What's my style?

[maugorn]

A comment by tafkad has grabbed my attention, and has become something I'd like to explore.

My first question is
1) What do you think my "style" is musically?

2) How did you arrive at this/these conclusions?

tafkad commented in my "Groundhog Day" entry after I mentioned that I was wondering what songs I did that could be appropriate for GH when I played New Deal.
He suggested, if I knew it, that I sing "Springtime For Hitler" from _The Producers_

When I answered that it wasn't in my repertoire as it wasn't really my style, he replied that he thought that the song and the humor especially were *definitely* my style.

I know how *I* percieve my art, and such, but many times now, I've encountered a very strange phenomenon/perception. And I just don't see myself doing songs like this on solo guitar and harmonica with *my* voice. And yet, every so often I'm asked for "Showtunes" and and when I say I don't know them,
I'm met with looks that are even *more* puzzled than the looks on peoples' faces when I don't know *every* Grateful Dead song or *every* Child Ballad.


Now, here in the world inside my head, I'm very aware of the range of genres I cover and there are alot of them. But even tho there's a wide wide range, there are favorites and there are bases that I only cover a little bit. The genre that came up this time is what I would call "Showtunes" (usually from Broadway or Movie Musicals).

I really don't do alot of this stuff. For me personally, I don't get off on singing alot of Rogers & Hammerstein, and I wasn't as fired up over _Chess_ and _Phantom Of the Opera_ as some of my friends were.
I love watching the stuff, and when I did Theatre I was in a few, and took alot from those experiences, but when I do my "Guy with a guitar" bit, this genre is VERY lean compared to say "60's Rock" or "Irish Pub song".

I have some exceptions and that would be:
- a handful of songs from "Rocky Horror"
- "Rainbow Connection"
- "Summertime"
- some songs by "Tom Lehrer" (I'll get into why I include them here later)
- TWO Monty Python numbers: "I'm A Lumberjack" and "Brave Sir Robin" (a song not listed on my repertoire)
(and I'm working on "The Universe Song")

One thing that comes up when I try to analyze *why* people think I know showtunes is that alot of the folks asking me for them are themselves Showtune junkies, and are themselves vocalists who've sung these tunes in some contexts. And alot of them have been at impromptu singalongs where these songs get sung, accompanied by some person who's at the piano. So when they compare me to that context, their natural perception of the "core" repertoire is showtunes aplenty. I'm guessing this, but it explains why they think that I know how to *play* these songs (I'm obviously familiar with the culture), and their shock that I don't. There's another phenomenon that I've encountered with some vocalists. They know their favorite arrangements really well, and sing along to them. They almost don't need you to play to sing them. (This doesn't just apply to Showtunes, but the phenomenon is more pronounced there)
That's fine, (it's a GREAT audition skill) but it's not so fun for me, when I have played a song and it just seemed that they might not realise what it takes to accompany a song live. Sometimes they just mentally "fast forward" thru the parts of a song that they don't sing.
They may not even realise it (yes I've seen it happen).
It doesn't work for me when I'm trying to present a "whole picture" as a solo performer.
I'm not trying to be uncharitable for you singers, but when you do that, it complicates me trying to accompany you, or to plays someting for you to sing along to.
And there are plenty of pianists who do just this thing and who play lots and lots of singalongs and showtunes with ease. I'm not that guy. For one thing a guitar is not like a piano, and I'm not like a pianist.

There are things that pianos do really nicely that guitars aren't so fun at. One of them is key changes. Another guitar truth is that some keys are more conducive to arranging certain types of songs than others.
We're not talking jazz here, but Folk and Rock&Roll. The key the song is in has alot of influence on the flavor of the arrangement where guitar is concerned. So two of the things that make Showtunes stand out where guitarists are concerned (at least for me) are:
1) A predilection, dare I say FONDNESS for keys that the guitar is not great for, ie, has very little room for any but very plain arrangements. Some of this is fixable with a capo, except for:
2) Key changes. Showtunes LOVE key changes. I don't. They're used with a very heavy hand in Showtunes, especially the good old "1 step ascending" key change that Showtunes use very casually as an energy booster.

And then there's the various abrupt changes as some songs will contain various 'scenes' and vignettes within them.
Keeping that going with energy and momentum without an orchestra or a piano at least can be really daunting when you try to do it on just one guitar. I've done it and some of my songs have that kind of thing, but it don't always work, especially if the song wasn't scored for a guitar in the first place.

That's why I lump Tom Lehrer with showtunes. His musical style is NOT the style of a guitarist, but of a person who knows alot of showtune arrangements on piano. His lyrics are also written in a style that owe alot to the music halls with pit and stage.

I've played "Time Warp" with solo guitar, and I gotta tell you, that those changes in voice and character are HARD to sell when you're just one person. And I have to confess, it doesn't always work real good.
Rocky Horror is much more guitar friendly than most musicals, because it was scored for a Rock Band.
But every now and then it's "show-tune-ness" is an issue that I have to deal with, and so I do some songs, but NOT the whole show.

So now look at tafkad's example, requesting "Springtime For Hitler". How in the HELL am I gonna tackle that song on just one guitar? The body of the song has maybe two verses and the rest of it is an instrumental dance number with the chorus taking various turns at short vocal bursts like "... I make my home in Dusseldorf and that is why they call me Rolf". Are you *really* able to Picture me as being able to: sell switching between all of those parts and across those genders and voices, and carry those instrument changes on a guitar and ONE diatonic harmonica that plays in ONE key? I suppose I could edit some of the wierd stuff out, but will I be left with a whole song afterwards?
If you think I can,
I'm flattered, but no, I'm not comfortable doing that. That is NOT playing to my strengths, stylistically or aesthetically.

There are musicals that are scored for Rock Bands, and are more guitar friendly. _Tommy_, _Jesus Christ Supertstar_, _Godspell_ and _Hair_ come to mind. But in the case of _Tommy_ not all of the songs will stand on their own, as they are only small sections of a larger narrative. I may get around to learning "Pinball Wizard", but there are other songs by The Who, that I know I do and could do much better.

As for the two religious ones, well, I'm a Pagan, so that's actually an issue; as I just don't feel like singing alot of songs about Jesus. And while I LOVE the two musicals, the songs that again, are able to stand alone without the rest of the narrative are still much more "showtuney" than my style tends to be.

Hair- I *may*learn a couple, but it's still got those things like wierd keys and key changes. The score is very driven by it's horn section and keyboards, and even tho it's less unfriendly to guitar than _Oklahoma_ it's still more "Showtune" than my comfort zone.

But the point is that I'm not a 'showtune' kinda performer and yet I'm mistaken for one on stage.


There is ONE thing that stands out in my repertoire that might lead one to believe that I know alot of showtunes. I know some pretty funny "story songs", and get asked to play them alot. Perhaps it is that and knowing what a smartass I am in person that leads folks to believe that I'd know alot of funny showtunes.

I'm almost dreading the impending popularity of _Spamalot_. I've snuck in "Brave Sir Robin" as a soundcheck sometimes, but that's really gonna be it. I REALLY hope that I can get my audience, such as they are to ask me for more stuff I know and love and know and love to play.

Showtunes, I'm sorry to say, ain't my specialty and are not likely to ever going to be.
Even as I get better at managing more complex music, my leanings are going to go towards music like
Yes and Genesis, and not Sondheim.



Do YOU think that I know alot of "Showtunes"? Do you know for a fact that I know any?

Why?

What genres/artists do you think are "specialties" of mine?

Why?

How would you describe my style, with regard to my approach to songs and arrangements?

Why?

What am I best at(IYHO)?

It's not in my interest to let down people's hopes and expectations of me, but I'm at a loss sometimes about where these expectations or hopes are coming from.

-So, let me know where you got your ideas about what I know and what I do

Comments

[madbodger.livejournal.com]

No, show tunes are synger's specialty, not yours. While I know
you're familiar with Once Upon A Mattress and Don Quixote, you're just
not the musical theatre sort.

What *are* your specialties? Sea shanties, romantic ditties from the last
century or so, some medieval fare, bits of humour and oddities, folk songs,
some madrigals.

Your style tends to be fairly straightforward and direct on the vocals,
with intricate and variable accompaniment on guitar or several
instruments. Some modulation and dynamics, often different than
more usual versions. Fun with odd chords (sus7, anyone?). You
seem to have an appreciation for non-major keys (minor, modal, etc.)

Best at? I'd go with the folk songs and sea shanties. Good basic stuff,
designed to sound solid with everyday vocal skill, but lots of room to
personalize and improvise.

[jmax315.livejournal.com]

An observation: You tend to define "your style" musically. Many people, including, I suspect, the requester of "Springtime For Hitler", define styles verbally.

Now that I ponder it a little, I think this may be part of the disconnect you feel with some of the filking community and fans, and also why you get a stronger response to "Party With the Elder Ones" than you expect.

[maugorn.livejournal.com]

Definitely true. The filking community is often all about words. That's changing, happily, & I derive alot of satisfaction being part of that movement.
(Except when crushed against the tectonic plates)

What I don't get in filk is that sometimes the musical end of it seems to be viewed as almost disposable. 3rd layer song derivation for instance

I LOVE good lyrics & powerful stories, but one can read poetry & prose to get that too. The point to me of *singing* such things is that the music somehow becomes part of the story, beyond being merely the vehicle or time-keeper.

Whenever I can, I try to make the music act as "Greek Chorus" to the story, hence some of the things I do when I'm playing: chord substitutions, textural changes, some sound effects, etc.

Even tho I roll my eyes when asked to play it, I AM proud of "Party With The Elder Ones". The most frustrating thing about the song is not how often it's requested.
What drives me bonkers about PWTEO is that only a precious few people who love the song have really gotten anything but the smallest glimpse into how the song SHOULD be done. Solo acoustic guitar & harmonica, don't do it justice compared with the truly magnificient "psychedelic rock band playing a reggae groove" that I feel this song deserves. (Which I feel is essential to the mood/aesthetic counterpoint that I was trying to invoke when I wrote it)

When I finally am able to construct a recording that has the PWTEO that I hear in MY head, & am able to loose THAT into the world, I guarantee you, I will feel better about being requested to play it solo. Once THAT recording exists, I can feel that the song has been done justice.

The gap I hope to bridge is that the music can make as much of a poetic statement as the words. To me, the words of PWTEO are just the tip of the iceberg. This song, isn't just a paen to Cthulhu. That aspect of the song is only a portion of my whole intent, which was to highlight the cultural geneses of Lovecraft's xenophobia, which forms the core of his writing style. If he were alive today, the whole Rastafarian ethos/aesthetic would be EXACTLY the kind of image, which viewed thru Lovecraft's lens, would generate horror. It's extremely effective.
Horror is fear. Fear comes thru lack of control/lack of understanding, which an uninformed immersion in a strange culture brings about. For this to work, the song needs authentic Reggae underpinnings. What's more, in counterpoint to the lyric there will also be some classic sound effects derived from psychedelic music, which will form the necessary sonic counterpoint that will properly frame the lyrics, finally, in their native context. What's more, Lovecraft's attitudes & prose are very informed by his Era, which can be invoked as further counterpoint thru things like adding a harpsichord line into an ostensibly reggae arrangement. The effect will be very striking & further heighten the sensory overload & disorientation that are not only the hallmark of Lovecraft's characters' experiences.

Hence my frustration- the lyrics here are even less than half of the total picture this song was written to evoke. Alot my music (covers and originals) is arranged this way. Alot of thought & alot work an effort goes into my using music in this fashion. I feel sometimes as if that effort is minimised or even ignored.

I want to bridge that gap somehow. I feel, as if there is, sometimes, actually resistance to my putting such an emphasis on the musical side of my arrangements, which I don't understand-which contributes to my grumpiness in the filk milleu as that is the scene where it manifests most conspicuously.

I am flattered by the fact that my lyric writing can generate such praise, but it would be nice to find a way to get my musical side to recieve a more balanced consideration.

[revelrain.livejournal.com]

Hi! I'm one of the guys who ran sound for you this past weekend at the Brigid's Faire. Was wondering if it'd be cool for me to friend you?

[maugorn.livejournal.com]

After that review you wrote of me with Rhianon?
....
Welcome Friend!

In this journal you will also read of my various adventures and bitchings as I also hack out some semblance of a solo career.

[revelrain.livejournal.com]

Coolness! Yeah, I was really happy with how the Rhianon set turned out this past weekend. We've shared a lot of gigs with Rene in the past (this past weekend we were only running sound, normally we perform as well as run sound...oh well), and that was one of the best sets I've ever heard from her with a lineup. Well done. :)