Well, the semester is winding down and so is my final project. My three song EP is due this week and I’m putting on the finishing touches. I’m recording, mixing and arranging. One of my tracks needed a solo, and my classmate stepped in. Here is just the solo section, by Noah Battles.
You’re probably wondering why I would have someone else play a solo when I play guitar. Most of the time, I do just that. My philosophy used to be that if I could do something alone, I would. I liked having control over every little thing. Since then I’ve learned to appreciate the magic of letting others be involved. They can take the song to places you wouldn’t expect, and try things you wouldn’t consider. The results can be dope. In the above example, I was originally writing a synthesizer melody, but that wasn’t cutting it. Noah’s bluesy playing was much better.
In 2016, I was writing my EDM album. For one of the songs I wrote a melody that was too high for me to sing. I could’ve transposed it, but I liked the energy of the song the way it was. I recruited my old college buddy, Jacoby Filand, to sing it. I gave him the lyrics, a clip of me singing it (badly), and a demo of a synth playing the melody.
He changed a couple notes, had a more punk rock delivery, and overall improved the idea. Listen for yourself.
Collaborating is awesome. As much as we like to shape everything ourselves, letting others into the process can spark unique outcomes.
I’ll give one more example. In 2014 I was working on my electronic side-project Lobster Boat. It was mostly instrumental tracks and I was sending people demos for feedback. One of those people, Phillip Emery, asked if he could take a crack at singing over one. I was skeptical at first and only agreed on the condition that I could reject his vocals if I didn’t like what he did. The result was pleasantly surprising and I kept them.
It’s easier said than done, but I’m a big fan of the idea that we shouldn’t be precious with our music. Not only does it get in the way of actually writing music, but it can lessen the music we do finish. In these situations, had I been precious, I would have missed out on some great input from other artists. Don’t be afraid to let others get their hands on your canvas. You might be surprised at what they do.
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