Strings & Things
Fat Cat Strings is a new service offering online string arrangements to suit every budget. It's an idea we've come across before, but mainly in the world or large studios and big budgets. Intrigued, we spoke to Richard Heacock(Rich) of Fat Cat Strings to find out why, how and how much...
We'll hold our hands up and admit this is a semi advertising feature and not part of our 'Talking To…" series, but we liked the idea and if it gets a songwriter to a song they wanted rather than one they had to accept, it's a good thing.
Why have strings in a song? What do they do?
Strings give a song soul. They really do. They can also make the humblest demo sound very classy and expensive.
Does "strings" always mean a string quartet?
Not necessarily. The guitar-plus-string-quartet combo has been popular ever since George Martin did that arrangement on Yesterday but some songs definitely need more than a quartet, whilst others need less. If you're doing a power-ballad like Robbie Williams' Angels then you need an epic-sounding string section. If you've got a very intimate, fragile-sounding song, then one solo string instrument might be the answer.
Why not use samples?
Because they don't sound like strings. They sound soulless, which is kind of the opposite of what you're trying to achieve as a songwriter. Would you rather accompany your voice with a VST guitar - or a real one?
What's your musical background/ training?
Rich and varied... I trained as a violin teacher, played keyboards in a punk band, arranged Beatles songs for a string quartet, wrote incidental music for the National Theatre and composed TV themes for Gamesmaster, The 1900 House and The Worst Jobs in History.
Influences?
Well, there are influences and there are personal preferences. I'm influenced by everything I've ever listened to. For example I've listened loads of times to the string arrangements on ELO's Mr Blue Skies. I won't necessarily be taking that song to my desert island, but it's definitely been an influence.
And personal preferences?
My Desert Island Disks? Vaughan Williams' Tallis Fantasia, Isaac Hayes' Theme From Shaft, Bartok's 3rd Piano Concerto, Eric Rogers' score from Carry On Cleo, XTC Ten Thousand Umbrellas...oh alright, ELO's Mr Blue Skies...
Are you happy working in all genres?
Completely - or at least, I haven't yet been asked to work in a genre I was unhappy with. I suppose if someone asked me for a virtuosic Klezmer solo or a classical cadenza, I'd write it but I'd hire someone else in to play it!
Why Fat Cat?
The name just arrived, like that. I was telling a friend about the new project and explained that I wanted a name that was snappy, fun, not too classical-sounding, like, oh I dunno... Fat Cat Strings. And there it was.
And the logo?
Courtesy of TimTim www.timtim.com
So how does Fat Cat Strings work?
Easy. Contact me at www.myspace.com/fatcatstrings or email fatcatstrings@me.com Send me your song, tell me what sort of thing you want and I'll give you a ridiculously reasonable quote. If you've already got midi strings, I'll replace them with the real thing. If you want an arrangement writing, I'll send you a demo arrangement on synth strings. Once you're happy with the demo, I'll record the real strings.
Do you do live sessions or do you track all the strings yourself?
I track them all myself, that's how I keep the service so affordable. I play violin, viola and octave viola - which is not quite as rich in tone as a cello, but sounds way better than using cello samples. I also use as many different violins etc as I can on my recordings, which adds to the smoothness and realism of the sound.
What do you charge, per song?
It depends on the song and how much work is involved. An eight-bar country and western fiddle solo is obviously less work than epic orchestral strings throughout the whole song. I only quote for a job when I've heard the song and discussed exactly what the client wants.
What's the turnaround time?
It depends on the job, but typically about a week.
And it's international and entirely web-based? No CDs to post or anything?
That's right - it's a global world. Demos are attached to emails as mp3s, payment (in any currency) is made by PayPal and I send the final hi-res string files with SendSpace
And who are your clients? Professional artistes? Producers? Amateur songwriters?
The original idea was to offer affordable real strings to amateur singer-songwriters. No-one seemed to be offering this service at recession-friendly prices. However I also get producers who want real strings just for demos and job pitches - who will then go on to hire a 20-piece string section and Abbey Road for the real thing. I enjoy working with both, but I particularly like the idea that musicians with a limited budget can still get real strings on their songs.