Hi Bob, Andrew, Ron, KDY and Brain, Thank you all for your nice words about this waltz! I feared a waltz wont do much, alike a Dutch song, but your replies were great! And -of course- I'm late with my replies. My excuse is that the end of April is a very busy time. We have Kings day (all children will try to sell stuff they got from the attic. And in every city they sit in the streets to do that. And they also have all kinds of games you have to join.In one of the cities, our King and his family come and join these games. Beside that, we have to file our tax returns before the first of may. Nothing to return, only to pay. And a lot of birthdays, so that's why I'm late.
Originally Posted by rsdean
Hans, This is such a beautiful and relatable song... Love the melody and exquisite arrangement. One of your best vocals. The mix is also perfect. A new favorite for me! Bob
Hi Bob, I didn't know a waltz is the style you liked. If I knew before I would have invited you and Joliz to join this song! Thanks for your very nice comment. I think Tamar will shine too! (haven't told her yet...)
Originally Posted by Andrew Dee
Hi Hans! Those instruments do work well together! Good choices. The 3/4 time was a good choice also. My ears are now attuned to the sound of a minor iv chord, and I’m sure you featured this in your song - it’s a sound that never grows tired IMHO. I love it when the BVs come in for the chorus - that sounds like there are many others singing along that have the same thoughts as you. I would have preferred the soloists to be a little louder during the solo (or the piano softer) but this was only because I read the ‘solo’ heading to that section, otherwise I wouldn’t have noticed - it is so good anyway. Loved it! Andrew
Hello Andrew, yes, it was a wild guess, those different instruments together. I doubt if that has ever been done before. But when I combined them, just for fun, I liked the sounds and kept them in the song. As I said, it wasn't my intention to make a waltz. I almost threw the idea for this song in the trash. I couldn't find a melody. And suddenly, when I changed the time signature to 3/4, a melody popped into my head. Tamar complained that my songs are very difficult to sing along to properly, but she eventually managed it. And her singing added something that I really liked! As for the solo; here, just like in my previous song, these instruments are very difficult to make sound louder. If I had turned the piano down, it would have sounded like a dip in the song... You wouldn't have liked that either!
Originally Posted by DC Ron
Superb, Hans! Great concept and executed in a unique but compelling way. The unpredictably winding chord progression reflects the uncertainty of the narrator in a very cool way. GREAT lead vocals. LOVE the multiple harmony voices. The entire arrangement and mix are outstanding. The ending is indeed hopeful, though happy endings to these tales are SO rare. The last held note might have decayed a bit more naturally, but, like relationships, songs can end in unexpectedly abrupt ways, can't they? Fantastic stuff.
Hi Ron, thanks for your words. If you read what I wrote to Andrew, you'll see how much trouble I had finishing this song. The story was in my head first (and I even had someone in mind who I hoped would hear it. Especially the ending.) But as you said, these are rare occurrences. And apart from that, I am also very happy with my current relationship. It has lasted well over 40 years...
Originally Posted by K-Dub Ya
Great subject matter Hans, and supported well with the instrument choices and style. I can relate to the subject, as I often wonder where someone is, what they look like and what they're doing. In fact I've just located a cousin I last saw in the 1970s. We'll catch up soon and share life stories for the last 50 years soon. That aside, the song is very listenable. I particularly enjoyed the solo, but everything is great. Kind regards
Hello KDY (forgot your real name, sorry) What a nice story you wrote! Hope you can keep that contact "alive|". Sorry the solo couldn't be louder, but I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Originally Posted by B.D.Thomas
It's a rather unusual choice of instruments for a waltz, but it suits the song very well. Well sung, I think your vocals get better with every song. Enjoyed my listens
Hi Brain, Yes, I like to experiment (sometimes) with unusual sounds or instruments. And in this case, they sounded good together. Not all the time, but still... I once used a sitar for a solo in a song. I think Marty almost had a heart attack then! But it turned out well too. And I am very happy that my singing still sounds good enough. I was afraid that wouldn't be the case at my age. Thanks! Hans
Nice to hear about your inspiration, especially when they are my favorite songwriters like Neil Finn. Good message and I really like how the picture sums it up, I think I should hang it on my wall Bit dark and dry sound is nicely refreshed with those synth sounds, reminding me of early 80's Brit new wave artists, and the soloist guitar. Versatile arrangement and I enjoyed your vocals once again. The song was worth listening, not only in the end, but through all 3:43. Maybe I'll get inspired by that chord progression, too.
Thanks Janne. I was pretty pleased with how the guitar solo turned out. I have to remember to save the effect chain for that one so I use it again. I originally thought the chord progression would be constraining and sound too much like ‘Hey Joe’, but not so in the end. Thanks for listening! Andrew
Hi BD. Wow! That opening piano is brilliant. Then the song came along. I'm literally completely spellbound. Everything about this is music par excellence. This is one of the most lyrically powerful songs that I've ever heard. Moreover, what you say really does need to be said (over and over again), and there is no other word in the English language that can amplify feelings and transmit anger like the f*** word. The music is amazing. Not only do you have a sublime melody, but your arrangement and video are also extraordinarily good. By every measure, this is super-polished and superbly engaging. --Noel
"This is one of the most lyrically powerful songs that I've ever heard." Since writing lyrics is the most important thing I want to improve, that really made my day, Noel. Thanks a LOT
I'm with floyd jane - it's got a bit of Beatles, and the synths give it a touch of psychedelic rock. The lyrics work really well with the melody. Well done!
Thanks David! Good to see you back here posting again! Split Enz (and specifically Neil Finn) were very much inspired by The Beatles, so that had to be there. I hope I’ve done the Eddie Rayner style synths some justice. Thanks for listening and commenting! Andrew
The BIAB "Foundation" tracks: Drums: PopPromiseEv16 (Shannon Forrest) Bass: 683:Bass, Electric, PopHalfNotesPush Ev 120 (Tobin Frank) Organ: 686:Organ, B3, Background Pop Ev 120 (Gene Rabbai) Style: _12STPOP.STY Recorded tracks: Vocal MainVocal HarmonyVocal Background (panned left) Vocal Background Harmony (panned right) Guitar (me, Fender Electric Hi-Gain) Harmonica (me, AmN harp) Cowbell (me, 2 tracks, one panned left, one panned right) Written and produced by AurealiusB with lyrics by Kathy Keogh Key: Am Mixed and mastered with REAPER
Thanks, Hans. Can't remember writing one about my father. I did write one about my Great Uncle who went to live in Pennsylvania. Maybe that was the one. Not sure about the effect. I did have some heavy breaths there which I have now deleted. Other than that, maybe it was the delay effect. I'll have another listen. Vic
Hi When I try new songs, the drums are always playing with like a click and it's not possible to have a good idea of the rhythm . I took off the preferences audible lead-in but nothing change. Audiophile 2026 for Mac Thank you
Love the instrumentation in this song Marty. Love how the song climbs the scale. What a stellar mix. Sounds so cool on my studio monitors. Excellent vocal and lyric. Well done..
Very pretty piece Mario. Loved the violins. Excellent mix. Love that wind controller. My songs also start with a date. Usually what I am doing at the time will end up having something to do with the title. Well done
Floyd, Now that was cool and different. I really like the sound of the mandolin with these tracks - so light & nimble. The switch over to the guitar works completely - it's a great arrangement. Your playing is great. Amazing actually for only a few months. Very much enjoyed! Bob
Really appreciate that, Bob...
Originally Posted by laurent4114
The mandolin sounds good (very beautiful) and the accompaniment is well chosen. It sounds like an open session. Laurent
Liking Everything about this. Good write. "We weren’t cut out to be cut-out dolls Or obscene graffiti on public walls Just something you said when I called" Nice! Excellent BAND/arrangement. Great use of guitars. And nice fills, dude. Really nice vocals and BGVs Excellent mix. TopOfYourGame throughout. Much enjoyed. fj
Nice to hear about your inspiration, especially when they are my favorite songwriters like Neil Finn. Good message and I really like how the picture sums it up, I think I should hang it on my wall Bit dark and dry sound is nicely refreshed with those synth sounds, reminding me of early 80's Brit new wave artists, and the soloist guitar. Versatile arrangement and I enjoyed your vocals once again. The song was worth listening, not only in the end, but through all 3:43. Maybe I'll get inspired by that chord progression, too. Janne
Wistful retrospect is a subject that always works for me. You have expressed melancholy in a touching way with a memorable melody. The calm arrangement highlights your pleasant voice of experience and the floating through the stars, nice harmonies too. Reminded me of Sting, so I think this was a very successful jump into another territory. Janne
Ron, Wow! Another superb pop gem! What an absolutely killer arrangement and mix - just wonderful production throughout. I love the drums and guitar lines. And that melody is so excellent. I also wanted to single out your vocal here. One of your very best. You use it so effectively to drive and convey the emotions of the song. Great, great stuff. Yes, another new favorite for me! Bob
THANK YOU, Bob. Vocals are my biggest challenge, but I keep plugging away at it. Have settled on perfectly imperfect being fine so long as it's not a distraction. So it's always nice to get positive feedback on the vocals. At least nobody thinks I'm using AI vocals. Ha! I've updated the song since you've listened to provide some sonic relief to the heavy toms, and I think it serves the song a little better. But I love the tom-heavy version as well.
Thank you dcuny! It means so much to me that you liked this old tune I wrote using lyrics by Kathy Keogh, just singing solo and playing an acoustic guitar back in the early 1980s.
Hi, B.D. Excellent vocal performance. It sounds like you've got a bit of notch filter on the lead vocal. Whatever the process, it sounds great. The arrangement works well, going from heavy, bombastic power chords to light arpeggios on an acoustic. Cool contrast. 👍
Hi, Andrew. I'm with floyd jane - it's got a bit of Beatles, and the synths give it a touch of psychedelic rock. The lyrics work really well with the melody. Well done!
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Bit dark and dry sound is nicely refreshed with those synth sounds, reminding me of early 80's Brit new wave artists, and the soloist guitar. Versatile arrangement and I enjoyed your vocals once again. The song was worth listening, not only in the end, but through all 3:43. Maybe I'll get inspired by that chord progression, too.
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