Hi everyone,
Sorry I've not been on the forum for a while (summers are busy) but here is my latest song.
https://soundcloud.com/yorkshireknight/the-promise-1

I wrote 'The Promise' for my wife about 2003/04 and now with BIAB/RB I have had chance to finish it for her!!!

My efforts at mastering seem to be going backwards but after 13 years of waiting, I think my wife is happy with my efforts.

'The Promise' is left for you the listner to decide if all was a happy ending.

The song is entirely Real Tracks with lots of chopping and edits.

Key=D , Tempo 135, Length (m:s)=3:55

Style is _CELTWLZ.STY (Celtic Waltz Solo Acoustic Guita)

RealTracks in song: 1189:Bass, Electric, HardRockWaltz Ev 140
RealTracks in song: 2774:Harp, Rhythm CelticWaltzSlow Ev 085
RealTracks in song: 855:Guitar, 12-String Acoustic, Rhythm RockWaltzPicking Ev 140
RealTracks in song: 2458:Strings, Rhythm CelticWaltz Ev 100
RealTracks in song: 2557:Cello, Background SlowWaltz Sw 085

Very cool song. Banjo sounds so good behind your vocal. Very neat lyric.

Has the feel of a Celtic Ballad.
Well Performed and produced.
Rob

Well Done Yorkshireknight! Really enjoyed the formation and instrumentation. Great vocals too!

Thank you Scott, Rob & Joe for the nice comments.

This was supposed to be a 6/8 time but the nearest I could find was the 3/4 celtic waltz, I still think it gives the same feel I was wanting.
I ummed and arr'd over drums as I envisaged a drummer boy in the days of old on the battlefeild beating his side drum as they marched into the fight but I left them out and used a steady guitar strum pattern instead.
a little bit more of the story behind the song for you anyway.
Thanks again for listening and your inspiring comments.
Paul

Hi Paul.

Liked the mood of this straight away.

Nice choice of instrumentation which works well with the chord progression.

Particularly liked your vocals on this one - exactly right for the folk/rock style.

The drummer boy you mentioned might have been a nice touch, say towards the end. Didn't miss it until I read your extra detail and then I suddenly wanted it!

Looking forward to more.

Cheers, ROG.

Got an early Beatles sound to us.

The mix sounds really nice on our monitors with every track sitting nicely in its place.

Janice mentioned the nice use of dynamics throughout. She said you can feel the tension building.

Enjoyed it...vocals, write, arrangement and production.

Congrats on a nice one!

J&B

Paul, I really liked this one. Your vocal is outstanding. Like ROG, I would have liked to hear the drums come in later on. Real nice write and production, Tom

NICE one, good clean mix and not cluttered

Thanks Graham, I'm pleased you found the song clean and uncluttered, more than I can say for my little music room/office. Love your quote by the way....
'Whenever I have a problem, I just sing, Then I realize my voice is worse than my problem'.




Hi Rog, many thnks for your very kind comments.
The particular drum sound I had in mind I couldn't find.....or make hence the omission albeit I do agree if I was a little more patient it wouild have added to the song a lot.

Hi you guys, always lovely to hear your thoughts and to receive such wonderful comments. Once again the Beatles and or 60's Merseybeat sound has been compared with my music. What an accolodae to recieve me thinks. Like many my love of the Beatles ballads has had an influence on me since I was a youth and obviously must come out in the stuff I do.
Pleased you liked my efforts and the build up of tension, I must find a way of relaxing. lol



Many thanks Tom, Pleased you like my ageing voclas as well as the overall production, which is not my forte or even fifty. I do confer with your opinion of missing my drummer boy, however what is done has been done and I don't think I shall ever go back to redo things as I wish to move on and I'm a particular lazy git when it comes to redoing things anyway.lol

As another side. Callie had commented on soundcloud that she enjoyed the effect at the 3 minute mark,
I had thought of putting in sound effects at the talky, praying part with explosions and soldiers crying out. The 3 minute mark is my playing with panning of the guitar which was to simulate cannon fire.
Anyway I though it was a bit pretentious for me and left that out too. Another little snippet behind the song.
Once again thank you everyone for your kind words.
Paul

Paul,

This is excellent! You've done a fine job writing, arranging, performing and mixing it. Everything in the mix sat really well together.

All the best,
Noel

I love love LOVE the guitar work on this! Everything really came to together nicely in this tune. The mixing and arranging is seriously on point. And the general atmosphere of the song is very pleasant as well. That change up at the 3 minute mark is unbelievable!

Great job, Paul - thanks for sharing

This is great YorkshireKnight. Excellent production and singing and writing.

Absolutely loved it.

Just a super awesome song. Your wife should be very proud of you!!

Good write!

nice arrangement, love the feel

strong vocals

enjoyed the listen

Kenny

Very nice song, it seems to come from other times.
Great performance and excellent production.

Sergio

Howdy paul,

Great song. I'll bet your wife really liked it, too! There's a certain "feel" about this that we liked it - somewhere between the Beatles and Gordon Lightfoot. I now that's a stretch - nonetheless, that was the feel we got.

Loved it. great job on everything. Best to you,

Alan

Hi Noel and thank you.I know we all love what we do in making music and so, when people take the time to listen to your creative efforts and comment to say how much they enjoyed the lyrics and or production then it is indeed the icing on the cake.



Thank you very much Deryk for enjoying so many parts of the song, the feel was important to the lyrics to try and create the mood and setting I had in my mind.


Thanks David, I told my wife what you guys were commenting and she tells me she is proud of me although I think it was more of a 'about blooming time you finished it'! Really pleased you enjoyed it.

Thanks a lot Kenny for listening and your nice comments.



Grazie Sergio, Much appreciate you listening, Yep sums me up 'from another time' lol



Thank you very much guys,

Yes my wife was pleased it was eventually finished, it became a bit of a standing joke in the end but she did like it.
Indeed i am in very good company with the 'fab four' and strangley I think Gordon Lightfoot has been mentioned in comments on some of my other songs as well as a 60's feels for my music.
I have come to believe that our past must greatly influence what we write or sound like.

Another bit of a story behind the lyrics!
The feel was important to match the lyrics and Sergio mentioned from a time passed, which indeed was the image in my head.
The song mentions 'a soldier of fortune'
Mercenaries date back to the Roman times and it wasn't just for the money. Men would volunteer their fighting skills, and still do, for political and idealogical reasons. Heard of the film 'The Wild Geese'? Look up the origin of the word.

Thank you all once again for your wonderful comments.
Paul

Paul,
I`m late to this- I agree with all the positive feedback; the story unfolds well ( would be nice to see the lyrics) and your vocal is excellent.
6/8 seems to be a little under represented in the BiaB RT`s but you`ve created a good folk-rock waltz band and the instruments (especially that el. guitar) sound very good together.

Robert

Thank you Robert, I appreciate the coments and at least I didn't wait 13 years for them.lol
Yes it was an oversight not to show the lyrics, so I have edited my first post to include them.
I agree 6/8 time is a little sparse too in BIAB so please PG Music can we have more?

A nice write, a good production (fits the song well). I liked your vocal...

Like Alan, I got a real Gordon Lightfoot sense - the 12 string really added to that feel (haven't heard anyone use that before that I can recall).

Like some others, I thought having drums coming in at the end would have been cool (including a timpani)...

Well done.

fj

Very good Paul! Your choice of instruments on this is excellent! The vocal and Vox/effect are great. Enjoyed it! Thanks, Torrey