INSTRUMENTALS ...

[GregB]

Dear fellow ‘Stuffers of Songs’.   Is an instrumental simply a song without lyrics?

 

When I’m in a songwriting mood and noodling around on guitar or piano, words usually come quite easily.  But, on occasion, there is absolutely no hint of lyrics bubbling through, nothing to complement the vibe, rhythm or melody.

 

I’ve never believed in keeping a folder of leftover ‘bits’ as (for me) it kills the spark to sift and review what’s there.  So, if something grabs me, I’ll just keep working at it in the one session (about one hour) until I have at least one complete ‘section’ that pleases me, e.g. a verse, and then write it down.  If that end point is never reached, I simply give up on it knowing that, if it came up once, it’ll probably come up again ... and, if it doesn’t, it wasn’t worth finishing in the first place!  If I get satisfaction from these written-down chords but there’s no hint of lyrics then, rather than flog a dead horse, I’ll make the decision at that point to finish it off as a pure instrumental.  By this point I will also have some vague melodies in my head and will write them down too.

 

We’re all different but this approach has worked for me every time, and I’ve ended up with seven instrumentals that have been released on my albums.  I’ve discovered that instrumentals are a great way to provide variety when working on the track order for an album.

 

The first time this process ever happened was on my first album, Not All It Seems, co-written in 2001 and studio-recorded/released in 2002.  As mentioned elsewhere, I recently re-recorded that album on my own in my ‘home studio’, using click tracks and new arrangements.  Not All It Seems REDUX (2021) uses exactly the same track order as the original.  The instrumental In Two Minds remains the album closer, with a nice build to the final fadeout.

 

The conceit of this track was that the two halves have identical chord structures but each half having a completely different feel and sound.  The main reason for this is having worked out the opening, modulating things twice and then closing the loop, the total playing time was much too short ... I therefore doubled it up.  The first half, guitar-led, is meant to sound moody and melancholy, and was recorded WITHOUT a click track to sound more natural.  The second half is piano-led, spirited and jaunty (with click track).  This change-up really suits my musical soul as I have limited patience with multiple identical repeats of anything within any song.

 

The 2002 version (pre YouTube) still holds its own: https://open.spotify.com/track/2GPBIN6shkq9jVo5NZOS5s?si=863c9de9b99a43af 

 

I created the following video in December 2020 to accompany the new version (along with 11 others for the album).  

 

 

I'd love to see/hear stories from other folk about their approaches to writing and recording instrumentals. If posting here in the "Songwriting" Category, could you please use the text     - INSTRUMENTALS -     in the topic title to make it easy to identify.

 

Cheers,

Greg

(Australia)

Edited January 18, 2022 by GregB
Typo

[GregB]

5 hours ago, Stewart Schmidt said:

it feels a bit long for me without any lyrics.  Honestly, the whole song feels like it could use lyrics

 

Thanks Stewart for taking time to provide your comments. It's good when people articulate their thoughts constructively and clearly. 

 

What you've said about lyrics is valid but the whole rationale for me is that if the musical structure is solid but no satisfactory lyrics come to mind then an instrumental is  the only other option.

 

To my ear, the melody lines are relatively clear  The first-half guitar has the melody embedded within my fingerpicking style ... it was performed whole and solo on the one guitar. The second half was originally going to be whistled but I couldn't make it sound good or punchy in the mix, so it instead became a right-hand honkytonk line recorded separately from the chords.

 

Decisions, decisions. Whenever I look back on the complex and convoluted decision web of writing, arrangement, recording and mixing, it's amazing that anything ever gets done! The main thing though is I remain happy with result after umpteen listens and the passage of time.

 

Cheers,

Greg

[GregB]

6 hours ago, Stewart Schmidt said:

"A Royal Potlatch"

 

Hi Stewart. I listened to it complete. I think this would work well as a chapter within the context of your "swan" story/video as the drum/rhythm definitely has an olden-days feel.

 

IMO, the mix sounds extremely muffled ...  as if the speakers were draped with a blanket .. possibly due to no separation of the instruments via EQ or the stereo field? I swapped headphones to check!

 

While ultra-comfortable with chords, I've never done free-form guitar (or piano) leads ... I don't have the chops or the confidence. I work out exactly what I'm going to play, practice it, then record it in manageable sections.

 

It was an interesting listen to compare and contrast our musical approaches and mindsets.

 

Cheers,

Greg

[GregB]

38 minutes ago, VoiceEx said:

personal songs revolve around stories I wrote, which are later turned into hand drawn illustrations which get sorted out chronologically, and laid-out on a storyboard

 

Wow ... as you've already done the work, this sounds like a great way of creating stylised and very personal music videos!

 

My most ambitious guitar instrumental (which I'll post later if this topic has any legs) is concocted from about 10 separate pieces, with little bridges to move between keys where necessary. 

[GregB]

7 hours ago, VoiceEx said:

people talk too much these days. I say, if you wanna try something, than just try it

 

This is certainly true of some.

 

When I was 'networking' trying to figure how to market my albums, I'd estimate that 95% of folk I met at industry events introduced themselves as 'singer songwriters' without having any material recorded (even demos) to warrant that description.

 

I agree that, at some point, one has to stop talking and just DO something and test the waters.

 

Greg

[GregB]

You are wise indeed, Obi Wan.

Taking a break from battling the Dark Side, I'm off to the Cantina to listen to the band, have a drink, and engage in some nefarious activity.

Greg 👍

[Clay Anderson Johnson]

I really enjoyed this Greg. I liked the way it started with a kind of semi-classical, Middle English melody and then evolved into something resembling ragtime. The transition was unexpected.

 

I found it to be very personal and creative. It has held up well 20 years later.

[Clay Anderson Johnson]

On 1/12/2022 at 7:03 PM, VoiceEx said:

my personal songs revolve around stories I wrote

I try to write instrumentals which evoke a mood rather than tell a story.

 

Primordial - The feeling of anxiety in a jungle during a storm

 

Jamón Con Patatas Fritas - A night in the tropics

 

Dos Gringos Blancos - Two bumbling foreigners (working title Too Many White Men)

 

Immortal - Simultaneous victory and tragedy, being immortal is a curse not a blessing as you watch everything you love die

Edited January 15, 2022 by Clay Anderson Johnson

[GregB]

On 1/16/2022 at 6:32 AM, Clay Anderson Johnson said:

instrumentals which evoke a mood

 

Hi Clay.  Any links to the titles you mentioned ??

[MikeRobinson]

As far as "songs without lyrics" goes, I've got many shelves in my house which are chock-full of them ... on both shiny-plastic and vinyl discs.

 

Also – when a song is intended to be used with a lyric, it has to be designed around that lyric ... and, the singer(s).  Because the lyric and the vocal performance must take precedence, and the song itself must accommodate the voices.  On the one hand, there are stupendous examples of pieces that did this – Handel's Messiah – but endless examples of others that never could – any symphony.

 

Your options as a composer are greatly expanded if you don't have to accommodate a voice!

Edited January 17, 2022 by MikeRobinson

[Clay Anderson Johnson]

On 1/16/2022 at 5:53 PM, GregB said:

Any links to the titles you mentioned ??

3 are here https://open.spotify.com/album/5bqhNA8Rnf4LtqjLQCp8xH

 

1 is here https://open.spotify.com/track/2IZnyeNdU7d9Mj8ffX5KaY

 

 

 

[GregB]

41 minutes ago, Clay Anderson Johnson said:

3 are here, 1 is here

 

Hi Clay.  These were very interesting.  Good stuff!  Great sonic textures and change-ups.  How would you categorise them ... experimental electronica? 

 

I can't offer any specific comment, as the style is so different from anything I do.  I reckon they would work well got movie or video-game soundtracks.   Of the four, my favourite was 'Primordial' as everything seemed rhythmically tight on the grid, and the sounds were not stylistically over-distorted/processed.  

 

Do your productions have an equivalence to verse/chorus/bridge or ABC song structures? If not,how do you map them out for performance?

 

Greg

[Clay Anderson Johnson]

On 1/18/2022 at 11:35 PM, GregB said:

Do your productions have an equivalence to verse/chorus/bridge or ABC song structures? If not,how do you map them out for performance?

Hi Greg,

 

I label them as sections A, B, & C. This usually, although not always, is statement of theme, transition, and variation.

 

I don’t think of my musical pieces as songs so much as miniature compositions. The ones I record are short and not expansive or thematically developed for the most part. Brevity is my main concession to commerciality.

 

What I play for myself are longer more jazz oriented piano based improvisations. I can easily do dozens of variations on a theme which is what I enjoy doing for my own personal pleasure. However this is overly indulgent for recording.

 

I dislike standardized song form of verse chorus, verse bridge chorus, or verse pre-chorus chorus etc. I find it too commercial and limiting. I am a player with no ambitions of any type of Pop/Rock stardom. I am fortunate to be at a stage in my life where I no longer need a large amount of income from music.

 

I record basically because I can do so inexpensively and distribute them on the market as a personal statement. Professionally if anything I would like a sync or soundtrack deal. I have a publicist friend who compares my work to Ennio Morricone.

 

Primordial was originally written and produced as a theme song for a TV detective series which was never green lighted. The only reason it runs for 5 minutes is it was conceived to be able to be cut into short segments for different scene transitions, This is why although it is somewhat long there is minimal theme development only slight variations.

 

What Primordial did achieve though is the inspiration for myself that I could use a DAW and record/distribute at almost no cost. So after years of backing singer songwriters whom I considered to be pinheads and musical novices I can finally do something fun and personally more exciting.

[GregB]

9 hours ago, Clay Anderson Johnson said:

I label them as sections A, B, & C. This usually, although not always, is statement of theme, transition, and variation.

 

I don’t think of my musical pieces as songs so much as miniature compositions. The ones I record are short and not expansive or thematically developed for the most part. Brevity is my main concession to commerciality.

 

Hi Clay.

 

I sympathise with that approach but we're all aware that, like it or not, the human brain is constantly pattern-matching.  That's why returning to the root chord and repeated structures/themes/motifs can be so emotionally satisfying in songs, instrumental, Film & TV music.

 

I too am not in it for money or stardom.  A goal I've achieved throughout my life ... with flying colours!  

 

The challenge of creating music, personal pride in a 'good' product (without false modesty, if we don't know what's good by now, what are we doing?), and doing my best within my skill levels and budget, have all given me immense satisfaction.

 

'Fame' is horrendous but, hey, if anyone suddenly wants to shower me in money, I'm not going to complain!!

 

Greg

[Clay Anderson Johnson]