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Quotes, Books, & Articles

Quotes

"I count myself lucky and proud to have studied with Mr. Pattison. I would not be the writer I am today without his teaching and his unique and comprehensive understanding of language, rhyme, rhythm, and structure."

- 3-time Grammy winner Gillian Welch

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"Pat Pattison does the impossible.  He takes the mystery out of songwriting without taking the heart out of it." 

- David Wilcox

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"I took a class with a great teacher named Pat Pattison... I learned a lot in that class...and I still read that book, Writing Better Lyrics. I think it's great."

- John Mayer

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"This was the best 2 days a songwriter could spend. By lunchtime Saturday, after two and a half hours, I learned more than I had in 35 years of playing and writing music. And it just kept getting better."

- Brian Ralston

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"Working with Pat on my songs has been an essential part of my songwriting process. Pat is a master at asking the right questions to pinpoint what may seem like small tweaks, but in the end, are huge revelations, taking my songs to a whole new level. I honestly believe that Pat is the best songwriting teacher out there. Working with him has made me a much better writer, performer, and singer. I'm always afraid to bring him new material, because I know something I think is done, once put to the Pat test, just needs a bit more work. But in the end, the SONG is better for it. He is an essential mentor for me."

- Amy Speace

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"Last year, I read a book called “Writing Better Lyrics” by Pat Pattison that completely reshaped the way I look at songwriting. (Please do yourself a favor and Amazon Prime it ASAP!) Just as an athlete prepares for a game with a proper warm-up, I’ve learned to start my day with writing. I picked up a black Moleskine notebook and began writing freely without worrying about meter or rhyme scheme as a way to reflect on my thoughts or my day. Not only has this practice allowed me to get the creative juices flowing each morning, but I now have a notebook full of memories to look back on…"

- Madison Kozak

Songwriting Without Boundaries
Writer's Digest Books, 2011

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Writing Better Lyrics
Writer's Digest Books, 2nd Edition, 2009
1st Edition, October, 1995

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The Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure
Formerly known as: Managing Lyric Structure
Berklee Press, distributed by Hal Leonard, January, 1992

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The Essential Guide to Rhyming
Formerly known as: Rhyming Techniques and Strategies 
Berklee Press, distributed by Hal Leonard January, 1992

Books
Students

  • Gillian Welch: 3-time Grammy winner 

  • John Mayer: 7-time Grammy winner 

  • Tom Hambridge: 2-time Grammy winner

  • Imagine Dragons

  • Karmin: Epic Records recording artist

  • American Authors: Island Records recording artist

  • Liz Longley: Sugar Hill Records recording artist

  • Charlie Worsham: Warner Brothers recording artist

  • Betty Who: RCA Records recording artist

  • Justin Tranter: Janelle Monae, Rihanna

  • Kami Lyle: MCA recording artist 

  • Joe Doyle: Number 1 songwriter, BMG 

  • Holly Palmer: Reprise recording artist 

  • Scarlet Keys: Warner Chappell

  • Dillon Dixon: Warner Chappell 

  • Andrea Stolpe: Almo Irving 

  • Greg Becker: Almo Irving

  • Tim Jenkins: BMG

  • Neil Diercks: A&R at Warner Chappell Music

  • Ben Groff: A&R, EMI LA

  • Ted Lowe: A&R Sony, LA


...and many more working in bands, as professional pluggers and managers, and on the staffs of major publishing houses and record labels. 

American Songwriter Magazine

  • Americana: Uncharted Territory

  • Berkleemusic's Pat Pattison Takes Songwriters to School

  • Co-Writing: The No-Free Zone

  • "Down The Rabbit Hole": How to Improve Phrasing in Your Songwriting

  • Knitting A Sonic Fabric, Part 1

  • Knitting A Sonic Fabric, Part 2

  • Motion Creates E-Motion in Songwriting

  • Rhyme Schemes: Same Song, Different Journeys

  • Rusty's Collar

  • Sense-Bound Language: Fiery Rain and Meteors

  • Size Matters: A Study in Prosody

  • Surviving Rhyme: Meeting the Family

  • The Prosody of Mystery in Mystery Train

  • Tools, Not Rules

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Home And Studio Recording Magazine:

  • Better Rhymes with less pain (Part One)

  • Better Rhymes with less pain (Part Two)

  • Put All Your Verses to Work

  • Hook Placement and Focus

  • Making Metaphors

  • Writing for Singers

  • The Great Balancing Act

  • Object Writing: The Art of the Diver

  • Learning to Say No: Developing Worksheets

  • Verse Development and Power Positions

  • The Sleeping Puppy

  • Saying What You Mean

  • Verse Development: Travelogues

  • Form Follows Function: Building the Perfect Beast

  • Neutralizing Repetition

  • Looking for the Perfect Match, Part I

  • Looking for the Perfect Match, Part II

  • Point of View: Second Person and the Hangman

  • Point of View: Second Person as Narrative

  • Dialogue and Point of View

  • Something in Common

  • Song Forms: (Im)potent Packages

  • Song Forms: (Im)potent Packages II

  • Process, Part 1

  • Process, Part 2

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Performing Songwriter Magazine:

  • Verse Development and Power Positions

  • The Sleeping Puppy (A Case Study)

  • Form Follows Function: Building the Perfect Beast

  • Saying What You Mean

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LASS Musepaper:

  • Surviving Rhyme, Part 1

  • Surviving Rhyme Part 2

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