Give your melodies the gift of a self-assured accompaniment.
No matter how strong a melody is, it becomes more compelling when supported with a strong accompaniment.
By strong, I don’t mean dense or complex – I mean dependable.
Think: the right notes at the right time.
I know “dense and complex” have the connotation of “chops”. The minute the accompaniment overpowers the melody, “chops” turns into “cluster” and “ego”. Better to stay simple, precise, and unobtrusive in your accompanying.
It doesn’t matter if your accompaniment is a simple bass line or whole note chords. Whatever the melody calls for, the accompaniment and all the choices you make inherent to your harmonic underpinning have to be as believable as the melody.
That means your guitar and/or piano chops have to be at a level where the accompaniment appears effortless to the listener. Your playing and hands have to be almost automatic so that they don’t clog your head when delivering a lyric with your mouth.
This is why “simple” is good. Don’t worry if your songs use I-V-vi-IV chord progressions if that is your current skill level.
You can juggle those four chords in tons of ways and adapt a variety accompaniment patters, tempos, and dynamics so things don’t sound too similar from song to song.
The trick is to always be pushing your ability to handle something that is a little more athletic in your playing as you develop as a songwriter. It’s easy to get complacent.
If you have ever gone to a few open mics, you know what I mean.
When your accompaniment is secure, you feel invincible and willing to experiment with your vocal embellishments without fear of them exposing your experimentation.
When I was performing weekly with our band, one of the greatest feelings was knowing I had four superlative musicians playing with me when I had to sing the melody. Everyone knew their job, their sonic shelf. No one ever overplayed their part or got in the way of the melody.
It was as if I had the best of safety nets under me. I knew that if I slipped up singing the melody, no one in the crowd would probably notice because my voice was cushioned by this incredible lattice of sound.
When developing your songs, think of your hands as your band. Don’t let them get in the way of the melody and your voice and you’ll find that even as a soloist, you’ll have just what you need supporting you melody and lyric.
No matter how strong a melody is, it becomes more compelling when supported with a strong accompaniment.
By strong, I don’t mean dense or complex – I mean dependable.
Think: the right notes at the right time.
I know “dense and complex” have the connotation of “chops”. The minute the accompaniment overpowers the melody, “chops” turns into “cluster” and “ego”. Better to stay simple, precise, and unobtrusive in your accompanying.
It doesn’t matter if your accompaniment is a simple bass line or whole note chords. Whatever the melody calls for, the accompaniment and all the choices you make inherent to your harmonic underpinning have to be as believable as the melody.
That means your guitar and/or piano chops have to be at a level where the accompaniment appears effortless to the listener. Your playing and hands have to be almost automatic so that they don’t clog your head when delivering a lyric with your mouth.
This is why “simple” is good. Don’t worry if your songs use I-V-vi-IV chord progressions if that is your current skill level.
You can juggle those four chords in tons of ways and adapt a variety accompaniment patters, tempos, and dynamics so things don’t sound too similar from song to song.
The trick is to always be pushing your ability to handle something that is a little more athletic in your playing as you develop as a songwriter. It’s easy to get complacent.
If you have ever gone to a few open mics, you know what I mean.
When your accompaniment is secure, you feel invincible and willing to experiment with your vocal embellishments without fear of them exposing your experimentation.
When I was performing weekly with our band, one of the greatest feelings was knowing I had four superlative musicians playing with me when I had to sing the melody. Everyone knew their job, their sonic shelf. No one ever overplayed their part or got in the way of the melody.
It was as if I had the best of safety nets under me. I knew that if I slipped up singing the melody, no one in the crowd would probably notice because my voice was cushioned by this incredible lattice of sound.
When developing your songs, think of your hands as your band. Don’t let them get in the way of the melody and your voice and you’ll find that even as a soloist, you’ll have just what you need supporting you melody and lyric.
RSS Feed