An arrangement such as this would be easy to accomplish in BIAB. It is definitely an approach that I will be keeping in mind next time I put together a ballad.
It does work well in BB. Go to my music page and listen to 2 songs. #47 Tender Touch and #48 Sad Goodbye. Both use the layering approach. They start out simple and new elements are added to the mix as it goes along. It builds.
Tender Touch was actually written and submitted for one of those MTV TV shows (16 & Pregnant) if I recall the details correctly. The scene was the main character had just weathered a "major crisis event" that was kinda bad but things were looking up..... a happy ending song that starts gently and builds to a nice happy ending as everyone comes together. It needed to start with acoustic guitar. Guitar... piano.... drums and bass.... and strings toward the end. It was not selected for the show.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
OMG, I am working on something like this right now. My new Session guitarist picked acrostic at the intro and Kirk Hunter Virtuoso Ensembles coming in. But then I add about a dozen other instruments and tracks. Maybe I should rethink all that other stuff...
They start out simple and new elements are added to the mix as it goes along. It builds.
I like doing that as well Herb. I build an instrument map in a spreadsheet for a song and have much fewer instruments at the start and build up. I basically just color squares in where I want each instrument to play.
Thanks for letting me know about your song. The layering approach has been very productive for you. Both of the works you mention are excellent and build really nicely in an ear-friendly way.
I had a listen to a few others while I was at your page. You've got some great music!
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