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Posted By: Pat Marr Christmas song challenge - 11/07/10 07:05 PM
WIth the holidays rapidly approaching, and with the speed of music production getting faster all the time, I'd like to challenge anybody who is willing to write a new Christmas song. Or, if you steer clear of the ones that are still under copyright, I suppose you could remake an existing carol. There are hundreds of Christmas songs that are public domain.

But it would be particularly interesting to see what original ideas people come up with. One things for sure, there is always a market for Christmas music.
Posted By: Shockwave199 Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/08/10 03:35 AM
Every year I want to write a Christmas tune and without fail, every year I don't. It's usually because I get saturated with commercial tracks banging me in the head for a month and the busyness of the holiday in the first place. If I ever do write one, it'll be in JULY! By now, there's just no time. Good luck to those who do though!

Dan
Posted By: Sundance Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/08/10 03:49 AM
A co-writer and I actually wrote one this past July. LOL. Problem is I'm still in the love hate relationship with it so I don't know if it'll be finished in time or not. But you're right there's lots of PD songs.

It's great idea Pat. I love Christmas. I'd be one of those people whose house is lit up like the Griswald's in Christmas vacation if I could.
Posted By: John Conley Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/08/10 06:49 AM
We keep having christmas at our cabin and there's no power so we still cut and bring in a balsam fir, but no lights. Just the kerosene lamps.

And the woodstove. At -30C you just need a fire watch, the firebox is good for about 2 hours and then refill or else freeze to the floor.

Anyway, you are 100 percent having the lake frozen to 15 inches of ice and 20 inches of snow. One year we had 7 feet of snow, don't take off the snowshoes or you end up neck deep trying to get them back on.....

Too bad I had to cancel that for this year. I hope to get back next year. Beaver liver stuffing, yum. Pike head soup. The outhouse is a tad cold some nights, but the Northern Lights mean you don't need a flashlight at night

This is the almost #1 Canadian christmas song:
Takes a few minutes cause we've lots of time in the winter.

It's only snowed 2 times this winter...or fall, or winter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEbUtpPQihM&feature=player_embedded


Posted By: Pat Marr Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/08/10 11:11 AM
Quote:

Every year I want to write a Christmas tune and without fail, every year I don't. It's usually because I get saturated with commercial tracks banging me in the head for a month and the busyness of the holiday in the first place. If I ever do write one, it'll be in JULY! By now, there's just no time. Good luck to those who do though!

Dan




alas, you and me both, Dan. :-(
(That's why I'm tryin' to work up some inspiration here...)

Oh, and thanks to the video John posted about the 12 days, special points will be awarded for anybody who goes the exra mile and makes a video to go with their Christmas song. Even more points if it's a funny video.

Speaking of which.. Josie, if you let your cat chew on the wiring as in the Griswald movie,better not put that in your video. Somebody might object. But if the neighbors chew on the wiring, do try to record the results...
Posted By: bobcflatpicker Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/09/10 02:06 AM
John,

When you mentioned your cabin it reminded me of your video you posted a few weeks ago. For me, it doesn't just look like a place I'd like to visit, ...... it looks a like a great place to live! (And no, I'm not asking to move into your cabin! LOL.) That's the kind of place where a person could actually get in touch with themselves. Christmas there would be a blast. Even with having to "stoke" the fire. That's the way I grew up, so it wouldn't be new to me. A fireplace in the living room and a coal burning stove in the kitchen. Outhouse out back and a well where you had to "draw" your water, one bucket at a time.

Now to Pat's post. While I find writing songs to be a pretty easy thing to do, writing Christmas songs almost seems to be "anathema" for me!

I know it isn't, and new Christmas songs should be written, but for me Christmas is all about "tradition". I want to hear the classics. And not "updated" versions of the classics with a new beat and "scatting" or whatever.

Just those wonderful old songs, sung the way they were written. Now if they're done as instrumentals, I'm open to different styles.

Think "David Grisman's Acoustic Christmas". Great CD. No vocals, but hearing it play in the background will really put you into the Christmas spirit!
Posted By: John Conley Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/09/10 03:28 AM
There is a movie, No country for old men. That cabin, we were going to spend a year there when the wife retired, except for a few months 'south' (meaning like Florida). When I was hospitalized and started to feel like I might pull through I wanted to go to the cabin. So many good times. I prepared by walking around the block here, a month and I could leave the cane at home. I wasn't really well enough, we went for 2 weeks in September. It was uneven ground, no strength to use the chain saw and deal with the wind thrown trees, not enough omph to split 'big wood', just kindling, and somedays the trip to the outhouse was a mile. No phone. No Tv. My hearing was shot and I had no hearing aids yet, no birds were singing for me, just for those who could hear. I couldn't hear the otters splashing and go down and watch, I had to rely on the wife to hear them. Even the loons were almost silent.

No Country for Sick Old Men. I aged 30 years in 3 months.
On the other hand the compensation for hearing loss thing has been my sense of smell is 10 times better/ The grocery store is weird, I can smell way too much. Don't go down the aisle with cleaning products, man that smells harsh.

We have spent 3 to 4 weeks a year at that cabin since it was built about 15 years ago. Before that 10 years running around north america in a tent trailer, except for CA, OR, NV and Utah. (I think I did a few miles in the latter).

But my favorite place was always that cabin, just north of Temagami.

I've spent 8 winters in bush camps. Sometimes home for Christmas, but at one camp I had a house in because I was in charge on holidays and weekends. My 2 oldest kids were raised there. 40 miles to town if the road was open. Someone would come back from town and say they had a new TV at the Hudson's Bay store. We'd all go in to see it. 1 tv station, now I have 800 or something. Still nothing on.

I live 2 blocks from the regional cancer treatment place. Until things are 1 year clear, I'm staying close. I could move north we have land, we have trees to haul to the mill to make the lumber, the neighbour to our cabin owns a cement company and I cut the trees that die along his right of way so the foundation would get done, but it's 30 miles to town to the doc, and a 4 hour drive to see any kind of specialist or 8 hours to go for cancer treatments. I didn't have the energy to drive a few blocks the last 4 weeks I was in daily radiation, so I guess I'm staying put until things sort themselves out.
l
I have advice. Do what you can now. Stay up late and make the grand kids a CD. Go places and do things. Saving for the future, I did that. Enough air miles for the wife and I get 12 (24 actually) return trips to Europe. A paid up house. I'm just waiting for the test results to come back on the 19th. And for the bad part of the chemotherapy to go away so I can walk, or reach out and grab something. I can live with the hearing aids, the ringing in my ears, but I want the walking to come back. I find out on the 19th. Until then....well I'll go and inject some morphine into the gut tube and see if I can get some sleep tonight, though I slept almost all day...
Posted By: Daisy Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/09/10 03:41 AM
John, your posts are truly moving of late, especially this one. Thank you for hanging in there, and in here. And this passage of yours would make a wonderful Christmas song:

"I have advice. Do what you can now. Stay up late and make the grand kids a CD. Go places and do things. Saving for the future, I did that. Enough air miles for the wife and I get 12 (24 actually) return trips to Europe. A paid up house. I'm just waiting for the test results to come back on the 19th."

Christmas songs don't necessarily have to be happy, about chestnuts roasting and reindeers with roseate noses. Here's one of my very favorite Christmas songs, by the late great Stan Rogers, another Canuck for the ages:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chTMOuuUZi4

Best,
Daisy
Posted By: John Conley Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/09/10 03:53 AM
thanks for that...I catch Garnet Rogers (his brother) when he comes through here a few times a year.

Anyone who listens to that should scroll down and listen to Barett's Privateers. That's standard fare for almost every open mic show here, and most bars with a single or duo or trio they play that at least once a night.

I can play the guitar for that one...you just slap it for a drum...he wrote it when it was said 'no one can write a sea shanty'..and we got that gem from Stan...


And I'm sure working at hangin in....or on.
Posted By: robsmusic Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/10/10 04:40 AM
I am working on an original Christmas song now. Will share it with the forum in a couple of weeks.

-rob
Posted By: bobcflatpicker Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/10/10 09:25 AM
Daisy,

That was a beautiful song, although pretty darned sad, (but you warned us). When I was listening to it I noticed an old John Prine song over in the list that I hadn't heard in years.

John Prine, "Christmas In Prison"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G28ApRNb-7U&feature=related
Posted By: bobcflatpicker Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/10/10 09:40 AM
Hey, I replied to myself! LOL. Is that like talking to yourself?

Here's a John Prine Christmas song I'd never heard before.

Silent Night, All Day Long

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD9yTAFLaSM&feature=related
Posted By: bobcflatpicker Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/10/10 12:31 PM
Pat,

I've taken the "Christmas song challenge"! I've never written a Christmas song before, but I just finished my first one.

I listened to the song Daisy posted, and noted her comment that "Christmas songs don't have to be happy". She's right. I then listened to the two John Prine songs I posted and decided to write a Christmas song. It's a sad one, but unfortunately it's about Christmas as it exists for way too many people.

I didn't set out to write a sad one, and the first couple of lines could have gone either way, but that's the way it ended up. I guess that says somethin' about my current state of mind.

The name of the song is "It’s A Really Bad Christmas, Under The Bridge Tonight".

I'll try to get it recorded and posted by early December. If it goes as planned, the only tracks from BIAB will be bass and drums. I don't have a bass or I would do that too.

Thanks for the idea, or should I say the "Christmas song challenge"!
Posted By: rockstar_not Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/10/10 01:51 PM
Well, I sort of did this 2 years ago. I did a version of The Huron Carol - one of my favorite Christmas carol melodies.

I probably went a little overboard with it. I tried to do the song in the original Huron language - of which supposedly there may be only one or two people left on this earth that can speak the language.

I took my pronunciation cues from Bruce Cockburn's version of this song from 20 or so years ago. My version is slower. Good thing about singing in an ancient language is that there's nobody around to critique pronunciation.

Credit to online friends for adding in tasty fretless bass and wooden recorders on some of the verses. Credit to Freesound.org for the various nature sounds (actual credits in the .mp3 comments).

Listen here: http://rockstarnot.rekkerd.org/songs/2008/0812_rockstarnot_huron_carol_dec8edit.mp3
or also available in my SoundCloud link in my signature (cool player app that allows commenting right on the song timeline)

-Scott
Posted By: bobcflatpicker Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/10/10 09:51 PM
Scott,

That was a beautiful song and very well done. It has a great melody and a very "haunting" feel to it, but it also sounds Christmasy.

I don't have a clue what it's about though!
Posted By: Pat Marr Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/11/10 02:08 AM
Quote:

I am working on an original Christmas song now. Will share it with the forum in a couple of weeks.

-rob




Rob,

I look forward to hearing your submission!



Quote:

Well, I sort of did this 2 years ago. I did a version of The Huron Carol - one of my favorite Christmas carol melodies.




Nice job! I didn't even know there was a Huron version of that song! That is one of my favorite Christmas songs in terms of the way the melody works with the chords


Quote:

I've taken the "Christmas song challenge"! I've never written a Christmas song before, but I just finished my first one.

I'll try to get it recorded and posted by early December. If it goes as planned, the only tracks from BIAB will be bass and drums. I don't have a bass or I would do that too.




well, there I was, all ready to listen to it NOW, then I find out it won't be ready for a couple of weeks. Oh well, I'm sure it'll be worth the wait.


Quote:


Thanks for the idea, or should I say the "Christmas song challenge"!




given how well the user forum has been received, and how well most people enjoy the holidays, it's a wonder we haven't done something like this every year. What a way to build enthusiasm for the upcominmg release of BIAB 2011...

I hope a lot of people find time to submit something.
Posted By: rockstar_not Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/11/10 08:23 PM
Quote:

Scott,

That was a beautiful song and very well done. It has a great melody and a very "haunting" feel to it, but it also sounds Christmasy.

I don't have a clue what it's about though!




Bob,

Here's Bruce Cockburn's translation into English:
http://cockburnproject.net/songs&music/ia.html

Thanks for listening.

I have to give credit to my online collaborators: Andy McRory from San Diego did the fretless bass parts. http://andymcrory.com/home.html

Victor Eijkhout from Texas did the wooden recorders. http://www.eijkhout.net/music/NAF/naf.html

I played and sang everything else (classical guitar, electric piano, drum programming, synth lead, sound effect selection and so forth).

-Scott
Posted By: rockstar_not Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/11/10 08:27 PM
Pat,

I should make it clear that I didn't do any of my stuff with PG products. I'm not saying it couldn't be done, but in your last post you talked about building support for BIAB2011.

-Scott
Posted By: Keith from Oz Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/12/10 02:24 AM
Hi guys,
What's the best way to find out if a song is Public Domain, or still under copyright?
Posted By: robsmusic Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/12/10 08:50 PM
You can use Harry Fox Agency to purchase licenses for your cover songs. Fee is based on the number of cd copies that you produce :

http://www.harryfox.com/public/songfile.jsp


A google search found this public domain database:

http://www.pdinfo.com/


-rob
Posted By: Keith from Oz Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/12/10 10:30 PM
Thanks Rob.
Posted By: tributeman Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/13/10 12:05 AM
scott.I also replied to your post when you put your songs up.This was my favourite and is so in tune with Christmas.I love the feel and like Bob said the haunting melody.I would try and get it and your other songs on itunes Im sure people will purchase it when they hear it.Cheers Frankie
Posted By: Matt Finley Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/15/10 01:54 AM
Pat, your suggestion, and Keith's question, got me to thinking, is the very beautiful Carol of the Bells public domain now? I think it is, since it was written before 1920.

So - I did this little re-harmonization just for fun. It's cool to blow over the changes and I'll probably play it on flute in church in December's concert. It's in two parts, starting with relatively straight-forward (for me, anyway) piano and flute, going into a jazz trio with flute. 2 1/2 minutes MP3.

Everything here was done quickly in BIAB, then thrown together quick & dirty in Adobe Audition.

http://www.mattfinley.com/promos/carolofthebells.mp3
Posted By: Pat Marr Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/15/10 04:39 AM
Quote:

Hi guys,
What's the best way to find out if a song is Public Domain, or still under copyright?




here's another way:
http://www.pdinfo.com/listPDsongs/PDChristmasSongs.htm
Posted By: Pat Marr Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/15/10 04:41 AM
Quote:

Pat, your suggestion, and Keith's question, got me to thinking, is the very beautiful Carol of the Bells public domain now? I think it is, since it was written before 1920.

So - I did this little re-harmonization just for fun. It's cool to blow over the changes and I'll probably play it on flute in church in December's concert. It's in two parts, starting with relatively straight-forward (for me, anyway) piano and flute, going into a jazz trio with flute. 2 1/2 minutes MP3.

Everything here was done quickly in BIAB, then thrown together quick & dirty in Adobe Audition.

http://www.mattfinley.com/promos/carolofthebells.mp3





Nice job Matt! I like when it breaks into a Jazz tempo... very cool!
Posted By: Pat Marr Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/15/10 04:43 AM
Quote:

Pat,

I should make it clear that I didn't do any of my stuff with PG products. I'm not saying it couldn't be done, but in your last post you talked about building support for BIAB2011.

-Scott




Well, if it stirs interest in making music, I feel sure it will get people on the forum excited about the upcoming version.
Posted By: George Nelson Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/15/10 01:34 PM
Hi Pat,
Quote:

I'd like to challenge anybody who is willing to write a new Christmas song



I have written a Christmas song and have placed it on the User Showcase forum.

Best regards
Michee
Posted By: Pat Marr Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/16/10 02:37 AM
Quote:

Hi Pat,
Quote:

I'd like to challenge anybody who is willing to write a new Christmas song



I have written a Christmas song and have placed it on the User Showcase forum.

Best regards
Michee




Michee,
very clever plug for PGMusic... and nice job on your original CHristmas song! Maybe after Christmas the forum can vote on a winner.
Posted By: Kemmrich Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/21/10 01:40 PM
Here is a Christmas tune I started the lyrics in early October and finally got around to a first draft recording. Probably needs one more re-write and re-record (or two, or ...).

Kevin

P.S. If you are under headphones and hear extraneous voices it is just the TV and fam upstairs -- you're not going crazy (I always pull the headphones off and go what?? But no one is there! Actually, there are lots of extraneous noises in there).

********************************************
Red Fire Truck
(c) Emmrich 2010

Back long ago,
I remember a Christmas season
my dad always saying that
things happen for a reason

well that year I prayed and hoped,
that, besides the GI Jo,
I would get my heart's desire in that toy store window

I said "God, I know you're near please tell Santa
I was good this year, and can you ask him for me please ...

(chorus)
bring me that red fire truck
with the dalmatian and bells
and the ladders and the siren
and you'll never hear me crying
and if you do this for me
you'll have no regrets
cause I'll never ask for anything else

(verse)
but Dad got laid off in November
was tough to pay bills in December
mama cried, Dad said, don’t worry, it’s time for gifts

went to joe's last chance junkyard
scrounged for wheels and truck parts
and we spent the week fixing,
painting, making it look sleek

While I sanded, the TV came on
some boy was on Santa's lap
and then he begged and pleaded to him

(chorus again)

and although I knew what was coming
I still ran down to unwrap
and I swear it was my best Christmas ever

so today when my boy told me what he desired
I knew just what to do.
Yea I could just buy it,
but my son deserves the best I can do

You see, he asked me please:

(chorus again)

Kevin: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
BIAB: drums, bass, acoustic guitar
Posted By: robsmusic Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/22/10 12:47 AM
to kevin:

Nice!


-rob
Posted By: Kemmrich Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/22/10 02:14 AM
Quote:

I have advice. Do what you can now. Stay up late and make the grand kids a CD. Go places and do things. Saving for the future, I did that...




That's pretty good advice!

Kevin
Posted By: George Nelson Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/29/10 08:36 AM
Hi Pat,

Just thought I would bump this to the top.

Where are all you songwriters?
Put your Christmas challenge songs on the User Showcase (I'm getting lonely )

Get em' written.

Best regards
Michee
Posted By: Pat Marr Re: Christmas song challenge - 11/29/10 11:15 AM
Thanks George.. I got distracted over the weekend and forgot all about this... but I do want to submit something if I have time...
Posted By: robsmusic Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/01/10 03:06 PM
Here is my Christmas song entitled "He's More".

To listen, go to the motagator site listed below and select the song or click on the player window.

Motagator.net/Robsmusic

Here is a portion of the lyrics:

There's a baby in a manger
Sweet Messiah, Prince of Peace
He's the promise of salvation
To all who will believe
To all who will believe, that

(Chorus)
He's more than just a baby
So much more than just a lamb
He's the savior of the nations
The great I Am
He's more than just a man


-rob

PS:
I performed all instruments and voices.
Posted By: tributeman Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/01/10 03:54 PM
Rob what can I say this is absolutely brilliant.If you cant get a cover from this then I know nothing about music.I can hear all kinds of people singing this eg gospel choirs light opera singers and yeah even pop stars but if that was you singing on there you should put it out yourself because your vocal was great and the arrangement was so professional..cant wait to hear more stuff from you cheers Frankie
Posted By: retake Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/01/10 03:58 PM
Rob,

I love it! Great job!

Steve
Posted By: robsmusic Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/01/10 04:04 PM
thank you so much!
Yes, I am performing all parts.
Posted By: robsmusic Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/01/10 04:34 PM
Thanks, Steve for taking the time to listen and comment.
God Bless!
-rob
Posted By: toucher Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/02/10 12:52 AM
Well I finally got a Christmas tune fleshed out enough to post. I started working on it here and there years ago, and finally rose to the challenge to finish it. This is by no means a finished product,

Rob

I'll post it in the users section as well.

Christmas Won't Be Christmas
Posted By: toucher Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/02/10 12:56 AM
Well done in all respects Robert
Posted By: Daisy Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/02/10 01:07 AM
Just plain excellent work, Rob! ... I'd buy it, and abide by it... (See, it makes my lyric-writing brain start up.)

You should post it in the User Showcase forum as well.

Daisy
Posted By: tributeman Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/02/10 10:50 AM
Rob this is great.You should get this song to publishers especially for country singers.The lyric is excellent and fits like a glove in the song.Elvis isnt alive anymore but I could hear him singing this.As I did an Elvis tribute back in 1977 when he died I would love to put my vocal on this song if it was ok with you and if I knew how to upload it to the site.Excellent Frankie
Posted By: Pat Marr Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/02/10 11:16 AM
Wow! nice song, and well-performed too! Thanks for posting!
Posted By: jford Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/02/10 11:41 AM
Rob -

He's More is an excellent song. Thanks for an early Christmas present.
Posted By: bobcflatpicker Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/02/10 01:10 PM
Wow! I'd written my song for the "Christmas Song Challenge" about a week or two after Pat posted it, but I haven't recorded it yet.

I planned on playing all instruments except bass and drums for the recording.

But with the the quality of your song and playing, I don't know if I'll bother.

Great job Rob!
Posted By: tributeman Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/02/10 01:32 PM
you give up.. your kidding arent you Bob.Frankie
...
Posted By: tributeman Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/02/10 04:59 PM
Im sure everyone hear would like to hear it Bob even if it means getting out the tissues.Frankie
Posted By: toucher Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/02/10 06:50 PM
Matt

I love the jazz version........very cool...
Posted By: Matt Finley Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/02/10 07:22 PM
Thanks, Toucher. It was easy, quick and fun.

I'm performing it on flute this Saturday at the annual church concert, using the BIAB backing track.
Posted By: Pat Marr Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/03/10 04:36 AM
Quote:

Wow! I'd written my song for the "Christmas Song Challenge" about a week or two after Pat posted it, but I haven't recorded it yet.

I planned on playing all instruments except bass and drums for the recording.

But with the the quality of your song and playing, I don't know if I'll bother.

Great job Rob!




while it seems to be agreed that there are some very nice Christmas songs posted here, I'd hate for you or anyone else to refrain from posting for comparative reasons. You really can't compare two different works of creativity.

It is well known that for many people Christmas is a time of depression, so a sad Christmas song is really not such an odd concept. In fact, I'm surprised there aren't more of them.

This forum has sort of turned into a place where birds of a feather gather to cut up, share stories, philosophy, encouragement and music... much like family. As such, your song has value above its musical value. We want to hear it because you are our friend, and your enjoyment of music is important to this group.

Reading back over what I just wrote, it sounds a bit trite; Yet, I think the words are true, regardless of how clumsily they may have been written.

I hope you decide to post your song, Bob.
Posted By: bobcflatpicker Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/03/10 08:25 PM
Pat,

I was joking about not posting my song because of how good the other one was. I know it isn't a competition.

If I don't post it, it will be because I don't get it recorded. Since it's been so long since I've recorded anything, everything is packed away in storage and it would require me to drive 30 miles, dig through unlabeled boxes in hopes of finding what I need, and then getting it set up. Either that or use my son's cheap desktop mic and have crappy sound, and I hate to fool with it if I know in advance the sound quality will be poor.

I wasn't joking about how sad the song is. LOL. I would like to get it recorded though because I actually do like the song. And I don't like every song I write. That begs the question, "why write a song you don't like?" Simple. I almost always write songs from start to finish in one sitting and go with whatever comes out, and I rarely change them. Consequently, some of them suck.

What's weird is some of the ones I've written that I don't like are occassionally ones that other folks do.

I may surprise you and get it done, and maybe not.
Posted By: tributeman Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/03/10 09:08 PM
bob what is your set up.Is it just the computer and your guitar?Frankie
Posted By: bobcflatpicker Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/03/10 10:27 PM
Frankie,

My setup for recording is a Roland SI-24 24 channel mixer with an RPC-1 PCI card, and Cakewalk Sonar 4 PE. None of these will work on Win 7 64, so I have to boot into XP 32, which isn't a problem since I have a dual boot system.

But since I don't have all my equipment here, my only other option would be my sons Blue Snowball USB desktop mic and using Win 7 and RB, which I've never used before. Since I was planning on playing acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin and vocals, the electric guitar especially poses a problem without the use of my mixer. Add in a DAW I've never used, (RB), and it gets a little complicated.

Even tho the Blue Snowball is a good "cheap" mic, I'm not sure I'd want to put the effort into a recording with it.

It's not insurmountable, just more difficult than picking up my guitar and clicking the "red" record button and laying down the tracks.
Posted By: tributeman Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/04/10 01:30 PM
gotcha.Maybe a good mic for Christmas then Bob.Cheers Frankie
Posted By: Mac Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/04/10 09:53 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE


Posted By: Pat Marr Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/05/10 12:24 PM
Quote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE






that was cool! No other song gives me goose bumps like the Halleluiah Chorus!

I wonder how many of those singers were part of the original plan, and how many got caught up in the moment? Thanks for posting, Mac!
Posted By: retake Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/12/10 04:29 AM
If it is not too late I would like to add my Christmas song. I wrote this song using Luke chapter 2:8-16 as the text. I will be singing this song at my church Sunday morning (12-12-2010) dressed up as a shepherd. The song is called Shepherd's Ballad - - - -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e9me0jY-aI

I used the RealTracks
1007 Piano, Acoustic, Solo-Accompaniment, PopFlowing Ev 120
684 Base, Electric, PopHalfNotesSync Ev 120
& RealDrums RockHardEven8 HiHat, Ride


Thank you,
Steve
Posted By: Mac Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/12/10 03:50 PM
Good job, Steve!

"In the City of David,
a baby child is born," -- would better fit the music IMO, use of the double-noun, invoke the artistic license there as regards the redundancy.

Repeat the last three lines one mo' time in performance to put the musical declarative on it. Last time thru that last line, apply a slight Ritard and hit 'em hard.

I like this song, you are squarely in Rich Mullins territory here, not a bad place to be at all, man.

Merry Christmas!


--Mac
Posted By: Pat Marr Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/12/10 03:59 PM
It's not too late at all, Steve! I hope we get a few more!
Really enjoyed your song... I really like the use of video to present the lyrics in time with the music. let us know how it is received at the service today
Posted By: Curmudgeon Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/12/10 08:01 PM
Excellent rendition Steve. Pretty smooth vocals. That song can be sung all year long.

Don S.
Posted By: retake Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/12/10 09:24 PM
Mac, Thank you. I have not thought about that. I did send it to my music minister before I sang it and ask him to help me fix it. I felt that it needed a lot of help. He usually catches things like you mentioned but he told me to do it like it was. He thought it sounded like some of Don Francisco's music.

Pat, Thank you for your comment as well. They did receive it very well. I think the shepherd's costume helped set the tone for the song.

Steve
Posted By: retake Re: Christmas song challenge - 12/13/10 04:51 AM
Don, We must have been typing at the same time. Thank you for your nice comments.

Steve
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