Ideas for making simple acoustic songs more interesting

[LeonardScaper]

 

the rawness, the immediacy, and the moment.

 

 

I'd stick with this.

 

Keep it simple....make it count.

[fenderbender66]

Close melodies can be really tough to avoid. I think that they are most often a direct result of allowing your voice to follow the guitar, rather than the inverse. So here's a thought (kind of obvious, but it works...) : don't compose your melody with a guitar in hand. Sing until you have a really great melody, and then harmonize it with appropriate chords. This can be very effective and it vastly expands your knowledge of chords and melody if you take the time to do it regularly. I think if you listen to a few really great melodies, you can see how it would be difficult to come up with such athletic, interesting choices if you sang along with chords. Case in point: somewhere over the rainbow. Not that I'm not guilty of writing more than my fair share of boring, close melodies, hahah...

 

I'm going to give that try. I usually have the music down first, but I'll try it the other way around. It also would help if I had a good voice...I really don't and it's pretty limited in range. But I make do with what I've got.

[mpeddle]

not that i'm a great singer, but i've had some success expanding my range with the singing success program. i'd recommend it--it has some very common sense exercises and a clear explanation of how singing works that i think beats the hell out of everything else i've ever heard

 

before i tried it, my last good note was a G above middle C, straining with chest voice...I can hit a high C now in head voice comfortably (although my overall vocal tone/color is certainly lacking, if you ask me...). check it out.

[fenderbender66]

 

not that i'm a great singer, but i've had some success expanding my range with the singing success program. i'd recommend it--it has some very common sense exercises and a clear explanation of how singing works that i think beats the hell out of everything else i've ever heard before i tried it, my last good note was a G above middle C, straining with chest voice...I can hit a high C now in head voice comfortably (although my overall vocal tone/color is certainly lacking, if you ask me...). check it out.

 

 

will do, thanks for the info.

I think my biggest problem is a lack of confidence in my voice, plus the fact that I'm trying to sound like something I'm not. I need to be comfortable with my own voice.

But I'll definitely look into that program.

[rsadasiv]

wear sunscreen.

 

I read the original Mary Schmich column in the Trib when it came out, and ever since have been amazed and amused at the ways in which it has been appropriated and credited.

 

[YOUTUBE]sTJ7AzBIJoI[/YOUTUBE]

[wwwjd]

ha! Thought I'd throw that in there to see if anyone was paying attention.

[Mikeo]

My 2 cents.

 

Kiss method ( keep it simple stupid) is a method I have been using.

Don't get over carried away with production.

 

Your voice and your guitar

Don't over play

 

Of you have access to a studio try a Beyer Dynamic M260 it's like the M160 but double sided, and will pick up room dynamics or other musicians

 

And hand drums and other acoustic intruments as desired.

Djembe, bodhran and stuff like that can be cool.

Cello, fiddle, mandolin, banjo and stand up bass also can be way cool.

 

Forget about delays and other crap and over use of reverb.