I want to write music. That's one of the main reasons why I got back into this in the first place. My ultimate goal, as anyone who reads my blog knows by now (all five of you), is to record my own stuff. Prog stuff. That's progressive rock to those who are uninitiated (follow this link to learn more).
Unfortunately for me, progressive rock is complex. It's one of the reasons why I like it so much. Progressive rock musicians are known for being virtuosos on their respective instruments, and since I'm not, it kinda throws a wrench in the works. Probably explains why I haven't written anything yet.
Correction: I did write a cool riff the other day. Even wrote it down so I wouldn't forget it.
Even though I haven't written a *complete* song by now, I think about it a lot. I try to write things in my head, and even though I usually forget them, it gives me an opportunity to break down the style I want to use for my own songs. I had an epiphany the other day when I noticed something about my thought process - I'm imagining songs that are way too complex.
Not that I want to write crappy songs, or even simple songs. It's that the style I'm envisioning is too much for my overall skills. I've been listening to a lot of Flower Kings lately and that style is coming through in my thought process, which means it sounds a lot like a combination of Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, and a little jazz fusion, mixed together with a Swedish accent. One thing those bands have in common - and is prevalent in Flower Kings recordings - is a heaping dose o'keyboards.
I know jack crap about playing keyboards.
So in order to make my imagined writing style a reality, not only do I have to master the guitar (which is a lot of work, even though I already have a good head start) and translate my guitar playing to bass, I also have to learn and master the keyboards. That's a lot of prep work. That's also why I haven't had the motivation to write songs. It's too daunting. With all I have to learn, I won't be writing until I'm 50.
So I changed my tactics.
I decided to play to my strengths. I already play guitar. I could probably do a fair impersonation of a bass player, but it would probably be less like Geddy Lee and more like, well, like a guitar player trying to play bass. I played drums for a little while and I think I could do some decent stuff on them still, whether on a real kit or on a simulator. Let's see: drums, bass, and guitar.
What does that equal?
Power trio!
Yes, I'm going to write songs specifically for a power trio. If three guys can't play it, I won't put it in. That means less overdubs and, more importantly, no keyboards. Or at least very little - just enough to add some texture, but not so integral to the song that it couldn't be played live without them. Lean and mean, but still proggy. Think Rush before the keyboards (and without Geddy's screeching wail - I just can't do that).
When I came to this revelation I felt invigorated. I could handle writing guitar, bass and drums. Even better, the songs are extensible (that's my computer geek coming out). If I wanted to, I could add more keyboards later when I either get better at playing them or have someone else write the keyboard parts (that's a hint to my friend and former keyboardist from my old high school band).
There's the lesson of the day, kids. If you want to write music, make sure that you stay within yourself. Don't try to write too far over your head or you'll never even start. You can always add the more complex crap later or, better yet, you may form a band and be able to collaborate with people who already know how to add the complex crap you want.
No comments:
Post a Comment