Well, my Yamaha SY85 Synth/Workstation just bit the dust. This leaves me with only my Yamaha Motif 6 for most of my mixing and production. Thank God the Motif has an integrated sampler, and I was able to get quite a few samples from the SY85 before its demise. Being a solo composer/vocalist can be a real challenge, especially in the Progressive music genre, because so many different sounds and textures are required to keep the music fresh. Of course, all the equipment to do this, the effects and real time controllers (they used to be called "black boxes") suck mucho bucks right out of your wallet.
It seems the more sounds and FX I have at my disposal, the more creative my compositions are. I know some of you will know what I am talking about. Often when I write a song, I cannot "realize" the sounds I want to use because my equipment simply isn't capable of reproducing them. I'm not saying they are "unproduceable". I am saying someone probably sells a tone generator to reproduce that sound, which costs money. So the phenomenon remains, the more tone generators or synths, etc, you have, the more they will open up musical possibilities in your mind.
I envy those composers who seem to introduce two or three new music videos on YouTube a week. Sure, they may be only three minutes long, but I can't help but think what I could do with their equipment. You can tell the money they've soaked into their equipment by their tonal palate and production. But I also realize quality trumps quantity, and I will continue to wring out every bit of features my synth has to offer. The more I use it, the more I am finding "hidden features" to keep my music fresh. Also, I feel I'm maturing as a composer. Outside of the Lord, music is my life. I've never had much of a problem with lyrics. But a few weeks ago I started working on a new CD titled "GOD IS", which has a lot of time and key signature changes, so my lyrics will be more challenging to fit into the music. I've always worked the other way around, writing the lyrics first, so this is something new for me. I'm stepping up the Prog.
I want to explain I live in a small backward town where Country and Blues music rules. I have had no luck in finding a vocalist that can sing what I write. So, although I cannot apologize for my vocals, I certainly wish they were better. Nor can I find musicians who can play some of my music. Having a band would solve a lot of money problems, for (hopefully) they would already have their own equipment.
On a completely different note, I would like to address the issue of some who think my Progressive music is not truly Progressive. I feel these people seem to think that if there arent elements of ELP or Genesis or the like in the music, then it's not Prog. There are even people who believe if they don't hear a Hammond C3 or Mellotron, it's not Prog. It seems as though they are listening for these things purely for nostalic purposes. I may be naive in saying this, but I always thought Prog music was defined by its structure. As Popular music may have an ABABCAB structure, Progressive music may have an ABABCDEF...and so on structure. A more cohesive Prog song may have a structure similar to Classical music with recurring themes, and so on. I am learning to incorporate these things in my music.
Love others with the love that God has loved you.
It seems the more sounds and FX I have at my disposal, the more creative my compositions are. I know some of you will know what I am talking about. Often when I write a song, I cannot "realize" the sounds I want to use because my equipment simply isn't capable of reproducing them. I'm not saying they are "unproduceable". I am saying someone probably sells a tone generator to reproduce that sound, which costs money. So the phenomenon remains, the more tone generators or synths, etc, you have, the more they will open up musical possibilities in your mind.
I envy those composers who seem to introduce two or three new music videos on YouTube a week. Sure, they may be only three minutes long, but I can't help but think what I could do with their equipment. You can tell the money they've soaked into their equipment by their tonal palate and production. But I also realize quality trumps quantity, and I will continue to wring out every bit of features my synth has to offer. The more I use it, the more I am finding "hidden features" to keep my music fresh. Also, I feel I'm maturing as a composer. Outside of the Lord, music is my life. I've never had much of a problem with lyrics. But a few weeks ago I started working on a new CD titled "GOD IS", which has a lot of time and key signature changes, so my lyrics will be more challenging to fit into the music. I've always worked the other way around, writing the lyrics first, so this is something new for me. I'm stepping up the Prog.
I want to explain I live in a small backward town where Country and Blues music rules. I have had no luck in finding a vocalist that can sing what I write. So, although I cannot apologize for my vocals, I certainly wish they were better. Nor can I find musicians who can play some of my music. Having a band would solve a lot of money problems, for (hopefully) they would already have their own equipment.
On a completely different note, I would like to address the issue of some who think my Progressive music is not truly Progressive. I feel these people seem to think that if there arent elements of ELP or Genesis or the like in the music, then it's not Prog. There are even people who believe if they don't hear a Hammond C3 or Mellotron, it's not Prog. It seems as though they are listening for these things purely for nostalic purposes. I may be naive in saying this, but I always thought Prog music was defined by its structure. As Popular music may have an ABABCAB structure, Progressive music may have an ABABCDEF...and so on structure. A more cohesive Prog song may have a structure similar to Classical music with recurring themes, and so on. I am learning to incorporate these things in my music.
Love others with the love that God has loved you.
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