Pick One

[FirstMeasure]

Yeah whatever I give up!

 

Don't give up, Id like to hear a song written without the assistance of a Musical Instrument. Although the Piano Roll on Cubase may be considered an Instrument.

[Look! Im guitarest!]

Don't give up' date=' Id like to hear a song written without the assistance of a Musical Instrument. Although the Piano Roll on Cubase may be considered an Instrument.[/quote']

 

Maybe I'll just hum it!

[milod]

I'd say that someone who crafts music via various computer programs is a musician, just not with a traditional instrument.

 

I think it was Irving Berlin who had a hand-cranked piano so he could play a bit in different keys. I could do enough keyboard to play some in the key of C, but that's about it.

 

I've written some stuff, largely "for the era" things. I likely could come up with some more blues stuff, too; a bluegrass addenda to one a buddy and I came up with years ago... etc. BUT....

 

I think we're talking here mostly "little" pieces, not major compositions. Then again, the era of an "arranger" is largely behind us. For example, the song "Deep Purple" originally was set up as a piano tune; then lyrics were written for it, then it was arranged at least for the Larry Clinton "orchestra" and vocalist Bea Wain.

 

Artie Shaw's "orchestra" with Helen Forest singing had another "arranger" hired who then redid stuff to meet his "special sound" and instrumentation.

 

When it comes to much popular music of our current era, it seems to me it's more like solidifying a jam session. Hey, I'll play this kinda intro, then the bass and drums come in; when the vocal is added the rhythm guitar drops in his chops and then I do some fills. We may or may not have a bridge or solo, but what the heck, a solo is mostly improv and a lotta stuff lacks a bridge, so then we can go right into an ending or - ah, yes, the ubiquitous fade-out.

 

I guess one must needs consider, "what do we mean when we say, 'songwriter?'"

 

How many here could "write" an arrangement for a dozen horns, keyboard, drums, guitar and bass? Or how many could drop into a swing band and take a ride which, after all, is a form of "composition" if you will?

 

I dunno...

[FirstMeasure]

Maybe I'll just hum it!

That would be A Capella of sorts, and way easier than learning the Harmonica.

[zippy]

Is his name Steve Joshlay?

 

I would take great songwriting over great songwriting any day

 

 

makes alot of sense to me.....jeeeze

[FirstMeasure]

Here's a little clip that kinda highlights what Milod is saying about Rearranging and transposing, (if I got the Gist of it that is)

 

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smplqf0FYCk[/YOUTUBE]

[milod]

 

That's "Mr. Sandman," originally done pretty much as a harmony vocal tune. Chet made it into a guitar tune.

 

I probably blew it 'cuz I remembered before I got onto Youtube much that Chet had played it and worked up my own arrangement in G instead that isn't nearly as fancy as this - but heck, I can't begin to play that well regardless.

 

I'd add that in the 50s, "Country" ranged from Western Swing with lotza jazz chords to jazz-pop like I tend to consider this, to Rockabilly to ... just about anything you could whistle a tune to. That's kinda the emphasis, words you could understand and a tune you could hum.

 

That's still not a bad combo, IMHO. Not a little of the stuff Les Paul did in that era could have been played on country music shows, too, btw.

 

m

[NeoConMan]

I'd rather hear the Sex Pistols over....

 

Joe Satriani

Gary Moore

Steve Vai

Buckethead

What about Eric Clapton?

 

One thing that always bothered me about him - if only just a little.

Other people wrote almost all his songs.

The ones he actually wrote himself often share writing credit with someone.

 

Okay' date=' I'll give him credit for being a smokin' player [i']AND[/i] choosing good material to perform....

But I always wondered why he didn't write more of his own stuff.

 

Yeah, badass gunslingining guitarists are not hard to find.

A guitarist who writes good songs is something more in my opinion.

[charlie brown]

I, for one, like EC's songs, written or co-written. Layla, Tears In Heaven, Wonderful Tonight, Bad Love, Badge,

Bell Bottom Blues, Lay Down Sally, I Can't Stand It, My Father's Eyes, etc. So, he can write some great songs,

when he wants to. Admittedly, he's an interpreter, more often. But, he's quite capable, as a song writer...IMHO.

 

CB

[milod]

Neo... I don't think I agree with you on guitarists who write their own stuff...

 

It may be more of a generational thing. I dunno.

 

But "in the olden days," one tended to have writers and players. Some of the best players were interpreting stuff others wrote, frequently "standards."

 

A lotta that has changed, of course. One might make the case, however, that through time from even the reeeeeeally olden days of baroque music, a lotta composition by instrumental performers was done by folks who exploited their own technical capabilities specifically to show off what they could do well, not what may have been a technical difficulty in material others had written.

 

For example, if I write a fingerpickin' piece - which I have - it tends to emphasize what I can do relatively well. Guitar picker "B" may be an incredible flatpicker and good fingerpicker, but just can't do a specific "thing" I've worked out for myself over the years. Does that make me the "better" musician or guitarist? I don't think so.

 

Then there are the songwriters who play piano or guitar just enough to do a basic accompaniment to demo stuff for others more talented at performance.

 

Even some real landmark acts like the Beatles wrote their own stuff but didn't necessarily have the most highly technical or skilled instrumental parts. They just did music and arrangements that showcased the exceptional talent in what they did exceptionally well - play tight arrangements, especially of the material that exploited their strengths.

 

m