Spring Greetings
Some news after a long, long break from posting here.
Like many, I have switched some of my teaching online via Zoom. Get in touch if you are interested in guitar, bass, songwriting and other music online tutorials. I can also work with people who have copies of my books and would like to discuss and go through them together.
To get in touch, leave a comment at the foot of the page. You can also find me on Facebook.
This year should see the 3rd edition of How To Write Songs On Guitar in its 20th Anniversary year. It has been revised with a little new material, a re-write, a new layout and a general polish. I hope this will be the first of several revised editions of the series.
Stay well.
Rikky Rooksby's site 
Looking forward to seeing the new Edition!
April 14, 2020 at 10:31 am
Thanks Shannon.
April 14, 2020 at 12:12 pm
I’ve got all your books, and look forward to the revisions. Have to say, I have quite a large library of music books (40 or 50) and yours are, by far, my faves. THANK YOU!
April 17, 2020 at 6:41 am
Hello Troy, thanks very much for your comment. I’m pleased you have enjoyed the books. The new editions are to be published by Rowman & Littlefield. The books are slightly smaller but with more pages and new covers. The text has been fully revised and updated to take into account some figures from the past 10 years of popular music. The book on lyric-writing should be next, and I’m hoping Riffs after that. If there are any aspects of the books you want to discuss further you can always arrange a Zoom tutorial. Best wishes, Rikky
April 17, 2020 at 9:17 am
I’m obsessed with How to Write Songs on Guitar and I tell everyone about it. Currently on my third read, but this time putting in a lot more effort. I’m listening to at least a little bit of all the songs mentioned and I made a rule that every time I learn something new or useful, I have to stop and use that knowledge to write something. I’m very focused on improving my songwriting at the moment and I find this book basically to be a comprehensive course. Thank you!
June 18, 2020 at 4:46 am
Dear Rikky,I would like to personally congratulate you on your book How to Write Songs on Guitar. As a guitar teacher, I have always found it valuable to use your book as a teaching tool in my classes. However, after a couple of years compiling the information from your wonderful book into Excel files, I have uploaded to Spotify a playlist of the songs mentioned in it—a total of 1,725 songs (unfortunately five short of the complete list).
I must sincerely tell you that your selection of songs has taken me back to my teenage years, making me fall in love with music all over again. I couldn’t be more grateful. You are truly remarkable.https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6PBjAQq0OB8AGAYLWX1dzJ?si=7e96458e64824bd2
October 2, 2025 at 6:45 am
Hello Pablo, thank you very much for your kind comments about my book How To Write Songs on Guitar, and congratulations on the astonishing effort to compile a playlist for it. When the book was first published I used to sometimes receive queries asking why the publisher didn’t include some of the tracks mentioned in the book. Of course this was impossible because of copyright. I don’t use Spotify so a playlist hadn’t occurred to me. I’m glad that many of the songs are ones that mean a lot to you. Can I ask permission to share the link? It might be an idea for me to write a post about on this website. I hope you have discovered some of the other songwriting books which as a teacher you could use. The latest updated version of HTWSOG was published three or four years ago. Best wishes, Rikky
October 2, 2025 at 10:07 am
Dear Rikky,I’ve just ordered four of your books. I’m looking forward to see your updates on ‘How to write songs on guitar’! Thanks again for your wonderful work. As long as I’ll get it by mail, I’ll update the Spotify playlist!Cheers,Pablo
November 15, 2025 at 5:49 pm
Thanks Pablo for your feedback – much appreciated. I hope the extra sales impress my new publisher who has taken over the books.
Best wishes,
Rikky
November 17, 2025 at 7:07 pm
Dear Rikky,
Do you like The Soft Boys?
Pablo
November 28, 2025 at 12:21 am
Hello Pablo – I’ve not heard them I’m afraid.
November 28, 2025 at 5:16 pm