I just wanted to highlight an example of shifting and evolving your sound to match the venue, as per Voyno’s earlier post.
Coldplay.
If you’ve listened to Parachutes, you know it’s a great, but mellow record. Yellow is a big tune, but the rest of the album is much more sleepy-esque. Before Yellow took over the world, they were playing small clubs. The sound was perfect for a small room or theatre, but with the hint of bigger things to come.
Then the band took over the world and had to follow-up with something just as big, if not bigger. They delivered and Rush Of Blood made Coldplay the biggest band in the world. You hear the opening of Politik and immediately have a sense of how it could feel in an arena.
Their evolution may even have been due to necessity. How do you keep the attention of a stadium full of people?? Write big songs with many sing-a-long parts of course!
I’m not saying you can’t make small and intimate music work in an, but let’s be real.
Keep the venue in mind when creating.
Check out a vid of Coldplay’s earlier days:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-itViO6_SVk]
Now, check out a recent some vid from a recent tour:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntTH1lkqj8I]
Hoover
1 Comment
I wouldn’t say it’s pertinent or even relevant to keep a particular venue in mind when creating. If you’re writing a song and something fits, then roll with it.
Not every artist’s music is meant to be heard in big stadiums. Some styles sound better in intimate venues and often times musicians can connect better with audiences in these kinds of venues. They can find inspiration a bit easier and it reflects in their performance.
The title of this article should be called “Writing With What Works.” Delve into that subject.