Welcome to our new blog ….
I'm inviting you to join me as we begin our journey (10 years in the making) of the biggest adventure of the history of Pittsburgh - Right TurnClyde … We started as duo, to a trio, to an acoustic rock trio to a full band. Man o man what a journey it's been. So welcome to our The Right TurnClyde Experiences blog, join me as we take a journey from where we started to what we're becoming. Let's start at the beginning.
Have you ever been challenged to instantly recognize a sound that's yours?
One of the biggest challenges I had in the beginning was having a signature sound. It is an absolute must in today’s local “cover” band world. With dozens of bands (both old and new) that seemly pop it up every day, you don’t want your band to sound just like everyone else’s sound.—you want to try to be memorable and recognizable. So how exactly did we accomplish this?
Well, to start, let’s dispel the idea that a signature sound is something you can create, or something that lives outside of you that you must obtain. When you take this approach, you run the risk of simply copying other people’s signature sounds (and that defeats the purpose, doesn’t it ?).
Instead, your signature sound should be viewed as something that already exists somewhere inside you—it’s part of what makes you unique as a person, not just a musician. Your job, is to search within yourself, uncover this unique sound, refine it, and use it at the core of all your projects. When you take the time to do this, your bands music can evolve through different styles and genres, but retain that special something that makes it uniquely yours. Being a cover band the challenge is even bigger and for the past 10 years I've focused my efforts with Right TurnClyde to always be different.
1. How it Started - Man did I listen to a lot of music
Through out the years our signature sound was essentially synonymous with ‘elements of music that I loved.’ quick note - if you think you’ve found your sound, but you don’t particularly like it, that’s a good sign that you need to keep looking.
So how did I find what you I loved ? Well by listening to lots of music. I love music. however simply passively listening to music isn’t enough. you have to engage in active listening and document what you learn. The idea here is to identify what you like about other people’s music, what resonates with you, and what inspires you.
Keep in mind that the purpose of this exercise isn’t to simply copy ideas from other people. Rather, it’s to identify what your ear naturally finds pleasant and interesting. From there, you can modify these ideas, combine them in unique ways, or try them in unexpected places. You may even try to replicate something, and in the failure to do it precisely, find that you’ve created something you like even better.
Once you’ve gone through your favorite songs, you can also try actively listening to songs you don’t like. It’s just as important to identify elements that you’re not a huge fan of, so you can deliberately avoid them in your own music. Note: Be sure to listen to songs in genres you don’t typically listen to—you may discover something you never knew you liked!
2. I had to embrace my strengths
When I first got started I was the rhythm guitar player and vocalist for an area church worship team. My strengths - I wanted to play and sing. However although I thought I rocked it in the beginning , I really wasn't that good. I enjoyed playing and practiced as much as I could. Of course, there’s was something to be said about developing new skills, I just knew I wanted to play. Wasn't obsessed with guitar riffs, and years away from creating a signature sound.
Remember that your sound is something only you can create, so think about what you’re naturally good at, what you gravitate towards, and what you enjoy working on.
End of Todays Story
In the next few weeks we're to visit a bit more with my memories as we become the whole new version of The Right TurnClyde Experience. I'll share our successes and not so stellar times as we make our way to a dream come true .. 10 years in the making .