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Songwriting
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Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 276
Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 276 |
Personally I think instrumentals are fine, the music can convey the mood alone. Everything I do is instrumental. I can write lyrics at a push, but I cannot sing to save my life. If I did sing then people would be asking if I had an instrumental version.
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Songwriting
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Joined: Nov 2019
Posts: 362
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Nov 2019
Posts: 362 |
Excellent points by the forum members above. I'm thinking a few of a few specific scenarios related to the question. Some songs with lyrics can be played without lyrics and achieve a different but equally compelling result - take for example Jimi Hendrix's rendition of The Star Spangled Banner. You can bet the farm no one at that performance questioned it being instrumental, although it I concede it was written with lyrics.
Also, there are things you can do with melodies that no singer could possibly handle, or that would be so difficult to perform that most singers could not perform it well.
It also relates to the purpose of an artistic work. Words, including sung words, generally convey a very specific message, which at once narrows the focus of a piece of music or other performance art, but also allow subtle nuances of expression that the voice can convey in a unique way. A singer can bring out the emotions in the words and music in very unique ways.
There's also the fact that a song with a vocal provides an easy way for the listener to focus, so the vocal (and the singer) often becomes the centerpiece of the song. If the singer happens to be well known or have a particularly strong voice, this can make a good song into a great song in a way that an instrument would have difficulty in achieving (in general). I think it's generally easier for people to be engaged by words/vocals, than instruments simply because it is human nature. This does not mean that it is better or more valuable than a purely instrumental song.
I'll just touch on the performance aspect here since I think the main topic is the composition and not the performance, but in this arena there are many advantages to having words/vocals. It's just going to be a lot easier to get listeners with lyrics and also easier to get a performer or band to play your song, unless they are an instrumental group. There's a practical aspect to it as well, so any composer is going to be influenced by the fact that words will help in getting their music "out there" to the broadest audience.
By no means am I saying that lyrics are more important or valuable or effective in a song. It all depends. There are countless instrumental songs which I adore, and I listen to both.
Ed Z Soundcloud profile https://soundcloud.com/user-415064494BIAB user since 2019 iPad Mini, Garageband for iOS, BIAB for Windows 2020 UltraPAK, Xtra Styles packs 6-9, Windows 10 Lenovo PC, Kontakt Player, SpitFire LABS, SampleTank 4 CS, some Soundfonts
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Songwriting
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Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,781
Veteran
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Veteran
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,781 |
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this last input does rather sound like you're trying to promote the notion that a vocal makes any song "stronger" just because it's a voice in there? If that is what you're getting at then I have to counter with (at least) a couple of examples to the contrary: "Birdland" (by Weather Report) was originally an instrumental song, which then the Manhattan Transfer quartet bravely attempted to apply lyrics to and perform with vocals - Now, technically skilled as they are as singers, I defy anyone to suggest that their version is in any way better than the original (or even more 'accessible' if you must). Absolutely not!! "Garden Party" (by Mezzoforte) was also originally 'just' an instrumental. Then a record label that signed them tried to 'remake for the market' that song by having the band create an entirely new segment in where they should squeeze vocals - which then didn't even have lyrics, that's how desperate they clung onto the notion that for 'marketing purposes' (your radio argument?) a song had to have a voice! - It ruined the song of anything that had made it brilliant and just made it bland and boring. That record company didn't stop there, btw, actually hired them a singer and ordered the band to make songs with vocals that could be on a single to promote overseas, one of which became "This is the night", another bleh of a piece that had nothing of what had made the band brilliant and unique in the first place. In fact, it nearly killed the band as they stopped working together soon after that whole experiment tanked, and didn't pick it up again until years of distancing themselves from that awfulness. I could go on, trust me, but I think the point is made so I'll spare you 
Last edited by Icelander; 09/15/20 01:30 PM. Reason: Afterthought
There's only one thing to do in crisis like this - Sleep on it!
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Songwriting
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Joined: Nov 2019
Posts: 362
Journeyman
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Journeyman
Joined: Nov 2019
Posts: 362 |
@Icelander - I agree with your point. If my post came across as indicating that vocals/lyrics were in any way superior or makes a song stronger, then let me correct that here.
The one thing that I believe is a hard truth, is that today's music fans, in the United States at least, on the whole are much more interested and likely to listen to and engage in a song with lyrics.
Ed Z Soundcloud profile https://soundcloud.com/user-415064494BIAB user since 2019 iPad Mini, Garageband for iOS, BIAB for Windows 2020 UltraPAK, Xtra Styles packs 6-9, Windows 10 Lenovo PC, Kontakt Player, SpitFire LABS, SampleTank 4 CS, some Soundfonts
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