Today, I was going over some old threads and in one of them, about acapellas, a member asked who needs vocals? I thought to myself, what a great question and idea for a thread! So here we are.
When it comes to instrumental or vocal music, do you find yourself moving toward one or the other? Why?

I gravitate toward vocal music. I find its message more direct, and necessary in today's pop music. Yet I admit that there is power and emotion in instrumental music. And at times will be in a mood for an instrumental.
Let us keep in mind that this is totally subjective. For every argument we make in favor of one or the other, a compelling argument can be made against it. So let us keep this thread civil and respect the other members' preference.

 

why can't we have both?
if i really am forced to choose something, then i will always go with the original mix/version, be it vocal or instrumental.
and voice is just another instrument, isn't it. but yes, it has indeed more power.

not voting

 

With all do respect, this is another pointless thread..

 

This is not about an instrumental vs a vocal version of the same song. That is a totally different question. That is the reason why I decided to not include such option here. We are talking about instrumental music as in compositions originally conceived without vocals.

 

With all due respect, you don't have to participate in it or comeback to it.

 

ah ok i see. then i do agree with the other poster

 

I mostly listen to instrumental music. Film scores, synthesizer music like Jarre, melodic trance, Two Steps From Hell etc.

 

OK. Then the same reply applies to you. As simple as that. I am not forcing you, the other poster or any member to like this thread, agree with it or participate in it. If i dont think a thread is worthy of my time, I simply move on to another thread.

 

I went vocals but am really for either. Some sort of vocal element is definitely more engaging usually however

 

Unable to chose. I love instrumental music, or the vocal one where instruments are important. But there are so many good vocal pieces , it's impossible to chose.

 

@KungPaoFist I was reading an article in which the writer asks the reader: "what was the last instrumental song that went No. 1 on the US popular charts? How about top twenty? Top forty?" He notes that 4.15 [is] the percentage of sales shared by the jazz (2.15%) and classical (2%) music genres in the United States market in 2012. This includes the legends of the genres in popular culture (Louis Armstrong, Leonard Bernstein, etc.), current artists working within them (Diana Krall, Josh Bell, et al), artists whose individual musicianship trumps that of most everyone else (Igor Stravinsky, Thelonius Monk) and those who simply make us cringe (Kenny G). https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/why_americans_hate_instrumental_music-40477 The article was written in 2015 but I don't think the numbers are much different today.

 

no no1....where there ever...
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last good vocal i heared here heh heh...some time ago now ...

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edit ok i must admit adele had a good one out ....

 

to me its not a matter of choosing really. at least not when producing. i think often somewhere in the producing process one notices that a song is simple "done". if you try to add lyrics it looses its original strength or character.

its simply meant to be instrumental. some other times you feel the track needs to be complemented by a vocalist, you can feel it gravitating towards that

absolutely not. because here the intent is not to provoke ridicule or mock anything. its just a simple question left for anyone to develop towards their own individual impressions.

 

Last edited: Mar 25, 2019

It's like asking if you prefer blondes or redheads. Unless we are talking about specific people (songs), the discussion doesn't make much sense. I simply love the music (and the girls), period.

 

and back again talkin offtopic troll shit...

how bout mod them before someone have to get insult warning points again cause no mod made ever clear what trolling is...which so much members dont kno actualy

EDIT i forgot we must report first to get mod.....thats not ideal...whatsoever

 

what!? don't tell me you dont get a special certain tingling effect of either reds, blonds or darks? cmon, they all the same to you?

you haven't any favourite songs you wish had vocals, or favourite vocal tracks you would love to hear and enjoy without any vocalists on it?

in my case there are tracks that I simply adore without any song on them, I get truly high on those instrumental versions, some yummy extended instrumentals.. there are some 70s rock and disco versions that are the bomb, they are often 6 or 7 or more, some even 10 min long with some freaking funky solos. its just hypnotising lol

 

Last edited: Mar 25, 2019

For myself, I seem to vibe sympathetically with music that has a vocal element integral to expressing the message that the artist(s) is trying to convey. My first album was a musical, the original soundtrack of the 1964 film, Mary Poppins. I was 5 years old and made my parents buy it for me after seeing the film, played it a thousand times in the big wooden piece of furnature which was our record player, radio tuner, and was forever in love with musical theatre and the power of verse in a musical context.

 

Judging by what I listen to most often, I seem to like vocal music better, so I voted accordingly. However, an instrumental piece can be extremely emotional and moving, too. If I wasn't given time to think, I'd say "I like both equally".

What matters to me the most, is that the piece is meaningful and emotional, be it vocal or instrumental.

 

Exactly!

The biggest challenge with a with vocal track for the producer/songwriter is to convey the same feelings contained within the music. And that can only be achieved through a thoughtful combination of lyrics AND vocal performance.

 

Historically pure vocal music has been the standard for long, instruments are tolerated for a few hundred years now.
Instrumental music created to stand on its own is a quite new invention.