Head Band

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Head Band
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For many aspiring songwriters the biggest problem they have is trying to reproduce the sound they have in their head so other people can hear how good their song is. Those who are in a band can easily try out their compositions with other band members, until they are happy with the finished song.

But for those who don't have access to band members this can be a problem. It can be very frustrating to have that finished song floating around in our head but never quite managing to replicate it using just a piano or guitar. I have been in this situation most of the time I have been writing songs, and long before home computers became popular it was a real concern. The song in my head always sounded much better than the one I played solo on my guitar.

But for the last ten years or so I have been using a piece of music software from PG Music Inc called Band in a Box. For me this has revolutionized my songwriting, and what's more it's really easy to use. Finally I can get as close as possible to the song I hear in my head.

What I do is I write the song in the normal way, working out the chords on either my electric keyboard or guitar, mostly guitar in my case. For me I tend to write the chords, melody and lyrics together, as I find that one helps write the other.

So, I now have the lyrics and melody to which I can sing along to as I strum the chords on my acoustic guitar. Once I am happy with the structure of the song I can turn my attention to getting the song into Band in a Box. There are different ways I can do this. I could play my song via a midi keyboard direct into Band in a Box, but I tend to physically enter all the chords from your computer keyboard.

Band in a Box's main input area is divided into a grid, similar to Microsoft's table; I simply enter the chord into one grid box where I want to make a chord change. So, if my song was in the Key of C I would simply type in C Am F G or whatever other chords I want into the various grids.

Once I have got the whole song entered into Band in a Box and I am happy that the tempo is correct and all the chord changes are in the right place, I start to get creative.

This is where it gets interesting.

One of the main features in Band in a Box is the hundreds of different styles to choose from and these different styles have different instruments. So, let's say I had written a Country song. I can now hear what particular country style suits my song best. I might like the Country Swing style, but after experimenting, decide the Country Shuffle suites the song better.

Now it gets even more interesting! I may find that the Country Shuffle has a mute guitar in it which I don't actually like. After trying a few different guitars out decide I prefer the jazz guitar and so change it to that. I can add reverb, chorus and pan to all the instruments, mute instruments I don't want to hear. Add a lead guitar intro, a Honky Tonk piano lead in the middle. The choice is up to me, I become the producer of my own song.

When I have finished I will have, as it says on the box, a full backing band of Bass, Drums, Piano and Guitar all playing my song which I can then sing along to. This has to be the best backing band I have ever played with, no stroppy drummer to content with. No flashy lead guitarist wanting to hog the limelight. Just my song being played as I heard it in my head!

From this point I can save the instruments as individual tracks, import them into a Sequencer, record the vocals and make my demo CD. Or, save the file as a midi file and use it on stage as a backing track for me to add live vocals to.

There are many more features in Band in a Box that I have never got round to using, but it has been the best thing I have used to help with my songwriting. For those who don't play an instrument it would be ideal, it can even create a melody for you. All in all I would recommend this product.

For more information on writing songs visit http://superiorsongwriting.blogspot.com/

Unlikely Places: Faith and Spirit Guide Kent Curtiss Band’s Exuberant Renditions

Unlikely Places

Faith and spirit guide Kent Curtiss Band’s exuberant renditions

By Brian D’Ambrosio

For Kent Curtiss, the quest for God begins in his own heart. He remembers Him in his prayers, and he makes sincere attempts to heal, protect, and nourish divine correspondence.

It is such strong faith that makes Kent Curtiss Band’s music stand out in the vast milieu of devotional music that has saturated, perhaps even overwhelmed, the country for more than a decade.

Indeed, the Corvallis-based group’s debut CD titled Unlikely Places is a far-ranging body of work, incorporating pop melodies, jagged guitars, folkish sing-alongs, and even an incarnated soul and gospel feel. It’s deceptively accessible, but repeated listens reveal more and more layers and moving parts.

“We’re bringing a lot of positive messages to the table,” says Kent Curtiss, who wrote or co-wrote all of the CD’s twelve tracks.

Crisp and dapper in its sound, Unlikely Places explores ways of living a meaningful religious life in the face of increased self-deprecating uncertainty and ecological crisis, while providing Pollyannaish optimism for the future, as well as hope for a deeper understanding of the connections between humanity, religion, ecology, and culture.

“The theme of this record is one of hope,” says Curtiss. “When hope dies, there’s nothing more crushing than that. The loss of hope can destroy you. We’re playing something that’s full of hope and wonder.”

The band’s music, which Curtiss describes as having rock, pop and urban influences, is a way to get that positive, hope-laden message across “in a way that speaks to someone,” says Curtiss.

While Curtiss recognizes the possibilities for evangelization through contemporary music, he’s not prepared to package the band’s music in a way that’s heavy-handed or aggressive, opting for a much more subtle product that doesn’t “beat people over the head with the Bible,” says Curtiss.

Indeed, Curtiss understands that the church has always has been a patron of the arts, and he knows that one way in which he can satisfy his spiritual self-longing is to continue to contribute music that promotes Christian values.

Nonetheless, one doesn’t need to bear hug Christian principles or spuriously embrace Christianity, to enjoy the heartfelt efforts and spiritual and social commentaries of a talented group of musicians, including Tom Nash on guitar, Cyndy Hull on keyboard, and Janet Curtiss, who adds vocal flair to the CD.

“We’re a band of Christians, not a Christian band,” says Kent Curtiss. “Our music reaches across generational, spiritual and musical borders.”

Curtiss’s principal occupation is as a homebuilder, and he views his music as something that, at least for right now, is primarily being played and performed as a leisure pursuit.

“This is definitely an avocation,” says Curtiss. “We are going to enjoy it and see what happens, and see where it goes. This is something done out of love for the music, and love for the meaning behind it. We are building a fan base and having a lot of fun.”

Curtiss began playing music as a hobby more than a dozen years ago. It’s been ten years since he began writing his own songs, expressing himself through ideas rooted in his own self-actuality.

In his music, Curtiss conveys positivism; there’s too much light in his world to get lost in the negativity of darkness. Consequently, it’s hard to walk away from Unlikely Places without the feeling that you can always get what you want and that events will turn out for the best.

Using spiritual thrall and repetitive hooks to reel in the listener, this album is so engagingly catchy that to get it out of your head you’ll need a lobotomy. It will take a few listens to fully digest the jaunty tempos, but patient followers will soon discover the CD’s intangible riches. The beauty here is that The Kent Curtiss Band has managed to compose and perform music that people will more than likely remember even after the disc has been placed back in the jewel case.

“We would really like to gain a reputation as a band that’s good at playing and performing live,” says Curtiss. “Hopefully, our music puts people at ease and draws them in. We’d like to build a base as a band that has a lot of fun and plays good…our integrity is all we’ve got.”

The most obvious thing about the band’s music is the way in which they blend together a danceable groove with a tight melodic pop attack. Add on top of that some catchy songwriting and the mix becomes absolutely intoxicating, providing confirmation that cool music and spiritual impact don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

Being that upbeat music usually doesn’t have too much to say spiritually and that bands who really want to communicate their faith strongly often make redundantly bland music, Unlikely Places is unique in its strong, direct and spiritually awash approach.

But really, that’s not as important as the glow, the luminescence, in the sound of the songs themselves. From the beginning of the CD, the work is brightened by a spiritual dimension, nothing explicit, perhaps, but always implied.

Ultimately it feels as though Curtiss is comfortable with what he really believes and has long since come to terms with the experiences of his upbringing. He sees music as a journey rather than a destination, and at this point in the band’s development, he has a very simple goal: to continue making records.

There are so many bands that form, record one album and then disappear that he doesn’t want to join their ranks.

“We would really like to stand the test of time,” explains Curtiss. “We don’t want to be just a throwaway band making throwaway music.”

For more information, visit www.kentcurtissband.com.

About the Author

Brian D’Ambrosio is a freelance writer living, working, and recreating in Missoula, MT. Currently, he is the editor of the Clark Fork Journal, a monthly community newspaper based in the Bitterroot Valley. His articles have been published in local, regional, and national publications, including High Country News and Backpacker Magazine.

How do I make a head band out of weeping willow branches?

Get 3 very thin long twigs from it and braid them like braiding hair.

Head-Spinning Songs
Weston Mansfield of the band Totally Nebular performs a set during a show at Spin Cycle Bike Shop on University Avenue Saturday. The band was performing as part of the “Endless Bummer” music show, a two-day event.

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