Rikky Rooksby

Chord Master is a chord dictionary with a difference. Rather than just show chord shapes—which are all there in the Chord Matrix—a large portion of the book explains how to use chords, with information about the theory behind them, and attempts to answer the questions guitarists often have about chord shapes. Also, it presents usable groups of chords for beginners...

Countless great songs are based on riffs—catchy guitar phrases that repeat until they’re seared into your brain forever—or snappy chord sequences as memorable as any melody. Riffs get people excited, whether they are musicians or listeners. Advertising agencies use riffs on television, internet videos, and cinema trailers. Riffs sell concert tickets, guitars, and downloads. YouTube is full of guitarists playing...

Originally published in 2003, the revised and updated third edition of The Songwriting Sourcebook is the third entry in Rikky Rooksby's bestselling How to Write Songs series. This easy-to-use book will help you write better songs by explaining the art of writing effective chord sequences. It shows: • How three and four chords can lay the foundation for a simple...

This book helps both keyboard and guitar players to find and develop interesting chords and chord sequences on a keyboard, and then use them to write their own songs. Rather than trying to teach intricate pieces of music, the book breaks things down into a simpler style and concentrates on basic chords and ideas, starting with a simple three-chord song...

Lyrics sheds light on all aspects of writing lyrics for music and will make lyricists and songwriters feel more confident and creative when they tackle lyrics. It's perfect for all songwriters: those who don’t like their own lyrics and find lyrics difficult to write, experienced writers looking for a creative edge, and those offering lyrics to set to music in...

You want to write songs, and you want to write them on guitar. This updated twentieth-anniversary third edition of the bestselling songwriting handbook shows you how. Learn the techniques and tricks used in two thousand great songs by everyone from the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and David Bowie to Kings of Leon, U2, Amy Winehouse, and Ed Sheeran. Explore and understand...

Melody is the true heart of music—the identity of a composition, the vessel that carries the lyrics, the tune that you keep whistling on your way home from a concert. Composing melodies is often thought of as a mysterious process—a lightning bolt of inspiration delivered by the songwriter's muse—but in fact, melody is an art that can be learned, honed,...

This guidebook teaches songwriters exactly how to create awesome solos that will really help their material stand out. Based on the study of nearly 900 songs from six decades of great music, it explains the musical role played by solos, illustrates which notes work over any chord sequence, and offers a comprehensive range of hints and tips for creating instrumental...