and a publisher. He’s served with ASCAP for the last decade studying hit songs and mentoring songwriters. It’s hard to top Murphy in the area of credibility.This book is chockfull of tips and observations that you’re unlikely to find in any other single place.
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