Digestif - mygrain - instrumental prog from Scotland

[digestif]

I'd love any feedback on my most recent instrumental prog recordings - at http://www.digestif.co.uk/mygrain.

I've produced and distributed CDs for a couple of prog projects in the past, but I didn't get much feedback on the 2nd one - I could really do with some feedback to help steer me forwards.

If you like symphonic/classically-influenced prog then try the track Wholegrain Fantasy, or if you prefer a slightly jazzier thing then try the track Creative Energy.

[martiprog]

Hi Ian, Martin Haggarty here from Renfrewshire. We emailed a few times around 3 years back when I was looking for a band (I'm a singer). Wondered what had happended - shocked to learn you'd been so ill but glad you're back making music, & hopefully fully recovered.

Really like the new material, especially Wholegrain Fantasy. It kind of reminds me of a mixture of Camel & my old band Abel Ganz. I remember listenting to some of your earlier stuff - being a singer, of course I feel these would make great songs too! :-)

I'll check out some more of your stuff in the coming days & drop you a message. Keep 'em coming! M

[Finn_McCool]

Great compositions, great playing and great sound! Not much I would change, but here are some personal preferences: I'm a fan of Bruford-style, busy drumming, so I kept waiting for the drummer to contribute more to the conversation. Usually the drumming got more interesting by the end of the tracks, so I know the drummer has the chops and feel to play like that. I just wanted more! I also thought that the classical guitar bits could have been a bit more relaxed and allow for a bit more space between phrases. The track (I forget the title!) has a nice mellow tempo and I would like to luxuriate in the melody a bit without feeling rushed. Likewise, the keyboard could add a bit more space in its accompaniment to allow the composition to breathe a little bit more. Overall, I enjoyed the pieces a lot. They made me smile and feel warm inside. Thanks!

[digestif]

Thanks! Really useful constructive feedback which I can take into account - I really appreciate it!
I've had very little feedback and was contemplating why I bother recording this stuff.
(This is the work of only one person so "the drummer" is also playing all the other instruments, writing, recording & mixing - maybe that's why he didn't feel the need to "give the drummer some" )

[martiprog]

.I've had very little feedback and was contemplating why I bother recording this stuff)

Ian, never forget that music is its own reward.

Having said that, if you do want to spread it to a whole load more people, you have to play the self-promotion game. It' s probably harder for instrumental music (radio play will be even more limited for example), but you can reach an audience in many ways without necessarily playing live, as Big Big Train have successfully proven. It depends on your aim - if you want to sell your music or get some sort of distribution or publishing deal, then it's worth spending some money (speculate to accumulate), but if you just want listeners and are happy to give it all for free, you have to play a more patient game and learn to manipulate social and electronic media and all the free stuff, just as you've tried to do on this thread.

I'm happy to make some suggestions if you're looking to sell your music - I'm going to be doing this myself soon once my band's EP is ready for release. M

[digestif]

No ambition to sell it, would just like to get a better idea of its potential appeal, and to know that the number of (free) listeners was in some way proportional to that.