{"id":29,"date":"2014-09-20T19:48:31","date_gmt":"2014-09-20T19:48:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/martinphilipsmith.wordpress.com\/?p=29"},"modified":"2014-09-20T19:48:31","modified_gmt":"2014-09-20T19:48:31","slug":"becoming-the-troubadour-beginning-the-journey-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alterativus.com\/martinphilipsmith\/?p=29","title":{"rendered":"Becoming the Troubadour: Beginning the Journey Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, I recently announced to the world (via this blog) my intent to become the “Online Troubadour<\/a>“. \u00a0All well and good. A fine ambition but now to turn intent into reality!<\/p>\n

In this post, I want to say some\u00a0more about my reasons for going down this path and also share a little about what is involved – the challenges, the inspirations and so forth<\/p>\n

There are really two aspects to this journey and I will write about each in turn. \u00a0First there is a change in musical style towards being more of \u00a0a solo, acoustic performer. Then there is this whole “online” \u00a0aspect – sharing both the journey and end products very openly and interactively.<\/p>\n

There are both aesthetic and practical motivations behind my intent to go down the solo, acoustic path. I confess to having wide and varied musical tastes- both\u00a0as a listener and a performer. I enjoy rock, blues, jazz, country, soul, classical etc etc etc. \u00a0 A downside of this is that I may overlook a particular genre for a while. Such was the case with the music of solo\u00a0singer-songwriters. Now that is a very broad church I grant you. \u00a0Many artists you might put in this category actually produce music in a range of styles. It isn’t all about somebody strumming on an acoustic guitar singing about lost love! \u00a0Suffice to say my interest in singer-songwriters and in acoustic music has been revitalised. \u00a0 There is a simple majesty about a good song being delivered by a solo performer or small group, with minimal instrumentation and production. The beauty of a melody or harmonic progression is allowed to shine through. There is a stronger focus on the lyrics. \u00a0The qualities of the vocals, whether they be sweet, raucous, plaintive etc. are more strongly evident – as is the emotion in the delivery.<\/p>\n

From a practical standpoint, for a singer and musician, the solo, acoustic route has definite attractions. You can be a nice, portable, self-contained songwriting and performing package! \u00a0You have the potential to play live at venues that could not accommodate a band. \u00a0Rehearsals are just you, your voice and your instrument – no need to find a studio and get the band together. \u00a0Recording your material becomes so much easier. \u00a0You also have, assuming you are not contracted to a label, \u00a0total artistic control over what you play and how you play it. \u00a0I could list more but you get the general idea. The artist has got a lot of freedom and flexibility provided they have the ability and confidence to perform solo.<\/p>\n

Now, I can sing and I can play the guitar. \u00a0I also write songs. \u00a0However, generally, I have tended to perform as the front-man of a band. Even in my incarnation as a solo vocalist, I have had others providing the backing. I stand at the front, sing, throw in some solo guitar and generally get the glory while others do the hard work! \u00a0 The building blocks\u00a0are there for me to become a true solo performer. However, there is groundwork I am doing that is necessary before I can launch myself in this guise upon a listening public. That’s both for your sake and mine!<\/p>\n

One key element is to select and rehearse a suitable repertoire. I want to perform a good mix of covers and self-penned material. \u00a0In terms of covers, there is a rich vein of “obvious” material I can tap into. By which I mean the songs of well-know, guitar-based singer songwriters like Dylan, Neil Young, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot et al. \u00a0There is also a whole catalogue of \u00a0folk, country, “folksy”-rock and county blues that I can raid. \u00a0All good stuff – but I fully intend to venture further than this. \u00a0For example, I would like to see if I could\u00a0do effective treatments of some of the Great American Songbook. A good song is a good song and I mean to look across genre boundaries for material that inspires me \u00a0and that I feel I can do justice to.<\/p>\n

I will be writing new material and I will also revisit some of my older songs to see how they adapt to the new format.<\/p>\n

Another, equally-important aspect is getting the sound right. \u00a0For me that means re-acquainting myself with the acoustic guitar and the fingerstyle\u00a0technique of playing. \u00a0So, I have taken my trusty Ovation out of its case (sorry guitar geeks, I can’t remember which model it is), put some nice new Martin strings on it and begun practicing those arpeggio patterns again. I love developing my playing and taking it in new directions, so this is a pleasure for me. \u00a0I’m also listening again to guitarists that haven’t been on my playlist for a while, including folk and country artists. \u00a0Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Merle Travis, Chet Atkins, Tommy Emmanuel, Earl Klugh and Martin Taylor are a few names of those I have been listening too. \u00a0They are frighteningly proficient players every one of them! \u00a0However, I’m hopeful that a little pixie dust may\u00a0make its way through to my playing such that I can add some colour and interest to my self-accompaniment. I want to try and keep the performance pared down to being just my voice and my guitar as much as I can. \u00a0I may<\/em> make some\u00a0very limited use backing tracks and loops (e.g. some percussion). However, I want to limit that for practical as well as aesthetic reasons. \u00a0Synchronising your performance with a backing track is just one more element that could\u00a0go wrong. \u00a0Playing solo also\u00a0gives you freedom to play with rhythm and tempo should you wish. The need to sync with a backing takes that freedom away.<\/p>\n

I will close this post at this point for fear of rambling on. \u00a0I will post again soon and write about the other aspect of all this – the “online” bit – the thinking behind it, the challenges it is bringing etc.<\/p>\n

Right, I’m off to grab the Ovation and work on my fingerstyle! \u00a0I hope to share some of my “new” music with you in the near future.<\/p>\n

All the best,<\/p>\n

Martin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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