RPM = PKI? (Predominantly Keyboard Instrumentals) - 2008/02/13 20:23the recent thread about feedback or lack thereof I said something about not feeling qualified to respond to songs in a genre that I don't know much about.
that got me to thinking about how much stuff here seems to be predominantly keyboard instrumentals. For example, on the home page player right now, 7 of the 13 songs are what I consider keyboard instrumentals. OK, some technically have some vocals or guitars in them, but in general it seems to me there's a lot of this type of music.
nothing at all wrong with that kind of music at all, don't get me wrong. I'm just wonderin' if I'm missing out on other genres or if this place tends to attract that type of music or what?
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Joshua Wentz
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Re:RPM = PKI? (Predominantly Keyboard Instrumental - 2008/02/13 20:27Just for the record... only one of the demos I've posted so far will end up being instrumental. I just haven't recorded vocal tracks for most stuff yet.
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brantleyallen
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Re:RPM = PKI? (Predominantly Keyboard Instrumental - 2008/02/13 20:29I love that music but I don't write it very well, or jam it or whatever. I just don't seem to layer things up enough for it to sound good.
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ajbrewer
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Re:RPM = PKI? (Predominantly Keyboard Instrumentals) - 2008/02/13 21:02Well, I definitely don't do keyboard. Although I think I can see why this attracts a lot of keyboard/elctronica-type music. And maybe why there's a lot of that kind of music up right now. A lot of the stuff that is more keyboard/electroic-based is probably done by one person. A lot of the other genres a lot of times, more than one. The schedule, if you're trying to do this with more than one person, for a lot of people, kind of sucks. One month, that's it. If you don't have some people fairly close on-tap, it's going to be hard to crank out a lot of stuff quickly. If anything, doing this might inspire me to try to make some more money (somehow), and get myself some more instruments, and learn how to play them. Or at least figure out good ways of getting decent samples...I know a few other musicians, and it looks like they'll be able to add instruments to a few songs, but of course, got more than a few songs here.
So then, it's mainly me and my guitars. But then of course, I'm coming up with all sorts of possible ideas to try to get around this. At least one song, if it gets recorded the way I'm coming up with in my head (and I'll probably try to do it tonight too), could be rather interesting....have no idea if it will work, but if it does, it might sound kind of cool....basically base it off a self-made sample of a cakewalk metranome in action. It's all about doing what you can with what you got...experimentation...good.
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mick
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Re:RPM = PKI? (Predominantly Keyboard Instrumental - 2008/02/13 21:16I'm not sure, Rob. I listened to the 2007 jukebox. There is a lot of looped samples, programmed synth music, but there is also tons of instrumentalists as well. You might be right that the slight majority is as you called it PKI, but I think it's a slim majority.
Like AJ I agree that this contest is easier for a one-man-band on the electronics then many others. If a band has material and their just recording this works well, but I think to collectively write music, practice it (I'm certainly not so good I don't have to practice it before I can record it), record it, etc.
Someone that's using loops spends the majority of their time, I would think, making or finding the correct sounding patches (samples) for their looper. I made all my own sounds for Dream last year that took almost 40 hours. Last year I used more electronics because I had most of my gear locked away. This year, trying to do the album 80% acoustic, I find my self in a struggle. It is much more difficult. I finished all the recording of instruments on Gaia last night. That includes
vocals (2 takes) 5 synthesizer parts (I play them on the keyboard not programmed) 9 drum parts 1 flute part 1 didj part
That was a three NIGHTs of work just recording those, and the music it Gaia, is SIMPLE to the Nth degree. Now if I could just get a good middle-pitch chanter (nudge, nudge) I could finish it.
Unity has planned about 15 parts all acoustic. And Kapi is just rolling around in my head but it's guitar, pocket clarinet, didj, drums, at least, so probably like 9 parts. It's the "write, practice, perform, record" loop that gets you in the time category.
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Kemmler
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Re:RPM = PKI? (Predominantly Keyboard Instrumental - 2008/02/13 21:41So, I tend to disagree with the primarily keyboard instrumentals thing also. On the thread I started about "what genre are you", upwards of 60% are either folk, bluegrass or rock, which to me says you need at least one guitar involved.
Admittedly that was a small sample size.
I think the reason you might think that everyone is working with synths, keyboards, or on their computer is that with these tools, (especially in software), writing and recording an album are basically the same thing. That means it is much easier for people to save an .MP3 and post a demo as soon as they've done anything with the track - which means that (less than halfway through), you will likely be hearing more music of that type, and less of the type of music that you can spend 3 weeks writing and 1 week recording - which logically should show up later on in the month as demos.
Long winded, I know, just wanted to weigh in.
Edit: disclosure, I'm one of the PKI types, I do everything in FL Studio, but I write/program all my own loops... I haven't even dusted off my MIDI keyboard yet.
Post edited by: Kemmler, at: 2008/02/13 21:42
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oldemimickry
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Re:RPM = PKI? (Predominantly Keyboard Instrumental - 2008/02/18 19:34To break the PKI pattern for RPM, musicians should network and work together. Projects like VUA (and others I can't name off the top of my head) can hook up niche instrumentalists with the keyboard composers and singers/songwriters. It's just too much to do in 30 days, for most of us. My advice for people tired of being part of the PKI problem is to network with songwriters to combine projects next year (or: why wait for the next RPM?).
Confesssions: I'm a PKI guy and have been a complete loop whore. It's tough being a drummer with no good rooms for recording drums (combined with being a perfectionist that won't settle for a boxy-sounding drum track). I've had to pick up other instruments to make my own music, and the electronic process appealed to me because I could practice a rhythm part for a few minutes, record it, and loop it over and over without having to do any real composing, arranging, or performing beforehand.
However, this year I'm discovering that I'm just starting to be good enough at playing non-drum instruments to record single takes and not loop anything for the backing tracks. And the result, to me, is MILES better than anything I looped. The "Walking Away, Running Away" demo is an example of single takes, while the "Accidental Happiness" demo is an example of looping and recycling a synth lead. I am far more satisfied with WA,RA.
Today I realized that I need to be good at making "normal," performance-based music before I can be really good at making loop-based music. I was in the trap of never re-recording anything; instead of retracking an instrumental part to expand the song or fix/improve a loop, I tried to reprocess and mangle what I had already recorded. This probably ends up taking more time than strapping on the guitar and doing it again, and it makes things sound pretty monotonous.
One theory is that by looping first to arrange, then recording single takes to replace the looped material, the same result can be achieved, but I have yet to try it.
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Post edited by: oldemimickry, at: 2008/02/18 19:34
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Kemmler
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Re:RPM = PKI? (Predominantly Keyboard Instrumental - 2008/02/18 20:07I don't see why PKI is a problem. Also does it count as PKI if you're doing all your instrumentals as programmed MIDI but using sample sets of non-keyboard instruments? (strings, guitars, horns, etc?)
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Zanois
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Re:RPM = PKI? (Predominantly Keyboard Instrumentals) - 2008/02/18 20:10I have noticed that. I don't think it's a bad thing either, but I think it ends up that way with alot of people who don't have time to get mics set up and such.
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my definition of the two non-genre specific categories are: 1) PKI tunes have no vocals at all or have vocal samples (but no verse/chorus structure) and seems to be created on the keyboard or out of loops, and 2) Non-PKI songs have accoustic instruments and/or have vocals a verse/chorus format.
so using this very unscientific sample and my own ideas on how to categorize songs, it appears RPM does not necessarily equal a predominance of keyboard instrumentals. I am glad to be proved wrong!
there are some good songs up there, of all types and genres.
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Kemmler
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Re:RPM = PKI? (Predominantly Keyboard Instrumental - 2008/02/22 16:41aha, my hypothesis is at least not disproved. I think if you look through even more of the demos you'll find a lot of non-PKI stuff, relatively.
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artwhore
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i'm a whore - 2008/02/22 16:50i purposely kept the keyboards either out of the songs completely or buried so far in the mix you'd break an eardrum straining to hear it. also i got lucky this year and had access to a drum set for a few hours so i could do live drums on 11 of 12 songs. i think the PKI stuff is predominant because if you have garageband you don't need anything else to write and record music. i don't get the genre, it's not popular in the midwest that for sure, but if that's what you got, that's what you got. that being said, i wonder how they pick what's in the demo player? my stuff doesn't sound like any of the things i there, i would think variety would be key here to show the diversity of the groups in RPM. Maybe the PKI is big in NH where the challenge started??? maybe those guys just don't like guitar rock or ethnic rock or rap or blues or whatever. who knows. i've ceased to care any more, i'm recording my CD for me and me alone and everyone else can drok off.
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