Rosie Thomas - Why Waste More Time?
One thing that I have struggled to do since I really wanted to not just record my own songs, but produce them is how to create atmosphere. Most of the time, songs with just acoustic guitar and voice (as most of my own are), sound very empty and lost. Which can make them very unappealing to listen to, no matter how much effort you put in to writing the song.
Obviously the first thing you consider is adding drums and bass to the arrangement. Something I would be doing if those two things were easily available. I don’t think me and a drum kit would fit in my university bedroom, let alone be able to record. So while it is probably the easiest way to create a “fuller” sound in a track, it’s something I can’t personally do with my own material.
I have therefore taken a break and have stopped writing and recording for the moment, searching for the inspiration I need in how to create atmosphere.
As well as being really beautiful, the song above has highlighted a few points that I can draw upon to help my own material.
- Vocal harmonies are sometimes good to be used throughout all of a song and not just the “best bits”. Typical of a lot of folk stuff.
- Don’t be restricted to the use of “rhythm guitar” and “lead guitar”. From my own listening there are three main instruments to this tune: guitar x2 and banjo (something that can sort of be replicated by guitar). All the banjo seems to do is repeat the initial guitar part, but the additional texture helps to give fuller sound.
- Electric guitar can work without drums. This is something that I’ve never thought would be successful for a whole song, but maybe with enough experimenting it could prove useful.
It may take a bit more time studying this genre of alternative-folksy-indie music for the creative mind to kick in, but with enough work and experimentation I reckon there is something to gain from doing so, as it would be of real benefit to myself as a songwriter.
