Instrumentals

[ThatGermanDude]

What do they have to have in order for you to be interested in them?

especially if they are more heavy rock oriented.

i'm asking because my band is planning on playing mostly instrumentals.
thanks for the responses

[Nyarlathotep]

They have to have some sort of structure to them, even if its just a beggining, middle, end type of thing.

Seriously. A really good, although hard to find, example is "Sun Drenched Snow Cave" but Boris/Merzbow. It may be 64+ mins long but it has structure. 3 definate parts to that song though. What makes in interesting to me is that all the parts are diff lengths, and the fact that they blended a more traditional rock type intro (albeit a long one) into a noise middle, and drone ending, IIRC. Been a while since I've listened to that particular recording

The other thing that interests me about that particular composition is how the 3 parts are different enough to stand on their own, but have enough simmilarities, that together they make one great listen. Not only should you move any of you're pieces through multiple (if even just 2), linked sections, but each section should have a rhythm all it's own on which it can stand solo, if need be, but still be linkable.

Having a good solid set of bass lines is the key to this IMO, and I hope some of this random rambling helps in your situation

[ThatGermanDude]

well, i don't think we are going for 60 min recordings or live songs

but i agree that structure is important

[Nyarlathotep]

Originally Posted by ThatGermanDude

well, i don't think we are going for 60 min recordings or live songs

lol, totally It's only 1 of less than 5 60+ minute recording I have, but it is the best example. Also a great example of time keeping, even without drums or really any audio cues of any kind. But then again, drums as an audio cue become almost useless at 40 eighth notes a min I imagine it's all visual at that point

You should check it out if you get a chance.

[afinalfantasy]

Melody, depth, theory, nice sounding, etc.

[rockwarnick]

i really like intstrumentals that tell a story all their own. as if just by listening to a piece you can imagine a scene developing. although this may not be exactly what you are talking about the the first thing that comes to mind is Beethven's Pathetique (i believe its piano sonata 8, Op. 13, first movement). BEAUTIFUL piece. So much emotion. Real emotion, none of this emo sh*t.
then there are songs that are just ridiculous that i love. for example, dream theater's "instrumedley" (from 'Live at Budokan').
if i think of more ill be back...

[Grueber]

-A strong melody

-A good intro can get people's attention

-also, let each instrument shine a little. Not even a solo necessarily, but at least a cool part in the song where you can stand out or let loose a little.

of course these aren't true for all circumstances.

[ric1312]

Originally Posted by ThatGermanDude

What do they have to have in order for you to be interested in them?

especially if they are more heavy rock oriented.

i'm asking because my band is planning on playing mostly instrumentals.
thanks for the responses

An actual structure with hooks, and it has to build up and release tension. A main hook/chorus, even though their isn't singing.

I hate listening to some endless jam that is just a band noodleing and a guitarist playing scales constantly.

Some people get that confused. An instrumental is a piece that you actually worked out andknow what you should be playing, a jam is a bunch of guys noodleing and hoping it sounds like something.

[JamesM]

Check out 'Government Commissions: BBC Sessions 1996-2003 [LIVE]' - by Mogwai. Probably not your thing but they have some amazing instrumentals.
I think i just wanted to bring up this album because i've been listening to it a lot lately, and can't stop raving about it, lol :s

[ThatGermanDude]

bump?

[tempo2112]

The most memorable instrumentals (classical/folk/rock, whatever) tend to have a strong melody or theme, which is varied upon through the composition, ie. Rush's "La Villa Strangiato" & "YYZ". Allman Brothers "Jessica". I believe it's more important in an instrumental as the need to replace words as something easy and familiar for an audience to comprehend.

[HowCares]

Not sure how many would agree with me on this, but try listening to many classic rock songs and just ignore the lyrics. Kansas is a great example of this. Funkadelic's "Maggot Brain" is mostly guitar solo, but a great example of the "parts" DanielTulip mentioned above.

[Mark Latimour]

Zappa's Apostrophe. The most awesome 5 minutes of instrumental music. Period.

[Matt Till]

Sounds obvious, and this thread is more or less suggesting it: Listen to tons of instrumentals, figure out what makes them great.

[rockwarnick]

Originally Posted by Matt Till

Sounds obvious, and this thread is more or less suggesting it: Listen to tons of instrumentals, figure out what makes them great.

if thats the case, check out "acid rain" by liquid tension experiment.

[Blackbird]

Like Grueber said, a strong melody.

Also, a coherent structure. It's nice when different sections highlight different instruments.

It's also nice if they have an "arc" to them...Starting an idea, playing with it and developing it gradually, eventually reaching an apex and then descending gradually until the end. More than one "peak" is ok, it just depends how long the instrumental is. Very long instrumentals can sound boring after a while...