Naming a solo piano album

Hi Sam -
Nice stuff (though I generally listen to a lot more noise). Just my 2cents - I don't like any of the title options - (sound like something for an elevator.)
I would go with your main track as the album title - eg, "Breathe" or "Volition", or whatever.
Alternatively, something friendlier, like, oh "Samspace", if you want the title to convey a bigger sense of you.
Congrats by the way!

Some of my friends and family CDs were named after the title for a piece that was particularly significant to me at the time, others were named for some kind of idea, concept or theme that was meaningful in that season of my life or represented something about the entire collection of music but was not a title of any of the pieces on the CD. My advice would be to search your heart and use whatever title you think expresses what you want to say with your gift to your audience. You'll know it when you find the right one. It can ba a labor sometimes but it's cool to find just the right title for the collection.

"the space between" is also a dave matthews band single

Did not know that.

Hmmm.... I suppose this is the kind of advice I was after. But what defines "elevator music"ish names vs those that are not? To ask it more directly, does anyone have advice on how to name "solo piano music" with names that will be "cool" but not "elevatorish"? THAT is and will be my dilemma. For whatever reason, Brando, you seem to think "Volition" or "Breathe" are not elevatorish but the other names are. Can anyone help me understand the difference?

And I realize this is somewhat subjective (ok, VERY subjective). But I thought long and hard about the three names I threw out and hoped that they were not too, oh... cliche? Trite? Whatever the word is. (Elevatorish works too).

Oh, and the reason I ask is that, not only do I have to name the ALBUM, I've got about 12 tracks to name! So far I have names like "Heart Mountain," "Whare Are You Now?", "Driven Snow," "Coming Home," "Legacy." I had considered just giving them numbers (as tracks) precisely because I didn't want to deal with this issue!

Thanks,

Sam

Hey Sam -
I listened to the two songs you posted the link to - and the names "Breathe" (although used as a song title a fair bit in pop music), and "Volition" both fit the songs, I think. As I listened, I thought that you obviously had a reason for giving them the names you did, and, I imagined how/why the song connected with the title you chose - it seemed to work. I never at any point thought that the title didn't fit the song, or that the title was "cheesy"/elevator-ish. When I read the titles for the album you had suggested, they just sounded trite - as though there was no connection to the music.
I think you just need a way to breath a bit of whatever inspired you to create each of your songs, into the album as a whole.
BTW - I really like "Samspace" - no credit required - my gift to you!

As for song titles - if all else fails - use girl's names - eg, "Song for Jeannie", names or descriptions of places (real or imaginary), "Old Willow Row", "Home Bound", or anything that conveys a sense of emotion or aspiration - "Our Time", "Wind-fallen", without actually stating the emotion you are trying to imply - hope, grief, etc.
Hope this helps!

ORIGINAL: Brando
As for song titles - if all else fails - use girl's names - eg, "Song for Jeannie", names or descriptions of places (real or imaginary), "Old Willow Row", "Home Bound", or anything that conveys a sense of emotion or aspiration - "Our Time", "Wind-fallen", without actually stating the emotion you are trying to imply - hope, grief, etc.
Hope this helps!

very good examples of what i was trying to say.

I'm Not Gay, I Just Like The Piano

Oh, man, that one hurt . . .

Moving forward: I also find myself thinking (sadly), "Well, it is quite possible that not only are the NAMES I'm coming up with elevator music, but the blasted MUSIC ITSELF is elevator music!!!" Please don't tell me if it is, that would hurt worse than that latest post....

Sam

Now I've got to go shoot some of my handguns until I feel manly again...

ORIGINAL: samhoff

I'm Not Gay, I Just Like The Piano

Oh, man, that one hurt . . .

Moving forward: I also find myself thinking (sadly), "Well, it is quite possible that not only are the NAMES I'm coming up with elevator music, but the blasted MUSIC ITSELF is elevator music!!!" Please don't tell me if it is, that would hurt worse than that latest post....

Sam

Now I've got to go shoot some of my handguns until I feel manly again...

No - it's nice stuff. (Not my style honestly, but) you are a talented pianist and creator. And I'm not saying that because you have a gun....

I would go with "Harold Was a Fish." Or possibly "Beethoven's Second Symphony in D major op.26" - unless it's been used already.

Sorry about that. I just couldn't stop myself.

"Oh, man, that one hurt . . . "

Sorry man, but you keyboard cats can usually sight read well and are well trained compared most of us guitar players who tend to play by ear and make it up as we go along. I feel it's my duty to bring you down to my level.

you didnt like seas of keys

Good names are easy to come up with. Just do word association and one thing will lead to another. Think of things and places that not only have meaning to you (but not in a corny way) and words associated with them. I had a tune called "Metzger's Field". It has a meaning from my childhood just as it would for anyone my age who grew up watching "Leave It To Beaver". It also has a nice softness to it when you say it. "Johnson's Field", or "Smith's Field" just wouldn't work. I have another tune called "That's About Right"; an old Illinois saying that's sprouted out to the rest of the country in recent years. My last record was called "Awakening In The Land Of Nod" in which the album, and most of the song titles, were meant to convey imagery having to do with the Christian Mystics. "Fenster's Saga" was a tune on it I named after the most mystical person I know who's nickname just happens to be Fenster. My next record will be more light hearted and is gonna be called "Women & Other Strange Animals". Many of the song titles will be in that same light hearted vein. (Jeff Beck's "Constipated Duck" would be right at home on this record). "A Brief History Of Swang" is one of the song titles from the record, one that means absolutely nothing. Meaningless strings of words can be a lot of fun to play with for kids and adults alike. Remember some of those old 50's/60's titles like "Chug-a-Lug", "Here We Go Loop-de-Loop", "Over Under Sideways Down"? People love that kind of thing.

I sometimes name songs after book titles or famous book quotes. "Kilmeny" is my favorite poem so I named a song after it. George MacDonald had some thought provoking titles like "Exotics", "At The Back Of The North Wind", "The Portent", "Phantastes" (the Scottish spelling of fantasies), "A Dish Of Orts", on and on, and that's just one author. Someone will eventually name a tune after Kurt Vonnegut's catch phrase: "And so it goes...." (if they haven't already). If you don't read much, think of movies or TV shows you grew up with and some of the catch phrases in them.

James. thanks for confirming that I am indeed a genius,

Randy

ORIGINAL: samhoff
Let me be clear about what I'm saying: I believe Jim Brickman's success (and David Lanz' and a lot of these other successful solo new-age type people) lies as much in the naming of their music as it does in the music itself. Read some of the names of their stuff; they "sound" cool and make you want to listen to it. On the flip side, there is good music out there with dorky names and nobody wants to listen to it. I want to name my tracks in such a way that people read the back of the CD and go, "Wow, that sounds cool. I'd like to hear that." Because without THAT I think it could be really good music and be ignored.

Purists (idealists) will tend to disagree with me, saying that all that matters is the music. But I feel the names, the very words, are EXTREMELY important, thus my persistence in requesting help from all of you. It's kind of like how a car looks versus how it drives. One being good without the other isn't enough.

dead on. the name of the song has a lot to do with its success. yes there are exceptions but i actually can't think of any right now. in instrumental music the name of the song (heck, the name of the artist) has a lot more to do with success than the music itself, nearly as much as what he/she looks like. i can only name one violin instrumental album - "the violin player", by vanessa-mae. why? she's hot. =)

by the way sam i did look at your list and here are the only ones i would skip on:

33 - "serious thought", too vague
36 - "then came the morning", it's a chorus in a christian inspirational song (think the gaithers for you christians out there) that my parents drove me nuts with. but also i don't think the sound or meaning of the words really coveys as much as the other ones you've got.
43 - "silent words" - the idea is a bit overused and a little cliche (heck, i use it in one of my songs)
44 - "the world is changing" - too self evident. the world is always changing
46 - "listen well" - i don't know, it just stuck out amongst the other names.

ORIGINAL: rsp@odyssey.net

I'll make a sincere suggestion here. Perhaps since you seem to struggle with the confidence to name your own songs, I think you should let someone close to you, whose opinion you trust, and who enjoys your music, name your songs. You could suggest they come up with images, emotions or whatever comes to their mind as they listen to the song. Don't tell them they are naming the song, as they might try to hard to be creative, and what you really want here is an honest, emotional response. Good Luck.

Randy

This is exactly how I came up with many of the names on that list I posted, believe it or not... I gave the "beta version" of my CD to 8 friends and they turned in sheets commenting on how to make the music better and what they would name it ....

Thanks everyone for all the help. It is becoming apparent to me that I shall have to name the CD what I wish. I'm leaning towards "Somewhere Else" (sorry Jack and Brando)... we'll see, I'll think on it for a while. I do like "The Quiet Road," we'll see where we end up.

Sam