Smooth Transitions

Guitarist Nili Brosh

Cris Cohen: Another track that really stood out for me on this album (Eventide) is “Tip The Cap.” It has these really cool, subtle transitions. A lot of the song seems to swing from… it reminds me of the piano section of “Layla.” It’s kind of a lush, emotional thing. But then it swings into this contemplative jazz thing. Then it swings back, but it’s smooth. What’s the key to doing that so smoothly?

Nili Brosh: I don’t really know. I think it’s trying to understand what similarities genres have between them. Because at the end of the day, there’s always something in common. And that’s something that I really had to think about with my last album, Spectrum, which really morphed from one genre to the next.

However different two genres seem, there’s usually something that the two of them share. Whether it’s certain grooves or certain chord progressions, even if it’s not the instrumentation. There’s always something that unites two things when you don’t think it might. I try to go between the things that are more similar. I think that gives it a smoother transition, rather than trying to connect them by the things that they don’t have in common. Finding the commonalities and trying to smooth it out from there I think helps. Because jazz and classical, nylon string playing, I don’t feel like those two are too far from each other.

And vibe. You’re not going from a super-loud, heavy thing to low dynamics, solo, nylon string guitar. There are great ways to marry those that people have done that don’t have to seem jarring. If you take the similarities, I think it’s a lot easier to weave together.

Bands To Fans: Grow your fan base in just one hour a month and never deal with social media again.