Dynamics

Just like frequencies, dynamics can and should make your band and arrangements sound amazing. Alex thinks of dynamics in two terms: intensity — how loudly you’re playing a part — and complexity — how intricately you’re playing it. A song should increase in both as it progresses.

Take people on a journey

A song is meant to take people on a journey. If you give them everything up front — slam them at full intensity and complexity right out of the gate — you have nowhere left to go.

Leave some headroom, both in your intensity and your complexity. Teach your band to start slow and pace themselves so they have room to build.

Even a song with a big intro, like Lion and the Lamb, shouldn’t have the drummer at 100% immediately. He should be at about 80% of his closing-chorus maximum. The trick: go to the biggest moment in your mind, then dial backward — what is 80% of that? That’s where you start.

A typical intensity arc might look like:

• Intro: 80%
• Verse 1: 60%
• Chorus 1: 80%
• Verse 2: 75%
• Chorus 2: 85%
• Bridge: 90%
• Final chorus: 100%

This applies to the whole set, too. If songs three and four are similar, hold song three to 90% so song four can unleash the full 100%. And it’s not just drummers — keyboardists, electric players, and singers all need to hold back. Singers should use softer, warmer tones early, then grow in intensity and consonants as the band builds.

When everybody holds back a little, you’ll actually find the song sounds more musical. Things don’t just sound like noise — they sound like music.

Remember: tone is usually best when we’re gentle on our instruments. Smashing moves you from music to noise.

Complexity: save the best for last

Complexity is how much, and how intricately, you’re playing. Everyone should start by playing less — fewer subdivisions, fewer fills, more slowly and deliberately — and add intricacy as the song climaxes:

• Drummers save their biggest fill for the end.
• Bass players save their most intricate fills for the end.
• Vocalists save their biggest runs for the end.
• Electric players keep lines simple early, adding complexity only after the line is established and anchored in people’s minds.

This even spans song to song. Sometimes Alex hears a fill in his head and deliberately skips it — “I’m not going to do that in this song, because in the next song I’m going to do a big fill.” Too much complexity, used too often, takes away from the beauty. Peak moments are special; save them for the right moment.

Application

• For your next song, define what 100% looks like, then teach the band to start at 80%. Where are the natural build points?
• Are there players who hit full intensity or complexity too early — a drummer’s biggest fill in the intro, a singer belting verse one? Coach one of them this week.
• Look at your whole set. Which song is the true 100% peak, and which neighboring song could you hold back so the peak lands harder?