OK, sometimes a great acoustic arrangement can be found with little practice, but usually this isn’t the case. Most bands can’t pull off spontaneity if they are working out of their comfort zone. (Jazz musicians and jam bands practice improvising!)

Drummers who only play a kit shouldn’t assume playing other percussion items is easy, either. Without practice of technique, those bongos can become monotonous at best, awfully distracting at worst.

The skill of taking a full song and stripping it down to a great acoustic performance often lies in the percussionist. For example, Ari Hest is on tour with only a drummer, Doug Youl, and these performances are amazing! A whole new canvas comes to live when Yoel plays a kit and percussion with his hands. I saw them live at the Ark last month and left inspired to the possibilities of videos.

Check out some videos of their 2011 tour:

Video 2: Sunset Over Hope Street

Yes! Even metal bands can create acoustic versions of their songs. At least song of their songs.
The key lies in the songwriting. A versatile song is one that stands on it’s own, with or without fast, distorted guitar or double bass drums.

My friend Les Zaldor (of Zaldor’s World podcast) and I saw Seasons After play at Bullfrogs Bar and Grill in Redford, MI years ago. They blew us away with an acoustic set.

After the show, Les and I were talking to the lead guitar player. He admitted, “We’ve never really practiced these acoustic arrangements. The label booked a few radio performances for us, so we simply had to do them acoustically. We just winged it and it turned out OK…”

I was floored! What a great example of an uncomfortable situation becoming the catalyst for a fresh take on metal songs!

An acoustic version of a song can be a breath of fresh air or make a song flop like fish out of water. I’m not sure what the secret is. Iron and Wine made Postal Service’s electronic “Such Great Heights” a folk beauty. Then there are other acoustic versions that are rushed together.

Which brings me to a recent video I found of the Script. I really, really, really love this band. The hooks they write are infectious.

People have been requesting The Script at my cover gigs at Stout and Lu & Carls recently. This insired me to search for an acoustic version of the song. I came across this clip filmed by Billboard Magazine:

Honestly, this isn’t their best performance. No biggie, but I can tell the singer’s voice is tired. (Have you seen their touring schedule? They need a rest!)

This reminds me of a tip Roy Caldwell told Aaron Noone and I years ago when we started gigging three nights a week. He said, “Change the key of those high songs! Down tune your guitar a half-step or whole-step.”

A half-step goes a long way. It can help save the vocal performance, stop the singer from pushing.
Plus, a keyboard player probably doesn’t even need to relearn the chords. The digital transposing options can take care of that!

The Script will find that great acoustic arrangement soon. I wonder if it will be a half-step lower than written?

I’ve been told that there are two types of songwriters: those who write everyday, and those who write in spurts.

I tend to be creative in sparks and flashes, kicking out three or more songs one week, followed by weeks of no ideas. I don’t stress about the peaks and dips now-a-days, but I still wish I could tap Muse on the shoulder more often. Be like Ryan Adams or Bob Schneider! But how do they do it?

When I try to force writing, I usually get some weak lines, play through a chord pattern for an hour, and get lost in a circle. Then, when I sit down with no intention to write, just strumming for fun, and I’ll get a song like “My Lovely Enemy” or “Only the Rain Knows Why.”

Here’s the thing: Sometimes I don’t trust a song right away. I think it’s a throw-away I won’t ever record. “Only the Rain Knows Why” was a song I didn’t really think was too strong. I played it at an open mic and my friend Mark said, “Man that one’s good!”

“Naw,” I refuted. “It’s too simple.” Then my father heard me strumming it once and like it too. “Hmm, maybe this song has possibilities?” Turns out it was the most fun song to record during the Burning the Boats sessions! Dan Achen heard possibilities of a Salvation Army styled drum beat, Mike Chambers walked a bass line, and boom. Not a bad song if I do ruffle a few of my own feathers.

But I almost threw that one away.

I guess that’s the secret for those prolific writers. They probably write a lot of crap, but the audience just don’t hear those songs left on the shelf. And the prolific writers allow their studios to have more shelves. Us who write in spurts don’t collect the bad ones. We toss them in the trash, and lose opportunties to polish a few hidden gems.

Last night I tried to force some writing but I didn’t get too far. A few verses, a few chord cycles, and after a few hours I was still spinning my wheels. I think I’ve got a song going, but it’s probably crap. It should stay on the shelf. But that’s OK! My digital shelves can store these ideas for my ears only. It was cathartic to write.

Songwriting can simply be like hopping in the car and going for a drive. It’s OK not to have a destination in mind with every writing session. Just play and write for the fun of it. Don’t worry if this song doesn’t finish itself, or doesn’t become a tune worth recording. Put it on the shelf. You might find you want to reexamine it later.