Do you need variety in a CD?

Filed in Thoughts on July 13, 2009



I am in the middle of a series of posts regarding my recent project Portraits of Hope (which by the way is available for a free download at http://www.greghowlett.com/portraitsdownload.aspx).

Today, i want to discuss the topic of variety on a project.  I am referring to variety between the songs in terms of style, dynamics, tempo, etc.

It is widely believed among people in the recording industry that there needs to be a lot of variety on a project.  But I have tended to resist that belief for a few reasons. 

First, I believe that is more important that the music be high quality.  Sometimes, variety comes at the expense of quality.

For example, there are some styles that I just do not play well.  I am not likely to record a song in one of those styles just so I will have variety.  Also, I am not a virtuoso (a person exceptionally proficient in the technical aspects of music).  So, I am not going to record highly technical pieces just to prove that I can when I know my best is still not really good enough.  It is one thing to play a lot of notes, but it is quite another to master them. 

I also believe that too much variety can be a bad thing if the project begins to feel disjointed.  I want my music to create an experience.  That is hard to do if the music jumps around between a lot of different styles.

But that being said, I have a lot of variety on Portraits of Hope.  I decided to go in that direction partly because I needed concert music.  In concerts, you definitely need a lot of variety, and before I recorded these orchestrations, I did not have nearly enough.

I also wanted to try some new things.  I wanted some more sophisticated rhythms and some faster songs such as "Tis So Sweet" and "Heaven Came Down."  And I wanted some huge songs like "To God Be The Glory", "It is Well", and "Ivory Palaces."  I love those huge songs where the orchestra gets bigger and bigger.

Rather than moving the CD in these new directions completely, I decided to balance those changes with songs that are even more laid back than I usually play.  And I decided to record four of them with single instrument accompaniments.  There are people who have all my music because they love the slow stuff and I did not want to abandon them on this project.  So, that is why I included songs like "Jesus Paid It All" and "Take My Life and Let It Be."

Even in the slower stuff, there is a lot of new material.  For example, the harmony in "Savior Like A Shepherd" may sound strange to many.  I want to talk about this song in more detail in a day or two, but the chords are certainly off the beaten path of what most of us are used to in church music.  Some might find this song a little on the dissonant side while others such as myself might really like it.



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Leeanne Graf
7/13/2009 5:13:33 PM

Personally I prefer the simply, slower songs. I think this CD is your best to date! I've listened to it over and over and am hard pressed to find anything I don't like. The variety is great and the mix is even better. It's a perfect balance of piano and orchestra. Thank you for producing good, Godly christian music. What a blessing it's been.

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Daniel Blomdahl
7/13/2009 7:44:54 PM

I think the cd is great. All of the songs seem to just go.

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Danny Gardner
7/13/2009 10:03:47 PM

Thanks for the post Mr. Howlett. I've enjoyed reading about this cd and I love listening to it. You've been a blessing. May God continue to richly bless you.

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