The sound of silence . . . . .
(by Uncle dave)


Nothing sounds sweeter than beautiful music, and sometimes, it's the NOTHING that makes it so beautiful! We have the technology to add, add, add and layer upon layer till we have the sonic equivalent of ...................................
a huge Farfisa organ!

I've found that the more tones I layer together -- the more it gets "organ-esq". Less is definitely more in many cases. When laying down a backing sequence of chords under a melody (live or recorded) make sure you leave room for the melody to skate around and take some liberties. Backgrounds should be just that ... in the background. When it's time for your solo -- then you can show them what cha got!

When playing with today's modern keyboards, try to remember to add some silence. It makes ALL the difference between music & noise. Wind players need to breathe, so if you are using a sax or trumpet tone, make sure you end the notes at a reasonable time. It will sound UNnatural if the instrument is played out of character. Learn the correct note range of the solo instruments, and stick to it. Nothing takes away from the realism of a sound like the wrong playing range or style technique.

For example -
* don't use pitch bend on an acoustic piano
* don't glissando (with a trumpet sound) on all white keys
* don't play an acoustic bass in the highest register, or use 5 note chords either

All these things will "suggest" to your listener that the sound is phony.
Sure, we ALL know that it IS phony, but we can pull off a few tricks with smoke & mirrors if we learn the "inner" personality traits of each instrument we emulate.

Here are some more tips to add realism to your solos --
* add pitch bend and vibrato to all guitars, especially steel(Hawaiian) guitars
* make sure the sax player "breathes" once in a while (all wind instruments)
* if you use auto arrangers, make sure you turn them off every so often! Use a break of silence at the end of a phrase to let the melody "sing through" or use the sync start/stop in tandem to produce dynamic "hits" to accent a phrase, like a quarter note triplet in a 4/4 measure. (rest..rest..) DAH.. DAH.. DAH... DAAAAAH !
(That sounded great, here at my desk !)
A good place to try the start/stop sync is in the Don & Juan song
"What's your name" - At the end it has a tag line .....
What's your name (DAH DAH DAH) ............
What's your name ..................................... Shooby doo, bop ba dah !

and lastly, play some million sellers, using the right instrument sound
eg:

"Stranger on the shore" - clarinet
"I can't get started with you" - trumpet
"I'm getting sentimental over you" - trombone
"Music box dancer" or "Last date" - piano
"Whiter shade of pale" - organ
"Europa" or "Songbird" - saxophone

These songs all have an identifiable sound that is an audio "signature" to the listener. If you play them with the right sound -- your crowd will identify with them as they did to the original. It really helps to add to the legitimacy of a show. It's great to develop YOUR own special sound, but remember to give the people what they know too. One of the reasons that DJ's became so popular was because many bands stopped learning the "feel" and "identity" of the hit songs. If you have a loyal following -- you can experiment with styles and feel, but if you play the "outside" (meaning -- weddings, banquets, and other private parties) you NEED to know how to please a wide variety of ages and backgrounds. Versatility will save your butt more times than creativity.

Here's the thought for the day -

Sometimes the best notes are the ones you DON'T play!
Celebrate the silence !

"Hello darkness, my old friend............................................."