A New Project is Brewing: Working with different musicians

Without giving the game away at this stage, I have begun working with a drummer and electric guitarist on some new music! These guys come from a jazz background and I feel really privileged to be working with them. In all honesty I haven’t had much experience working with these instruments and never in this constellation before. I believe it will be an enriching and rewarding experience working with the guys but of course I expect it to have its challenges. All 3 of us have to navigate uncharted territories and somehow merge our worlds of folk and jazz. But that’s an exciting prospect! It feels like exploring a new musical landscape with exciting discoveries yet to be unveiled…

I had an idea of a ‘sound’ in my head with all 3 instruments but here’s CHALLENGE NO 1: I haven’t developed sufficient percussion or guitar vocabulary yet, so I’m going to have to learn how to relate my ideas to the guys in a clear way that makes sense to their practice. If I say to Christoffer on the drums, can you play something like: ta ta-ka ta-ki-ta ta ta … I’m not sure he will find that too constructive. A musical language will develop over time but I need to make the effort to learn terms that they might use and generally get to know their instruments more. Always best to ask the experts than assume!

And CHALLENGE NO. 2: To identify each person’s ‘place’ or function in the music. There’s quite a few obstacles to navigate here. For example, drums are like 10 x louder than a harp (quick solution: amp up the harp very loud). The guitar and harp are both stringed instruments so how should we separate their roles to avoid clashing functions - for example, there’s not much point if we are both playing the same chords and voicings. How do we optimise each person’s role in the music to get the best overall sound? I will share more about this development in future posts :)

I recall a few situations in years gone by where I have scored everything note for note when writing for a group of different instruments. This was fine but very much restricted the individuals’ creativity and input into my music. Of course it depends on the situation but I have found the most efficient and effective way to get great results in music is to give your musicians a stripped down guide to your tune - maybe a melody & chord chart with basic arrangement guide. This allows for your musicians to express their own musicality and ideas within the parameters you have established. But perhaps don’t go to a rehearsal with nothing prepared to see how the music might ‘vibe’ as this can often be deconstructive and time consuming. I think it’s exciting and freeing when you allow musicians to do what they do best in your music and I hope to gain new insights and broaden my perspectives through this journey of music making!