This indent is for an insurance company. The client wanted something traditional and classic enough to inspire trust but at the same time it should have some modern elements to indicate they were also looking into the future.
Even though translating such concepts into music can be really challenging, in this particular case it seemed pretty straight forward to me. A stable major chord without any dissonant notes should take care of the trust element. A bit of piano or strings should tick the tradition box, and some synthetic sounds used sparingly could bring a taste of modern times.
I sent the client nothing less than 9 initial sketches and it didn’t take me long to realise my mistake. Giving too much choice and listening too much to opinions can lead to confusion and kill your focus.
I narrowed it down to three choices. One was my favourite, which I felt was perfect for the job. Number two was heavily inspired by a similar branding music which the client kept bringing up. Number three was very much on the modern side,with loads of filter automation, pads and synths.
They picked number 2. Next time a client says they want something that sounds a little like an existing piece of music, I will just do it right away. I don’t mean copying it completely, but to put it under the microscope – find out key, time signature, tempo, choice of chords, notes and rhythm, effects, mixing and mastering tricks. Armed with such information, the job of understanding what that they like about it and how to use those ingredients becomes a lot easier.
Rodrigo Lemos 