Instrumentals a la artist1, artist2, artist3, etc..

[zeke]

I saw this listing (listed below at the end of this post).

Like many Taxi listings the standard text "a la artist1, artist2, artist3, etc.."

When I listened to these three artists mentioned below I found them to sound very different.

Perhaps someone can provide me some suggestions in determining what exactly the client is looking for in listings in general.

I'm very confused. I've had many submissions returned to me not because the songs were bad (the custom reviews were quite good), but it just was stylistically not appropriate for the listing. That's fine. I understand. However, I think an education on how to interpret the listings would be very helpful to me and others who read this forum.

Thank you.

Zeke

New Listing SINGER-SONGWRITER-type INSTRUMENTALS a la the range of Ingrid Michaelson, Regina Spektor, James Morrison, etc., wanted by a successful Music Production House with major commercial and television credits. Top-notch performances are necessary! Broadcast Quality is needed (excellent sounding home recordings are fine.) Please submit one to three instrumentals online or per CD. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by TAXI and must be received no later than Friday, April 23, 2010. TAXI #S100423SS

[t4mh]

Ah Zeke! You've hit on quite possibly the hardest question in this business! How to read the listings.

Let me say up front you could call TAXI and ask them for a clarification which they will gladly give! You may seriously want to consider this.

This particular listing I haven't gotten around to, although it is on my TODO list. I also am thinking of submitting something for it. But I haven't listened to any of the a las, YET! Generally, TAXI or more correctly the listing client likes all three artists, know nothing of music. But they want some music for their project that contains some of all 3 artists. So, as you listen to these artists try to pick out what grabs you from each and then put together a track that does exactly THAT. Contains all three. The closer you get the better your chances are of being forwarded for the listing. My problem is that the a las rarely "grab" me...

It may be that one artist has really neat guitars while another one has killer bass and drums. I don't know at this point. So you would combine those elements you see? In my mind the vocals cannot be a consideration (TAXI clarification here) because it is an Instrumental Listing.

Just so you know, reading and understanding a listing takes some practise so don't feel bad about asking any questions.

Good Luck!
Keith

[fusilierb]

I really only do instrumentals so it may be pretty different. But, the alas are supposed to be clues as to what the person is looking for. And chances are, that person only knows the hits of that particular band. So I'd say that those very few hits are the vibe that they want. Even if they all sound somewhat different, I'd listen to the hits of those alas and see what is similar about them. And then shoot for something that captures that. Easier said than done. There is something about those artists and there hits that is the "special sauce" these people want to hear.

HTH's
B

[zeke]

Gentlemen,

Thank you for your time and getting back to me.

I really appreciate your feeback and advice.

Regards,

Zeke

[davewalton]

I don't know a lot about these three but generally speaking based on a few listens via iTunes, for me the commonality is "simplicity". Mostly the recordings are pretty basic... a few instruments (sometimes just an instrument and vocal), no effects really, very simple, clean and tidy. There's a simple, homespun feel to their songs... I'd like to spend a bit of time in a nice coffeehouse listening to music from any of them.

Also it's likely that the common thread is that we'd find them all on the same radio station. Sometimes that's a thing that's overlooked.

For these I don't know that I'd try to get the "perfect blend". I'd pick one artist and probably one song and go after the feel of that one song (as long as that one song sounded like most of their other songs).

HTH,

Dave

[mazz]

I think Dave hit the nail on the head when he basically said "listen for the feel of the artists and try to capture that". A lot of listing clients are not musicians, so they probably hear music on a gut level first (how it makes them feel) and then stylistically, maybe. As musicians, we tend to start picking things apart to make sense of them and to try to see the musical similarity, which is a valid exercise, but maybe should be the second thing on the list after "vibe" and "feeling".

So take a step back and put on a different set of ears while listening to the a las and then put on your producer hat and start finding the musical threads.

Mazz

[zeke]

Thank you, Dave and Mazz.

Everyone's advice has been very helpful.

I really appreciate everyone's time in getting back to me.

All the best,

Zeke

[Haywire]

I'd like to take this topic a bit further, particularly because you used the 'instrumental ' singer -songwriter listing. Would an instrumental in this category simply be a song with the vocal track removed - basically the backing tracks, or are we talking about a song that replaces the vocals with some kind of other instrument executing a melody line ?

[zeke]

That's an excellent thought!

I would think it could be both of the scenarios you described.

Zeke

[japaneseprincess]

I'd like to take this topic a bit further, particularly because you used the 'instrumental ' singer -songwriter listing. Would an instrumental in this category simply be a song with the vocal track removed - basically the backing tracks, or are we talking about a song that replaces the vocals with some kind of other instrument executing a melody line ?

good question ! if its an instrumental listing for film/tv, they are not looking for vocal songs without vocals.. so it just cannott be backing tracks. the music needs to have some melodic elements/riffs much more than being backing, need variations and dynamics etc.. so if you are trying to make tracks sounds like artist 1, and she plays the piano in most of her tunes, you want to make the piano play melodic parts for your tracks, doenst have to be full on but not just chords.

the same thing for rock or pop, any other styles. for example, i do contemporary rock stuff, so i would make a lead guitar part do more melodic work (but not like playing vocal lines !).

to avoid being stylistically off target (Dave also gave great advice), my trick is to pick the most popular song or songs (recent hits) from artist 1, study and analize, then make similar tracks. its not so easy but not so hard when we pay attention to details and analize before we start composing.