Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Patrick Curley on January 24, 2015 at 11:49am

Freddie King was the master at writing instrumentals (him and J.S. Bach). Kelly Joe Phelps is a contemporary guy who has it nailed as well. It's a different kind of composing for sure, light and shade, thematic development all that stuff.

As for your final question, the point of popular music is that it's been dumbed down. Not to say that there isn't necessarily some skill in doing that but if it's to appeal to the masses then there's the lowest common demoninator to contend with.

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Permalink Reply by Slowpaw Steve T on January 24, 2015 at 9:30pm

another side to modern pop music is sound quality - I saw an interview with  Macca Paul recently, he said he worked hard to produce sparkling recordings with state of the art equipment and was disappointed people were listening on scratchy  ipods...time to move on Paul!  ..though his last album was released on vinyl and his work wasn't lost on me, I wish he'd just write better songs....  ;-) 

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Permalink Reply by c# merle on January 26, 2015 at 1:01am

gotta agree with mccartney on this one steve, take any of the albums we've done on cbn and play em through a good home stereo setup and the sound quality shines through. but i guess most listen on crappy computer speakers or mobile phones and the sound goes south quick:)

 on topic i think an instrumental, even good ones, are a tune but with lyrics it becomes a song - if you know what i mean?

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Permalink Reply by Thorsten Hinrichsen on January 24, 2015 at 8:31pm

I've written and recorded a huge pile of songs with different bands - from metal, punkrock to folk, blues, pop, indie, whatever...

99 percent with lyrics. The OMDMR-album was my first attempt to make an instrument only album. And, like Steve said, it's not easy to write instrumental songs. How do you make hooks? A cool riff? A melody? Chord progressions? Even a drum part?

Everything goes. Thanks for the discussion, Steve!

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Permalink Reply by Slowpaw Steve T on January 24, 2015 at 9:25pm

good luck with the album! :-)

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Permalink Reply by Uncle John on January 25, 2015 at 3:13am

Good post, Steve. 

I like LYRICS. I like a STORY to the song.   Maybe ONE instrumental break.  Maybe not. 

It seems like the albums I would buy in the 60s had one almost obligatory instrumental.   That worked okay for me. 

I love to hear Slowhound's stuff or Andries stuff, John McNairs's stuff  or some of Jame's and Clocks.  Others too.   But after a song or two, I am ready for some lyrics.

Justin Johnson is a great musician and showman.   But even good as he is, I think he needs a vocal here and there to break things up.

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Permalink Reply by Slowpaw Steve T on January 25, 2015 at 5:10am

hear hear UJ, but Justin does mix it up with his looper, maybe he's so busy he would forget to sing, anyway! ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Peter J Thorne on January 25, 2015 at 5:06am

I like both, lyrics and instrumentals. I have to admit though, when I listen to vocals, I don't remember the words, it's the melody that catches me!

 

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Permalink Reply by Slowpaw Steve T on January 25, 2015 at 5:09am

yes it's the melody you remember :-)

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Permalink Reply by Patrick Curley on January 25, 2015 at 8:50am

Me too. In the best songs the words are musical anyway. They often don't make a lot of sense but they sound cool. diddiy wah diddy?

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Permalink Reply by Slowpaw Steve T on January 25, 2015 at 9:57am

doo wah diddy diddy dum diddy doo....Paul Jones 1964   ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Patrick Curley on January 25, 2015 at 8:57am

Not completely related to the thread but I'm puttin it here anyway.

Big congrats to Steve for his album. Making the time and effort to write your own songs, record and release them, bring a big project like this to a conclusion deserves kudos.

I've often dreamt of such a project myself but haven't, as yet, got my project management skills onto it. Part of it is this thing about the song I think. Getting lyrics together, structuring a piece, variety in an album, all that. It's a big deal. I can do riffs and improvise until the cows come home and never remeber any of it, it's gone as quick as it arrives. Creating something that hangs around is a whole different thing.

Again kudos to you Steve, I may even try it myself one day.

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