There are certain surf/instrumental songs which have amazing parts. What if they were all put together in an ultimate song?

The build-up of journey to the stars, the guitar intro of misirlou, the drum rolls of k-39. I would like to hypothetically construct the ultimate surf anthem.

Last edited: Aug 06, 2015 12:07:46

JakeDobner wrote:

The perfect melody played by somebody that felt it, that and some liberal reverb.

Too often, I feel some bands are just playing guitar instead of writing music. We get these guitar parts that are really compact with too many notes and not enough variance in those notes.

I'd personally like to see more animated bass parts as well, playing a sort of counterpoint to the lead guitar. That is something I really enjoy, surprising we don't see more of it. Drums, more dynamics!

I especialy agree on the bass comment. A simple bassline has its place, but it's refreshing to hear when someone explores the neck more. One of my all-time favorite bass-lines is the Lively Ones - Surf Rider. I like it much better than the Ventures version.

Regarding guitar, I'm a sucker fast and hard staccato notes, but then there's the slow spacey songs that really get me emotionally as well using very little notes.

The 4th movement of the 9th... I think it is mankind's greatest musical achievement. I highly suggest the Beethoven's 9th iPad app to anybody with that device.

I'm on Android myself, I hate iOS. The Beethoven app and Crossword puzzles are the only apps I have besides music making apps. iPads are pretty useless... but I own one...

And Amadeus, there is a top 5 movie for me! That laugh...

I'm gonna cram in all in to one glorious swan song. You'll see. It will be the soundtrack for the release of my manifesto to the public. I will call it surfin surf surfer.

I like introductions with a strong hook line which then immediately changes direction, then at a later point in the song reintroducing the riff. Some might say the riff is good enough to make a whole song but that's not the point, the idea is to ambush and tease the listener never quite giving them what they want.

Got to love Jimi Hendrix - Stone Free at the end where goes in hyper drive.. Oh man we're going into space!! oh c**p it's fade out and end of song!

da-ron wrote:

The perfect surf song is not too long. Definitely less than three minutes.

Yes, da-ron is right. I agree.
And THE length for a surf song lies between 2:33min and 2:35min. Or 2:32min and 2:35min.
I am practicing surf music science since 17 years and there will be no end.
There are also a few songs with 2 minutes plusminus a few seconds. (Astronauts songs, Pyramids,...)
I know at last the length will tell nothing about the quality of a song of course.
But the length could be an element for "the ultimate surf song"?

Listen always to NSSR and the Fantastic Five shows there. I try to explain such things.

Twang cheers!

Ralf Kilauea

www.kilaueas.de

https://kilaueas.bandcamp.com/album/touch-my-alien

PolloGuitar wrote:

from SG101 News Story #31, originally written in 2002:

"There is an important fourth element- arrangement, or when recording- production. I think it is extremely important not to confuse arrangement/production with song writing. Arrangements define a genre rather than a song. A good song should be able to be arranged for a variety of genres. But to start out the song writing process by saying, well I'm going to have a glissando going into a reverb kick followed by the drum lick to Wipe Out and then the bassline to Pipeline with some pingy notes on top, will create a completely unoriginal, paint by numbers surf song. And, to my ear, there is lot of that happening in surf music these days. Arrangements are the wrapping for the present, but don't skimp on the gift for fancy paper and bows."

Interesting re-read, Ferenc! I am curious what you will think of the songs we recorded a few weeks ago, especially in reference to what you said about trios in the article. Can I send you some rough mixes once they are done?

I personally find it hard to seperate songwriting from arranging, since I always hold it important to create some diversity inside of a song (although writing something totally homogenous (yet entertaining) would also be an interesting challenge). So early on in the process I try to remind myself of the different "textures" we have available as surf guitarists: single notes, muted single notes, double picked single notes; double stops, chords etc.

Technically the way you play a part is an apsect of arranging, but I usually start songwriting with a meldoy or a riff and after I have that the question is: Where interesting can I go from here? If the melody is played as single notes on the upper strings, a riff on the lower strings or a chain of chords can provide a nice balance. Next question: Do I need something in between the melody and the next part? If yes, what would make sense?

So in my case songwriting and arranging are closely connected, to better results I hope.

Los Apollos - cinematic surf music trio (Berlin)
"Postcards from the Scrapyard" Vol. 1, 2 & 3 NOW available on various platforms!
"Chaos at the Lobster Lounge" available as LP and download on Surf Cookie Records!

Only 7 elements needed...

Rhenium, Re
Vanadium, V
Erbium, Er
Boron, B

Tantalum, Ta
Nitrogen, N
Potassium, K

To illustrate my point about not confusing songwriting with arrangement, here are some great surf songs to check out:

Buy Endless Drummer @ Bandcamp
Frankie and the Pool Boys website
Buy Speed of Dark @ Bandcamp
Pollo Del Mar website
My Blog- Euro Tour Blog
Pool Boys on Spotify
INSTAGRAM
Frankie & The Pool Boys on Facebook
Pollo Del Mar on Facebook
DJ Frankie Pool Boy on North Sea Surf Radio

Last edited: Aug 12, 2015 11:16:34