Great Songwriting Techniques. By Jack Perricone. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018. 379 pp. ISBN: 9780199967674

[...]it avoids the ‘How to Write a Hit in Three Easy Steps’ approach of many other books on the subject, despite the use of the word ‘great’ in the title and reference to ‘hopes of creating a smash hit’ in the synopsis. [...]a focus on ease and speed with relation to commercial success can make other books problematic recommendations when looking for well-rounded reference texts for academic programmes in songwriting. The contrast between the laying out of very basic instruction and the inclusion of some quite complex exploration of melody and harmony that requires prior musico-theoretical knowledge highlights an underlying lack of clarity about who constitutes the audience for this book.