I need to name an Instrumental?

So... How do you do it?

All of my songs have powerful hooks... And the hook names the song? Easy... So how do you name an instrumental?

I don't get it?

Well...I did instrumentals first when I began making music a few years ago. JUST instrumentals...here's a list of names I myself came up with (and they came easily).

- A Peck of Birds (it just sounded kind of strange, slightly discordant, a bit mournful, and the image of a flock of birds slowly pecking at someone who had fallen, maimed, on the ground, came instantly to mind)

- Observations From a Sleeping Brain (it's a very calm, soothing and sort of hypnotic song...not unlike that which might emanate from a sleeping brain)

- Pink Ferret (this was kind of a joke name cause the song I created was inspired and a bit based on the 60s psychedelia style...and as I love Grace Slick & Jefferson Airplane, instead of White Rabbit, this one was named Pink Ferret lol)

- Think of Me When You Eat Your Potato (a simple and quite lovely piano ballad. Not sure where the name came from)

- Mr Moth Works in the Nose Department (the title began as a silly one obviously, but then quickly progressed into a song which will one day have words and revolve around a kid who watches this lonely man who works in a factory making prosthetic noses and when he finishes for the day, he just goes around the back of the building to his "home")

Anyway...that's just a few.

How do you name instrumentals? You get a feeling and then maybe an image...and you conjure up a name from that. Or else you already have a name you like and just MAKE the song be called that. Using violence. lol

Everyone Out of the Pool!

Grampa's Got a New Lump

Tuck and Roll

Fuzzy Bird

Hold Your Tongue

Trickle Down Comforter

Sweater Vested Interest

I Stole These Lyrics

Circumcised Peanuts

Flavor Blast

Love Seat Tuber

Public Displays of Erection

Solar Power Chords

Heavy Metal Detector

Funky Sasquatch

Burt Reynold's Rap

Valentine's 30-Pack

Pen and Paper Thin Mints

Gumby and Pokemon

Snooki!

ALL of my songs have a "working title" and then the finished title. Like a working title might be "BLUES IN A MINOR" and the finished title will be MINER BLUES.

YOUR working title could be INSTRUMENTAL #3 or STRUMMING MY AXE or just about anything. Then use a FINISHED TITLE like SLOW FIZZ or THUNDER THIGHS or just keep the "working title" as in my tune; REGGAE # 17.

thanks for lettin' me share.

TD

What is running through your head to inspire the song? Does it create a picture when you listen to it? Are they the same?

I too believe in strong hooks.

"Circumcised Peanuts" Just when you thought you heard it all...

It's all about descriptions. What does the instrumental make you think of? Is it mysterious, funny, melancholy, quirky, romantic, dark, reflective, etc. After you describe the instrumental, naming it should be easy.

John

When writing lyrics, I'll often close my eyes and let a picture form in my consciousness. That picture is usually the basis of the story. The same technique has proven useful in naming my instrumentals.

You can't copyright a title. Steal somebody else's.

Pipeline

Walk Don't Run

Sukiyaki

Take the A Train

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Rhapsody in Blue

;)

(There's some solid rationale to that. I heard that a lot of people (disc jockies too) will search for a title they're familiar with. You're supposed to always include a cover on your disc, so somebody can accidentaly find your work. Along those lines, I've titled a couple songs that'll be on my new disc with titles that are similar to other familiar songs, even though my songs are original. That is "Silent Night" and "Turn Turn." Those words are integral to the songs, but not necessarily what the title would naturally be. But I'm looking for some accidental findings. )

You can't copyright a title. Steal somebody else's. Pipeline Walk Don't Run Sukiyaki Take the A Train Breakfast at Tiffany's Rhapsody in Blue ;) (There's some solid rationale to that. I heard that a lot of people (disc jockies too) will search for a title they're familiar with. You're supposed to always include a cover on your disc, so somebody can accidentaly find your work. Along those lines, I've titled a couple songs that'll be on my new disc with titles that are similar to other familiar songs, even though my songs are original. That is "Silent Night" and "Turn Turn." Those words are integral to the songs, but not necessarily what the title would naturally be. But I'm looking for some accidental findings . )

Going a bit off topic, but a buddy and I have a running joke about releasing an album in the name of "Michael Jackston" entitled "Thrilled".

Sorry B2B, but I couldn't help myself after reading Marshall's post.

Think of a song like the Moonlight Sonata. Beethoven didn't actually name it that, but one of the early reviewers thought it reminded him of a moonlit lake. Where does your piece take you?

Song titles come from different places:

Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" was a working title that they got because a black dog wandered through the studio when they were recording and the working title stuck.

Booker T. and the MGs "Green Onions" the got from trying to think of something really "funky" and smelly which is what the tune conveyed to them

I'm going with geese farts on a muggy day... I'll start recording next week, maybe a month or so. A different toon from me, since all of my stuff is very vocal. This will be all about the instruments, and the performances. It's just a different thing for me. It's good to branch out, stretch. I'm looking forward to it, a 1st for me personally. "Geese farts on a muggy day." Look forward to it.

LOL The song should have many a trumpet...to represent the farts from the geese.

You should have stopped after "trumpet . . . " It's more subtle. Let the listener decide for him/herself what you mean. It's funnier that way.

Always the critic.

I'm starting work on it this week. And tomorrow AM? They'll tell me if I'm laid off! Yeah! So I'm hoping it's going to be a happy instrumental... 19 years with the company... Child support... Exhausted savings, 401K loans... Lawyers... It's going to be a really bad day if I get bad news...

Either way, I've decided, this Instrumental is going to be called "Geese farts on a muggy day." Just because. And there are no trumpets? It's written on guitar? But it's going to have lots of cool stuff when it's done, because that's how songs should be? They should have lots of cool stuff... So Since I'm really a singer? And I do ballads? In order for this instrumental to be "worthy?" It's going to have to kick some major ass... I'm going to bring it like nobody's business... Prepare yourselves. Because it's going to be...

E

P

I

C

(PSA: if you don't believe it, no one else will...)

I have no idea how people give instrumentals cool names. None.