WEBLINKS ON HOW TO WRITE A MUSICAL
Compiled by Ken Lyen
You can find everthing on the internet. Even the entire undergraduate medical course? Almost! There's sure a lot of stuff online. But don't forget the old adage that nobody learnt to swim by reading. Can one learn to write a musical by reading articles from the internet? I don't know. Anyone game?
INTRODUCTION
How to Write a Musical (John Kenrick)
http://www.musicals101.com/write.htm
The Book (John Kenrick)
http://www.musicals101.com/book.htm
Writing a Musical (David Reiser)
http://www.musesmuse.com/art-writingmusicals.html
How to Write a Musical (Richard Andrews)
http://www.thestage.co.uk/connect/howto/writemusical.php
WRITING THE STORY
Online Course on Writing Musicals 101
http://www.suite101.com/articles.cfm/5136
Playwriting Course 101
http://www.playwriting101.com/
Creation of a New Musical Pt 1 (Adapting to Music)
http://www.broadwaystars.com/alper/s101archives/PreproWrit-Pt2.html
Creation of a New Musical Pt 3 (Preproduction)
http://www.broadwaystars.com/alper/s101archives/PreproWrit-Pt3.html
Creation of a New Musical Pt 4 (Writer-Composer Collaboration)
http://www.broadwaystars.com/alper/s101archives/PreproWrit-Pt4.html
Creation of a New Musical Pt 5 (Writer-Composer Collaboration)
http://www.broadwaystars.com/alper/s101archives/PreproWrit-Pt5.html
Creation of a New Musical Pt 6 (Rights)
http://www.broadwaystars.com/alper/s101archives/PreproWrit-Pt6.html
BBC on Songwriting Guide
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/guide/
Collaboration
http://www.songwriters-guild.co.uk/collab.htm
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/musical_theatre/82833
Personality Pages
http://www.broadwaystars.com/alper/s101archives/Passel-Personality.html
Writing a musical
http://pembsamth.tripod.com/id35.html
Writing Tips
http://storymind.com/dramatica/tips.htm
WRITING THE LYRICS
Word Play: Writing Lyrics parts 1-5
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec00/articles/lyric.asp
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan01/articles/lyric.asp
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb01/articles/lyric.asp
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar01/articles/lyric.asp
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr01/articles/lyric.asp
Things to consider when writing lyrics
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/songwriting__lyrics/writing_lyrics_things_to_consider.html
Songwriting Course on 9 CDs
http://www.songmd.com/booksandcds.html
Stephen Schwartz on Songwriting
http://www.musicalschwartz.com/schwartz-on-songwriting.htm
How to write lyrics
http://www.guitar9.com/columnist3.html
BBC on How to Write Lyrics
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/onemusicdata/fameacademy/tips/noflash/lyrics.shtml
Craft of Writing Lyrics
http://www.allsands.com/Music/lyricswriting_wrc_gn.htm
Berklee Guide on Writing Lyrics (pdf format)
http://www.berkleemusic.com/school/course?course%5fitem%5fid=544228&usca%5fp=t
http://www.berkleemusic.com/school/course?course_item_id=8232
Overcoming Lyrics Writing Hurdles
http://www.writerscrossing.com/breaking_in/12012004-lyric-writing.html
Write Better Lyrics
http://www.musesmuse.com/schind2.html
Verse Development
http://www.musesmuse.com/patart.html
Links to lyrics writing sites
http://www.empirezine.com/lyrics/
Collection of Lyrics
http://libretto.musicals.ru/index.php?language=1
Songwriting Course
http://www.euronet.nl/users/menke/songs.html
MUSIC AND SONGWRITING
Songwriting Educational Resource (good articles)
http://www.craftofsongwriting.com/articles.htm
Songwriting Basics
http://writingsongs.com/davebyers/tips/songwriting_basics.htm
Songwriting Articles
http://www.writerswrite.com/cgi-bin/songart.pl
Writing Melodies
http://writingsongs.com/davebyers/tips/writing_melodies.htm
Don't be a schnook, get to the hook
http://www.musesmuse.com/shnook.html
Addicted to Songwriting
http://www.addicted-to-songwriting.com/
The Love Duet
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/musical_theatre/65639
Notes on Songwriting
http://www.robinfrederick.com/write.html
Creating a musical
http://www.broadwaystars.com/alper/s101archives/PreproWrit-Pt4.html
Songwriting Tips
http://www.lyricalline.com/articles/21songwritingtips.html
http://www.lyricalline.com/articles/19moresongwritingtips.html
Song Form
http://www.lyricalline.com/articles/article-songform1.html
http://www.lyricalline.com/articles/article-songform2.html
http://www.lyricalline.com/articles/article-songform3.html
http://www.lyricalline.com/articles/article-songform4.html
How I Write Songs
http://www.tobydarling.com/
Easy Songwriting
http://www.easy-song-writing.com/
Rewriting Your Songs
http://writingsongs.com/davebyers/tips/rewriting_songs.htm
BULLETIN BOARDS
Writing Musicals Bulletin Board (free registration)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/musicalmakers/
Writing Musicals 1 by Marci
Have fun, be inspired, and listen to a lot of musicals.
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=insubject:writing+insubject:musicals&hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=35DBC8DC.3A8ED317%40earthlink.net&rnum=2
Writing Musicals 2 by Marci
What to avoid?
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=insubject:writing+insubject:musicals&hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=6rnn1l%24ap6%241%40samsara0.mindspring.com&rnum=8
Writing Musicals 3 by Marci
The Theme
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=insubject:writing+insubject:musicals&hl=en&lr=lang_en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=17028-35DFDE47-43%40newsd-124.bryant.webtv.net&rnum=7
BOOKS
The Musical Theatre Writer's Survival Guide by David Spencer
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0325007861/ref=pd_sim_b_3/002-6191144-4631239?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance
Writing the Broadway Musical by Aaron Frankel
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0306809435/qid=1088060037/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-0347087-5393664?v=glance&s=books
Making Musicals by Tom Jones
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0879100958/qid=1125297378/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/002-6191144-4631239?v=glance&s=books
The Musical from the Inside Out by Stephen Citron
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1566631769/qid=1125297749/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/002-6191144-4631239?v=glance&s=books
Moonstruck Drama Bookstore
http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/
The Making of a Musical by Lehman Engel
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0879100494/qid=1137373365/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/102-6688244-4446507?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
Words With Music: Creating the Broadway Libretto by Lehman Engel (not yet released)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557835543/qid=1137373250/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-6688244-4446507?n=507846&s=books&v=glance
INTERESTING ARTICLES AND RESOURCES
The Golden Rules of Songwriting
http://www.musesmuse.com/schind.html
Online Rhyming Dictionary
http://www.rhymer.com/
Musical Magazines
http://www.saintmarys.edu/~jhobgood/Jill/magaz.html
Self-Analysis
http://quizilla.com/users/SeventeenB/quizzes/What%20Broadway%20Composer%20(or%20Composer-Lyricist%20team)%20are%20you%3F/
Are Revivals Killing Musical Theatre?
http://www.musicals101.com/jktimes.htm
Plays and Musicals UK
http://www.playsandmusicals.co.uk/frame.htm
