Award Sounds

I use the technique of changing instruments when I'm revisiting a track that has lain idle for a while. Depending on the deadlines involved, my usual way of composing is write and stop writing when I've hit a dead-end. When I revisit the track, could be the next day or a few months away, I'll try to add more to it. I find the quickest way to add a different flavour is to change the main instrument at the point of where I'm stuck. For instance, let's say that I've got a guitar-based melody for 2 minutes and I'm stuck as to what to do after that, then often I'll change to a keyboard or bass even if only to record 5 seconds or so.

It's about the inspiration

The point about this isn't necessarily about the sound of other instrument, but the inspiration that I derive from it. I play guitar differently to how I play bass and different again to how I play keyboards/piano.

The Clincher

And here's the weird part for me: after writing the new part on whatever instrument I've chosen, I often re-record it on the original instrument. To my ears, that usually works out better. Especially as it's more likely to blend in better with the first 2 minutes. That's how I see swapping as an aid to creativity; it helps me bypass some of my habits

But why bother?

A lot of it is to do with breaking habits. I mentioned that I play guitar differently to how I pay bass. Actually, I play acoustic guitar in a different fashion to how I play electric guitar (and that can be divided as well; pick/no pick, clean/distorted, amplified/DI and so on). Add to this the fact the instruments play notes with different tones and frequencies and I begin to pick out different melodies than I would on the original instrument. More than that, my timing is different because of how I've learnt to play the instruments. I'm better at some than others and so I think differently when I play them. In some cases, it forces me to think about what I want to play and how to achieve it. In recording the part again, I often find the habits that were present in my original playing.