A Rondebosch songwriter has written a book on the craft that he hopes will inspire others with songs in their hearts.
Released at the end of November last year, Head, Heart & Hands: A brave new approach to songwriting is both instructional and inspirational, according to its author, Clive Ridgway, 68.
“It covers the essentials of songwriting and it explains the relationship between the ‘music and language’ and the ‘language of music’,” says Mr Ridgway.
The book shows how words and music come together in songs to spark the imagination, capture hearts and spur us into action, he says.
Mr Ridgway has written songs for The Boyz, Judith Sephuma, Dr Victor, Kurt Darren, Juanita du Plessis, Bev Scott-Brown, Selim Kagee, Roeshdien Jaz, Protegé and his own band, Rocking Horse.
He is a lecturer at AFDA and also founded the Cape Town School of Songwriting, which he has been running for the past 15 years.
He hopes his book will create a songwriting movement. “A community of songwriters writing songs that are mindful, meaningful and relevant so that we can accelerate the much needed transformation in our community.”
And he would like to see the songwriting approach outlined in his book become a pilot programme in at least one school this year. “Preferably in an area of the community where children can really do with a program that promotes self-esteem, creative thinking and language skill,” he says.
This is Mr Ridgway’s second book and follows Crack the Songwriting Code, released in 2008.
Head, Heart & Hands: A brave new approach to songwriting is available at Exclusive Books and Wordsworth Books as well as from Naledi Book Publishers at naledi.co.za and the Cape Town School of Songwriting at songwriters.co.za. Or email clive@songwriters.co.za.
