HELP with acoustic variation!

[emptylane]

Hi, howdy and the rest

I'm planning on doing a gig later on this year but the problem with a 6-8songs set list is that it's going to be just me.. and an electroacoustic!

For thsoe more experienced, I was hoping, how can you put variation on acoustic songs?

I don't mean chords etc, minor major diminished etc but possibly more detail on techniques?

e.g. i find it hard to add solos when its simply me, so mebe put in a varied bridge relating to original theme but then again, it jst seems like a verse without lyrics..

i saw a music video while ago where the singer uses the body of the guitar as percussion for gaps without notes... seemed.. interesting lol.

hope you can help me out! how do you use your acoustic?

[Alistair]

I think the trick in these circumstances is to think of the guitar as accompaniment for your voice, not as a major focus of the performance. The voice becomes the main instrument. Drop the solos and simplify the backing music. Get the lyrics across to hold attention, then the whole becomes greater than all the parts.

[Steve]

Try just picking a few notes out of each chord while you're singing, then when not singing you could strum the chords a little louder. This will give you more light and shade. Alistair is right about the vocal being at the forefront. Thats where the concentration should be. When you've finished playing a song, people remember themain song in terms of the singer not his gutar playing! Good luck!

[emptylane]

hmm thanks a lot guys! its good to hear from people who know what they're talking about.

I sometimes feel when I finished a song that it's just been at the same level all the way through so i'll be sure to work on it:)

another kind of variation on this, song structures.. what kind should i use?

I usually go for A-A-B-A-B, verse verse chorus verse chorus

then end with possibly another chorus after bridge or go back to originating verse.

any songs you know start off with chorus? hmm.. think think

thanx for the advice anyway!

i'm going to fix my comp soon and rerecord everything, add some things as well.

[john]

Hey emptylane

Hmm. Obviously there's no simple answer. It depends on the style of music and your playing style.

I would start with the basic song with no embelishments. Identify the part(s) of each song where you could embelish, without impacting your vocal performance.

Next, try to get variation in the breaks themselves. The big bit to remember is, this is the easiest part to get some form of instrument based dynamic variation. I know you get the chance while you are singing, but at this point you can wholehearted focus on the guitar.

Al has it correct to degree, your vocal is the main way to introduce variation. Plan what you want to do. Make it simple. It is better to have a few selected excellent "variations" etc than an overkill of not very good ones.

Cheers

John

[Alistair]

Unless you are a genius, it's also very difficult to play intricate guitar parts while you are singing so that's another reason to keep that simple. Even BB King, who is a great guitarist, can't sing and play guitar at the same time ( I think that refers to lead guitar).

[Marc]

Unless you are a genius, it's also very difficult to play intricate guitar parts while you are singing so that's another reason to keep that simple. Even BB King, who is a great guitarist, can't sing and play guitar at the same time ( I think that refers to lead guitar).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

One guy who impresses me is Mark King from Level 42. When he's not singing when playing the bass, he's chewing gum.

[Alistair]

One guy who impresses me is Mark King from Level 42. When he's not singing when playing the bass, he's chewing gum.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And breathing! And standing up! And looking!

[codajack]

One guy who impresses me is Mark King from Level 42. When he's not singing when playing the bass, he's chewing gum.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I saw him on video a couple of years back. I think he also chews gum WHILE he's singing somehow. Funny, I thought he looked bored. As if he was thinking, "I really should be doing something with my feet......"

another kind of variation on this, song structures.. what kind should i use?

I usually go for A-A-B-A-B, verse verse chorus verse chorus

then end with possibly another chorus after bridge or go back to originating verse.

any songs you know start off with chorus? hmm.. think think

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A lot of Beatles tunes start out with the chorus. If ever I get in a rut with forms, I usually listen to one of their albums. Also, as far as solos go when just playing with you and your instrument, you don't have to be a genius, you can just play a chordal variation of part of the melody. The Beatles did that a lot, too. But, they are/were geniuses.

[Alistair]

you can just play a chordal variation of part of the melody

A lot of blues players do this too. Powerchords are almost a compromise between playing a chord and a solo on single strings. Listen to a Elmore James record, like Dust My Broom, he uses them a lot. That way you get a different sound for the solo but with some of the depth you get with chords.

Someone who knows how to play well will now probably tell me I am talking rubbish!

[Steve]

Rubbish!

[Alistair]

I said someone who knows how to play well will now probably tell me I am talking rubbish!

[Rudi]

any songs you know start off with chorus? hmm.. think think

Strawberry Fields - Beatles

Fingerpicking provides a lot of potential for `solo' fills etc.

[phantomengineer]

Listen to a Elmore James record, like Dust My Broom

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Alistair has it right. Go listen to Elmore James. He's very very good.

[daveyP]

i dont think mike patton uses these formulas!

I think people stress too much about finishing a song - i was doing the same and then decided to just do it/ to just get them done - the basic formula was apparant through most but the more you 'just' finish and just get done the more room you have to experiment. do whatever is fun. if it seems a funny arrangement, too simple or too complex just go with it.

I found that when i decided to put a hold on writing down every single idea that i had and learn to actually sing i completed songs better that way. an increased range (it aint the best by any means) allows you to make parts different even though they are infact pretty much the same.

Im getting a br1600cd for christmas and intend on getting into recording a good chunk of over 100 acoustic songs and hopfully making other stuff with my drum machine and other instuments. im over excited about it and have a head full of ideas. im just gonna get as many down as possible. the more you have, the more you have to choose from to play so the more fresh each jam session will be. plus you can develop songs through time. I recently got hold of a basic song my mate did about 5 years ago (shit that long ago!) and strapped a capo on (kinky stuff!!) the 6th fret (suits my singing better) and made the song into my own simple arrangement and added in lyrics and made it 'complete'. now i jam it every now and again and to me it is its own thing. Anyway, that that and this is this, im off to bed to dream about my br1600cd. and girls.

daveyP

[Steve]

Welcome back. Good luck! And try to get pictures of the girls...

[Gordon Dying of Gor the nod]

Hi

If you have one you could try using a delay pedal. Best to try and incorporate it into the whole song as you have you have the right tempo. But then you can do some nice twiddly bits and chord runs.

Good luck

Gorrrrrrrrrrrrrr