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Archive for the ‘MUSIC CREATION’ Category

During my interview you start to understand just how badly Torn wanted to expand his knowledge of all music and just how deep his passion for creativity and individuality runs. Torn knows the rules of music well and has done an amazing job of breaking them. At one moment he’s using his trem bar to make swoopy, stuttering sounds and the next he is methodically practicing traditional oud scales. It sounds diverse, but it makes perfect sense when you hear his music.

David Torn spends much of his time scoring films and consulting with companies about music gear. The man has “ears” and knows innovative sounds. He was even a little concerned that his playing on this interview was not captured on a more professional format. So please be aware that I recorded his playing with the shotgun microphone on my Canon consumer camcorder. I do this on all my videos. Nothing fancy. but it gets the job done without much fuss and allows me to concentrate on other things.

Playing a prototype maple-neck gold D’Pergo strat-style guitar made from ancient swamp ash through a variety of vintage and modern effects amplified through two prototype Fryette amps he stood there like a sorcerer conjuring auditory daydreams and nightmares (often in the same musical phrase).

We may all be looking at the same picture, but some of us see it differently. David Torn is that kind of musician. Don’t just watch him play, listen to his thought process and philosophy about music-making. This guy is open-minded and unafraid to push the envelope. Prepare to be inspired.

This guy is not just playing pentatonic blues scales…who does he sound like? David Torn.

David Torn – Interview 1

Torn’s Los Angeles-area home studio showing effects rack, pedalboard, Fryette amps he is consulting on and more. Click on picture to enlarge.

The wizard’s work station. Click on picture to enlarge.

David Torn – Interview 2

One of Torn’s racks containing a looper and Lexicons used to create other-worldly tones. Click to enlarge.

David Torn – Interview 3
Demonstrating some of his unique approach to guitar on a prototype D’Pergo made of ancient swamp ash.

The newest amp from Fryette that David is consulting on. He had two and was comparing speakers with them. They sounded great clean or distorted.

David Torn – Interview 4

David Torn – Interview 5

Torn playing his Oud.

I find it interesting that people buy guitars and feel like they have to take tons of lessons before they play in a band. They think they suck and need to play at a certain level before they should play with other musicians while constantly comparing themselves to their guitar heroes. To an extent it makes sense, but really it is mostly about insecurity. I think it’s a shame.

I want you to get out there and find some musicians to play with who are at your approximate playing level and play some music. I think you should also write your own music and not get hung up on how good you sound compared to other people. Everyone has to start somewhere and if you keep at it YOU CAN DO IT.

You don’t need to know lots of chords or sing really well to make music. All you need is desire. If you know five chords, chances are you know the basis of tons of existing songs and tons more you can write with those same chords. Here is a simple way to write a song. If you keep doing it, you will in time write something really good.

And consider this when you get self-critical: recorded music now is so slick and the production is so perfect that in many cases the bands don’t sound anything like their recordings without “augmenting” their live performances with pre-recorded tracks and special effects.

So let’s get started.

1). Find a catchy line or phrase from anywhere. This could be a headline, a common phrase or just something that sounds good to you. This will be the title of your new song.

2). Write a verse that relates to the title of the song.

Here’s a quick example I will make up instantly for this article: let’s say the song title is “Wave”

She rolls in and washes over me
I’m drowning in her deepest tide
Pulling me into her world
With no place for my fears to hide

3). So there’s a verse that makes some ocean-like references. Now we need a hook. We need a chorus where the key word is WAVE since that is the title to our song. So here’s something quick:

I can’t fight the ebb and flow
So I am riding out this wave
And the past cannot be saved
So I am letting go and riding out this wave.

So there are eight lines. Four lines are a verse and four are a chorus.

4). Now all you need to do is apply some music to the verse and the chorus using some or all of the five chords. You can do this with a little effort. If you want to use my sample words and write the music around them first you can do that and then replace the words later with your own original lyrics.

5). Once you have done this just write another verse using the first verse as a template.
Write a verse that tells more of the story as it relates to the first verse and the chorus.

Pay close attention to step 6. You must do this:

6). Make sure you can sing the verse and chorus to the music you have created. Record yourself using any device and make sure you can play the verse and the chorus the same way every time. This is crucial to song form. You have to be able to reproduce the song every time or the other musicians won’t be able to follow you.

So now your song form looks like this:

verse 1
chorus
verse 2
chorus

6). You have the basis of your song now. That wasn’t too hard was it?

In my next article I will show you how develop your song further. I truly believe that once you get into this you will be addicted to songwriting. Once you start hearing your original songs being played in your own band you won’t be able to stop. Nothing else can give you that feeling. You can do it.

I am in my forties and I think it’s great so many younger players and listeners are embracing the music I grew up with. These certainly is no shortage of great players today, but classic rock is big with plenty of younger players and even, well… kids. My 12 year old daughter has friends that love the Beatles and Jimmy Hendrix. How cool is that. Some of them have Hannah Montana and Creedence on the same iPod.

I find this amazing and I want to know why you think this is happening.

I would like to hear from you if you have been able to work the classic rock guitar riffs when you jam with your rock band, when you rehearse, or even when you are songwriting. Even if you learn the riffs note-for-note they will sound quite different in other types of music. Your creativity will invent new places for your arsenal of tricks. If you spend a fraction of the time practicing these classic rock riffs people spend on Guitar Hero or Rock Band your playing will improve dramatically in a short time.

Also, I would love to hear from you and find out about the style of music you play and if you have a rock band. Tell me about your band and what inspires you.