Q. I constantly see bad repetitive music being played by teenage bands and who always play either rockish punk music, or metal. I see these bands and think 'did they not even think about the song'.
Anyway, the point is, I want to start a folk-indie band, but I really want to take time with my music and create something we (my imaginary band mates) can be proud of. So I ask you for tips, pointers, help, whatever. Just something to separate my band from the rubbish that is being played by so called 'musicians' around my area. Thanks. Any input welcome.
A. I absolutely love the genre for one. It's a great style to play yet a very very difficult style to master. I'm 19 and i wrote an album about a year ago and it took me a while to get into the rhythm of things, pardon the pun. If you are looking for artist to take tips from, there are no better than my indie trio, Damien Rice, Ray LaMontagne, and Justin Vernon (Bon Iver). If you are looking for faster paced music yet still indie folk, you can try artists like Andrew Bird, Fleet Foxes, or maybe even another one of my favorites, "Monsters of Folk" which is a combination of M. Ward, from She and Him, (a band made up of him and Zoey Deshanelle), the Lead singer of Bright Eyes, as well as the lead singer of My Morning Jacket. These bands have mastered the ability to write and produce music that is extremely unique and has a lot of replay value. If you want tips on writing the music here is how I do it. I've written like 20 decent songs and consider myself pretty good at what I do. I'm guessing you plan an instrument, hopefully guitar of piano. Basically to start, look for simple chord progressions that sound good together:C, F, C, G, C, F, C, G, Am, F, C, G... things like that. And don't play those stupid powerchords on guitar. stick to basic open chords as often as you can. also if you do play guitar, a neat indie trick while playing is to keep your pinky and ring finger on the highest two strings on the third fret and then play all the chords with that included. Damien does it all the time. once you have a basic chord progression then you can start working on a melody. as funny as it sounds it helps sometimes to play the chord progression over and over and mumble words with a melody that simply sounds natural. Every once and a while you will say a word that sounds good in that given spot. from there build a sentence out of it. try to use a simple sentence that can be built upon. all of my songs are built off of a single phrase that simply "sounded good" from there build outwards. make another sentence that sounds as good and rhymes. stick to easy rhymes, don't try to stretch. Andrew bird has some crazy rhymes in his songs and it becomes distracting. Also try to write with heart. it sounds dumb but don't write in a rush. some of my best songs were writen over 5 hours of straight playing. it's just how it goes. be patient tho. the words will come. don't let your band mates screw up your music either. there is nothing harder to write to then a chord progression you hate. Do it yourself, complete the whole song, and then present it to the band. Once you have a few sentences in a row, decide what part of the song you want it to be. The natural progression of an indie song goes like this... Verse 1, Verse 2, Chorus, Verse 3, Chorus, Bridge (or solo) Final chorus. the verses should be slower and softer with more of a sense of telling a story. The chorus is the summary of everything you are trying to say. put it in simple words. imagine a crowd singing the chorus together. the words must be easy and simple to pronounce and it must have a catchy melody. avoid na na na's and other things like that. they are cliche. Listen to the live version of "Fix You" by coldplay. even if you hate them... listen to the crowd sing the chorus. there is a reason it gets sung by the whole audience. it is easy to remember the words, it has simple rhymes and the melody is catchy and slow enough to where the words don't all mush together. from there rearrange the song to your liking and add harmonies if you wish. it's all about your own personal creation. You can do better then 99 percent of the crap on the radio now a days. listen to some of those artists first. Try Blowers Daughter by Damien Rice. It has the EXACT pattern i just described. Good luck in your writings! Don't let anyone change your creation. Email me if you need more advice! uoflruler@hotmail.com
How did Thelonious Monk become known as the "High Priest" of bebop?
Q.
A. Admitted to Peter Stuyvesant, one of the cityâs best high schools, Monk dropped out at the end of his sophomore year to pursue music and around 1935 took a job as a pianist for a traveling evangelist and faith healer. Returning after two years, he formed his own quartet and played local bars and small clubs until the spring of 1941, when drummer Kenny Clarke hired him as the house pianist at Mintonâs Playhouse in Harlem.
Mintonâs, legend has it, was where the âbebop revolutionâ began. The after-hours jam sessions at Mintonâs, along with similar musical gatherings at Monroeâs Uptown House, Dan Wallâs Chili Shack, among others, attracted a new generation of musicians brimming with fresh ideas about harmony and rhythmânotably Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Mary Lou Williams, Kenny Clarke, Oscar Pettiford, Max Roach, Tadd Dameron, and Monkâs close friend and fellow pianist, Bud Powell.
Monkâs harmonic innovations proved fundamental to the development of modern jazz in this period. Anointed by some critics as the âHigh Priest of Bebop,â several of his compositions (â52nd Street Theme,â âRound Midnight,â âEpistrophyâ [co-written with Kenny Clarke and originally titled âFly Rightâ and then âIambic Pentameterâ], âI Mean Youâ) were favorites among his contemporaries.
Yet, as much as Monk helped usher in the bebop revolution, he also charted a new course for modern music few were willing to follow. Whereas most pianists of the bebop era played sparse chords in the left hand and emphasized fast, even eighth and sixteenth notes in the right hand, Monk combined an active right hand with an equally active left hand, fusing stride and angular rhythms that utilized the entire keyboard.
And in an era when fast, dense, virtuosic solos were the order of the day, Monk was famous for his use of space and silence. In addition to his unique phrasing and economy of notes, Monk would âlay outâ pretty regularly, enabling his sidemen to experiment free of the pianoâs fixed pitches. As a composer, Monk was less interested in writing new melodic lines over popular chord progressions than in creating a whole new architecture for his music, one in which harmony and rhythm melded seamlessly with the melody.
âEverything I play is different,â Monk once explained, âdifferent melody, different harmony, different structure. Each piece is different from the other. . . . [W]hen the song tells a story, when it gets a certain sound, then itâs through . . . completed.â
How do you write a song?
Q. Hello there :D
I have been playing guitar for 4 years now, and im at advanced level of playing, but i have a problem, i don't know how to write songs D:
I can be fairly poetic, because i got consistant A's in poetry class and such, but when it comes to thinking of a tune and lyrics, i just can't do it D:
Any tips or techniques that might help?
A. Great question! Every song-writer will tell you something different. A lot of musicians will come up with a tune first, then apply the lyrics to the tune. Others will look at the lyrics first and then think of a tune. I love the guitar and wish I had learned that as my principal instrument. It's much easier carrying a guitar around than a piano, I'll tell you! LOL!
Here is a suggestion. Start thinking of a tune, maybe something simple that uses an easy progression. Repeat that over and over softly. See if any words come to mind. If they do, try to place those words within the confines of your chord structure. The song does not need to be top-40 material the first time, just keep working at it. Think of things that are important to you in your life right now. My muse works best if I am in complete quiet, but others tell me that it doesn't matter to them what's going on around them. This is the creativity part that you've heard all about. Just take your time and see what comes up. Try in the key of "E". I have heard that, for guitarists, this is the easiest key for progressions. And, if you are a baritone, it would be in a good singing range for you. I hope this helps somewhat. Your music should be as unique as you are.
Good luck and when you're ready, post it on youtube or something so we can all hear it.
Bret
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