I would say that a stripped down demo, played by a real instrumentalist, would go much farther than a BIAB or Real Band-enhanced track. Unless you have a really good ear for orchestration, that is.

I hesitate to say this, but there is generally a common thread to the BIAB and RealBand supported demos posted here, IMO: they almost always pile on too much stuff.

There's synth horns where there should be no horns. There are lead guitars going on throughout the whole song. There's a piano, B3, a fake acoustic track, a rhythm electric guitar, all going at the same time. There's TC Helicon vocal harmonies. Many times, what should be a gentle ballad is a big giant Dagwood sandwich of layers, most of which just don't belong.

And for goodness sakes - please please please remove the count-off stick sounds from the beginning of the song.

I'm going to use some songs of a fellow FAWMer, demonstrating when he had it just right, and when he layered in too much. He is a brilliant songwriter and composer - but we feel comfortable critiquing each other's material. His name is Tim Conway. (not that one). Now, he refers to UK English terms (caravan, chips, take-away, etc.)

Here is a great demo; 2 minutes - even though the Ukulele is out of tune somewhat:

http://www.oddbod.net/dungeness.mp3

Let's break it down. It's a great melody. The lyrics evoke emotion and a sense of place and time. There's perhaps 5 or 6 tracks total in this song. I bet you will be singing this song to yourself later aver you take a listen. Everything supports the melody - even the reversed guitar track is a pad that let's the simple melody and words penetrate.

Now, here's another one of his tunes, in the style of Ju Ju High Life (sp?):

http://www.oddbod.net/patrice.mp3

Take a guess at what happened here that makes this one less memorable. The drum track is too busy for this song. In this style of song the guitars almost always carry the rhythm. Only in the bridge/3rd verse section do the drums calm a bit. Tim laid on the tracks too much in this one - even with the hoot whistle and B3 stacked into the sandwich of the two guitars for the last chorus/outro - too much. You won't remember the lyrics to this song, because they got buried in the busy accompaniment.

Leaving on a positive note, here is Diamond Mine:

http://www.oddbod.net/diamond.mp3

Again, perhaps 5-8 total tracks, not all happening at once. This one leaves room for a Queen-type Bohemian Rhapsody monstrous accompaniment right down to just piano and vox. The tune and lyrics stand on their own. There are some melody hooks in this one that will haunt for a day or so.

Keep in mind, with the exception of Dungeness, Tim did these songs in max of 2 or 3 days each in the evenings.

Do less for more impact.

Take a tour through Tim's site for mostly great demos. One thing that you'll notice with Tim's stuff; very wide variety of styles, some retro references, and almost always a great break somewhere in the song that just makes you anticipate the return with all your might.

Last edited by rockstar_not; 04/09/10 08:27 PM.
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