Since a solo album is basically just you with no external support, interference, or distractions, your technique and creativity are fully on display. For more on this, check out “ Re-arranging big songs for solo performance.” You will confront your strengths and weaknesses It’s your challenge and privilege to craft an interpretation that sparkles in your own solo context. Whatever the case, don’t feel like you need to be locked in, note for note and hit for hit, with any pre-conceived arrangement. Or maybe digging more deeply into using silence, or more nuanced interpretations when it comes to melodies, will give you the musical grace you’re looking for. Spending more time exploring your instrument’s percussive qualities or lower registers could be the answer. If you’re used to playing guitar with a drummer and bass player behind you, what happens when those supporting elements are no longer there? You can take your material in whatever direction you feel, no matter how conventional, unexpected, or insanely experimental it may be. You don’t need to stick to a certain key, tempo, or vibe, because that’s the way the band plays it. You don’t need to adhere to a song’s chord structure because your singer and keyboard player expect you to. When it’s just you and your voice or instrument, you can literally do whatever you want. And that can be a momentous step forward, both for your fans and for you as an artist. Releasing a solo album shows that you believe in your music and creative vision in a strong and compelling way. Your vision and your artistry are fully on display - and that’s a powerful statement, all by itself. Recording a solo album highlights your artistryĬreating tracks that are just you and your voice, or you on a single instrument, takes courage because there’s nothing, and no one else, to hide behind. Here are some of the lessons I learned in the process of creating Rock Rewind - and some of the reasons why any indie artist can benefit from recording a solo vocal or instrumental album of their own. I remember being surprised at how much the project pushed my limits, both as a player and an arranger. U2, Pearl Jam, Prince, Halestorm, Tori Amos, Live, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan… reimagining and recording those artists’ music was both a blast and a challenge. I vividly remember how, across several recording sessions, I got to record on a beautiful Model D nine-foot grand piano, interpreting popular rock songs from the last half-century, not as full-band tracks with lead singers and distorted guitars, but as solo piano arrangements I could play with two hands. My first solo album - Rock Rewind on a Steinway, released on the Steinway and Sons record label - came out almost three years ago.
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