A Different way of looking at things...

[GregK]

I was talking with a musician/buddy of mine recently and I was telling him how I presently feel a bit of writer's block when it comes to writing some new instrumental guitar songs. Especially in my genre- I find that I can come up with a great idea- only to listen to it afterwards and say "man- this part sounds like Satch, or Vai-or any of the other bunch of instrumental guitar recordings"- and thus it becomes tough to come up with something truly refreshing and new. My friend told me that I was looking at the music from the viewpoint of a SOLOIST rather than a COMPOSER. The soloist looks at new songs in light of all the other musical pieces being a foundation from which to build a solo on whereas the composer views each individual piece doing it's part and meshing together into the song as a whole. So, this means that I look at bass,drums, backing guitar and keyboards as instrumental parts- yes,..but because I am nuts about guitar solos I naturally focus my attention onto what I will do for a solo..does this make sense?
I was wondering all of your thoughts on this and possible suggestions for how to free myself from this "limited viewpoint"- should I just spend a lot of time listening to just chord arrangements- or jazz with all kinds of weird tempos and chords..or instead of practicing my scales just spend the next 3 weeks focusing on chords..any thoughts ideas etc?? PLEASE -ANY HELP!! THANKS! -GregK

[1undread]

Write in a new style for a while. Your natural style will always come through but it sounds like you need to look at things from another angle.
Your friend is right about not neglecting the other instruments in the band. I think bands are better when every member shines not just one.

[GregK]

Well, I'm not in a band- so this makes it extra tough for me- if I were in a band (as I have been in the past) I would CERTAINLY pay attention to and rely heavily on each and every band mate - but in my situation where I'm the only one- I try to give adequate space to different instruments- even knowing that that the guitar will solo over them (example- my tune "Dancing on the edge"- the drums program is a simple back beat- the rhythm guitar is also simple but the bass is complex and works in-and-out of tandem with the lead guitar..the chord arrangements are simple because this piece is SUPPOSED to showcase more of the lead guitar in the mix- )but how to get it all to work all together?? I suppose I'm frustrated by listening to Dream Theater and Yes and trying to get that AWESOME ALL-INSTRUMENTS GOING NUTS-IN-PERFECT UNISON type of thing..and I can't think in terms of such complex tempos and chord arrangements.. See- when it comes to lead guitar- I eat, breath and sleep it- it comes second nature.. but trying to write a song that isn't "music supporting a lead guitar solo" -a song that actually sounds like a FULL INSTRUMENTAL PIECE..God help me..it's sooooo tough to do!!!

Sometimes- at odd moments I just jam on bass and hit "record" and come up with something good on guitar to go along with it- my song "The Longing" was just me improv-jamming to a spontaneous keyboard thing.. so sometimes it works..but I dunno..it's like I'm chasing the Muse..or more like I'm screaming at the Muse to please notice me and grace me with an idea.. some morsel or delicious music.. and all I get is a can of Alpo.

[1undread]

IN that case your friend is right again.
Think about the chords and the modes that go with them for a new approach.
Possibly get more creative with the drums. I hate listening to programed drums that try to sound like real drums. Using sample and cutting them up sounds better. If you program the drums show of your programing skills in that area.
You can also try playing with electronic timbres.

[martouk]

Work for how it 'feels' not how it sounds. If you work from a feeling you are trying to portray, the rest will fall into place. I know this might sound a bit trite, but I find that once I settle on the mood I want to create, then the rest falls into place easier than going for a sound. Hope this makes sense.

[GregK]

When I write- I focus primarily on Feel- but of course it also depends on the song. For instance- "Beethoven's Bane" was improvised on the spot- the lead solo recorded first- and really it was just "following a train of thought" and somehow it worked.. "Dancing on the Edge" was the basic rhythm and then I just went nuts on the guitar..
I have found that many times over the LESS actual "theory" thought I put behind something and the more I open up my heart, my soul- something links everything together and I get a good piece of music..of course this does not ALWAYS work! And- like i had mentioned it is very difficult -especially in the instrumental-guitr-rock genre to come up with something that doesn't sound like it's been done before by another artist..makes me wish I understood keyboards better..

[Stoneman]

One of the problems I had during my youthful days (70's & 80's) was that I had tunnel vision in regards to my original songs. I grew up with R&B/Jazz and toured with several bands of that genre and when I listen to the songs I was writing then they all fall into the same category. Even the chordings were similar in almost every song I wrote. Then, I got hired to sing in a country western band. I think they hired me because they thought the novelty of having a Black Soul singer singing country would gain them some weird recognition. Now, I hated the style of music they wanted me to sing but the money was calling to my poor little pockets. An amazing thing happened while in that band. My eyes were opened to a new sound and feel for music. As the songwriter of the group I was forced to learn to write country because that was all the band played. Going through the motions of learning a new genre opened my creative juices to new possibilities!

After the country band I joined a Reggae band and then a Metal band, accapella singing group, Punk Band, Pop Bands, Latin Bands, Gospel Bands, Soul Bands and over the past 35 years I have played or sang lead in about 40 different bands in 12 genres. The result is that my musical creative sensibilities are now tuned into music as a whole and not one particular thing. My secret to keeping my creative juices flowing is to keep my mind open to all possibilities musically. To date, I have won awards in 9 musical genres because I have studied more than my main genre (R&B/Jazz). Now that I work music full time I get up every morning and say to myself: Whats brewing in the old creative zone today? Then I begin to write and produce whatever style is moving in me.

The overall picture of the song is my first approach. I hear all the parts in my head and I hum them into my little tape recorder so I won't forget them. Then I start with one thing at a time until the song is fully produced in my studio (which usually takes about 4 hours per song). I write about 6 songs a week and I toss or trash about 5 of them when they are done because I don't feel they are worthy of being heard by others. The one songs that works for me goes on to be copyrighted and sent to my publishers for consideration. Those that don't get signed are put in my own publishing companies catalogue for future considerations and poissible re-writes.

So, what I am saying? Open your mind to all the possibilities of music instead of just the guitar parts or the solos. Open your mind to other genre's and you will begin to see the correlation that is prevalent in all musical styles. Also, think about collaborating with other writers. Its always fun to meld two or three different approaches into one. By doing this you will learn and see that the possibilities are far more numerous than what they were before. It will also make writing songs so much more fun. I seldom have writers block these days. When one genre stops dominating my flow, another takes its place. I call it creative diversity. In the 70's one of my favorite groups (Parliament/Funkadelic) said "Free your mind and your a** will follow". So, I did (in many ways) and now I have an unlimited source of material to last me for what few decades I may have left on this earth.

Hope this helps!

Stoneman

[GregK]

Wow, thanks! That's some great advice! I'm wondering if I change some of the parts originally written for my meager keyboard parts to maybe bass or take a fast song and try it as a slow ballad.. or who knows -maybe try one of the pieces I was writing as funk/metal/fusion and see how it sounds in a reggae setting.. I did a stint as a bassist for more of a "soft-rock and pop" type of setting years ago, maybe I should pull out some of that stuff and work with it. I guess the biggest problem is that lead guitar is so much a part of who and what I am in every way now that it really becomes difficult to shift gears- I mean the stuff I am writing WILL actually be instrumental guitar pieces- so they'll have lead guitar doing something on them- similar to Jeff Beck or Satriani or Vai in some respects- but I also want them to have more to them..some "passionate feel" to them.. and more complex textures..what's in my head is so beautiful- but getting it into "reality"- I wish I had a bunch of good,diverse musicians in my area to bounce ideas off of. (lots of good musicians in my area- most of them all play the same cover tunes) - doing everything by yourself can be so difficult some times!

[Reconsiderate]

[GregK]

Well, I am sure that time restraints pose a bit of a problem as well- the brief time I was unemployed I had ALL day (pretty much- between job shopping) to write new material- which is when I wrote the bulk of "Bane", "samsara" and "dancing on the edge". Now that it seems 12 hours of my day is devoted to work (figure 9 hours working-with lunch, then you have the times that you wake up- get ready for work- drive to and from work- it really comes down to 12 or more hours per day) -ok so there's 12 hours right off the bat. THEN you are told you need 8 hours of good sleep each day- so now you are up to 20 hours.. leaving you with a WHOPPING 4 hours to cook, eat, clean, pay bills, do any parental stuff if you are a parent (not in my case) mow and everything else that becomes "life". This leaves you PRECIOUS little time to focus in on yourself- find out who and what you are and redirect how you approach your music in any new ways. So because of this- sacrifices are made to sleep or some other area of life..and it is VERY difficult to break out of the box as it were -so much easier to just keep doing the same old thing..but then I would wind up with the same old results and never have any refreshing new ideas as to my music..ahhh..such a dilemma! HELP- SOMEONE PLEASE! Thanks!- Greg