Surprising Rhyming: An Alternative Rhyming Dictionary to Inspire Rhymes People May Not Expect to Hear - Softcover

Oliver, Brian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1986114546 ISBN 13: 9781986114547

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2018

Synopsis

This 624-page book is a new kind of rhyming dictionary that encourages writers to be more adventurous in their approach to rhyming. Built on the findings of an in-depth study of the kind of ingenious rhymes used by some of the world’s greatest songwriters and lyricists, SURPRISING RHYMING offers an astonishing array of thousands of alternative rhyme options. The rhyme types are much broader than those found in traditional rhyming dictionaries which tend to show only ‘perfect’ or ‘true’ rhymes. Using too many perfect rhymes can sometimes make a lyric or a poem sound tedious and predictable—and prone to clichés. To avoid this, SURPRISING RHYMING focuses instead on thousands of off-the-wall false-rhymes, half-rhymes, slant-rhymes and near-rhymes that are less predictable than exact rhymes—and therefore more likely to surprise an audience. The book also includes many new words that have been added to standard dictionaries in recent years. The many thousands of ‘surprising’ rhymes crammed into this book are based on a study of the unconventional ‘imperfect’ rhymes that have been used by influential songwriters and lyricists such as: Chuck Berry, David Bowie, Sara Bareilles, James Bay, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Sia Furler, Hozier, Jay-Z, Billy Joel, Carole King, Michael Kiwanuka, John Lennon, Lorde, John Mayer, Joni Mitchell, Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, Bonnie McKee, Randy Newman, Dolly Parton, Christina Perri, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeran, Paul Simon, Stephen Sondheim, Taylor Swift, Cat Stevens, Bernie Taupin, James Taylor, Jimmy Webb, Lucinda Williams, Stevie Wonder ... and many more. Research for this book found that many of these writers felt they managed to achieve far greater flexibility in their word choices by inserting ‘false’ rhymes into their rhyming patterns instead of always using perfect rhymes. And many writers have discovered that breaking rhyming rules in this way can be very liberating. That’s why SURPRISING RHYMING invites writers to challenge themselves and make their rhymes bolder and more original ... and less predictable! The book is laid out clearly to make it quick and easy to find the perfect word to achieve a memorable rhyme. There are separate sections for one-, two-, three- and four-syllable rhymes, along with many useful tips on rhyming. SURPRISING RHYMING is edited by Brian Oliver, the author of the five-star rated book, “HOW [NOT] TO WRITE A HIT SONG! 101 Common Mistakes to Avoid If You Want Songwriting Success” and also “HOW [NOT] TO WRITE GREAT LYRICS! 40 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Lyrics for Your Songs”. # # # #

About this title

About the Author

Brian Oliver is a highly experienced music publisher, songwriter, musician and music consultant who has been involved in the music industry for over 25 years. As a publisher, he has worked on the songs of legendary writers such as Neil Diamond, Janis Ian, Albert Hammond, James Taylor, Chip Taylor and Gilbert O’Sullivan, as well as bands like The Stranglers, Spandau Ballet and The Shadows, and leading film and TV composer Colin Towns. He has also been a consultant to major companies such as Universal Music, Warner Music and BMG. He is the author of the five-star rated book, "How [Not] to Write a Hit Song! 101 Common Mistakes to Avoid If You Want Songwriting Success". This much-praised book takes a close look at the essential elements consistently found in the structure, melodies and lyrics of all hit songs. It highlights the most common errors made when these key components are built into a song—so that new songwriters can try to avoid such mistakes in their own songs. He is also the author of "How [Not] to Write Great Lyrics! 40 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Lyrics for Your Songs". Written in an easy, non-technical style, the book identifies the most frequent causes of lyric writing problems and aims to help aspiring songwriters steer clear of the many traps they can easily fall into—from how to prevent common errors in the construction of their lyrics ... to the perils of making bad choices when it comes to titles, opening lines, lyrical hooks, verb selection, clichés, rhyming patterns, and many other issues.

Edition details

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1986114546
• ISBN 13: 9781986114547
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 624