Just a quick recap of why we've not around much lately:

1. As many of you know, our oldest son (49 years old) died of cancer several months ago. The legal and emotional issues have been a real drain.

2. Di had a stroke a couple of years ago and she is having some delayed issues with that ... some of them serious.

3. Back in early November I was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer. I had surgery three weeks ago and they took out a grapefruit-sized tumor. I start chemo in January. I have 3 doctors and have been in their offices and clinics more than I've been home!

4. Some of you know I also am an author ... I write humor and action-thriller novels. I had a deadline for my latest novel. Had to get it too the publisher by the first of December. That took much of my time.



Okay, all that out of the way ...

When they did the cancer surgery, they damaged a nerve that controls the pinky finger and the one next to it on my left hand. I have no feeling whatsoever in those two fingers. Thus, my guitar playing is severely compromised. I may or may not get the use of those two finger back. It will take a year or more to know for sure. I say this because I will be using BIAB tracks for all lead guitar work for a while ... possibly permanently.

I wrote this song about 2 weeks ago. It's actually a rather quick project ... 2 days total from inception until the final recording. It's a mix of Gypsy Jazz and Slow Swing Jazz

Here are the BIAB & RB tracks I used:

Key=Eb , Tempo 100, Length (m:s)=3:02
No intro. 24 bar chorus, from bar 1 to bar 24. Repeat x3 choruses
Melody has 472 notes, Melody harmony is < no harmony >(0)
No Soloist track.
Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0,
Song is saved with bar changes for Volume Changes,
Style is _BALFRED.STY (Jazz Bal w Pno FredGuit (85 RS))

RealTracks in style: ~481:Bass, Acoustic, Jazz Ballad Sw 085
RealTracks in style: ~487:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Jazz Ballad Sw 085
RealTracks in style: ~555:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm Jazz Ballad Freddie Sw 085
RealTracks in song: 1207:Fiddle, Soloist GypsyJazzBallad Sw 110
RealTracks in song: 2223:Mandolin, Soloist CountryShuffleAndy Sw 120 (Bluesy)
RealDrums in style: JazzBrushesSticks#1: a: JazzBrushesSticks#1b: JazzBrushesSticks#1

You might notice that all the instruments are acoustic.

One question: Is the bass line too loud? I have a tendency to do that. Please enjoy!

(c) 2015 Alan D, David, BMI

[size:14pt]http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=13272497[/size]

Alan! Great seeing you here again! I hope the disasters are behind you now, and that you and lady Di can enjoy life again!

Regarding your song: very nice composition! did it take a lot of tweaking to get violin to sound so natural? Chord pattern was very appropriate for the style too!

The only nit: it seemed to stop abruptly, as though the tail end of the song got cut off.

Regarding the bass: sounded good to me!

I hope we'll be seeing you around here a lot more!

Wow Al, what a year this has been for you.
And that makes it hard to write that I enjoyed the new song, but it was a good listen. I liked the "flute" sound; what was it?? and did you play it?

Bass sounds OK on my system.

I wish you and Di all the best


Alyn

Hi Pat,

Good to "see" ya! Actually, the fiddle track came real quick ... just the 3rd or 4th run and I was happy. As far as the ending, it's BIAB thing. I tried elongated the bars before the end and it never would resolve cleanly. It always had the bit of a clip at the end. That was my only real disappointment in the project. But, I can live with it, I guess.

Yes, we're hoping all the crap is over with. I'm not overly concerned about my cancer diagnosis (Di isn't quite so comfy with it). My oncologist gave me a 85 - 90 percent chance of complete remission and the probability of a normal life span. Works for me! As far as the nerve damage n my hand, we'll just have to wait and see. It will resolve as it does. Thanks for all the encouragement you've given Di and me in the year+ we've been here.

Merry Christmas to you and yours...

Alan & Di

HI Alyn!

So nice to hear from you! Glad you enjoyed it. And thanks for the well wishes. Yes, it's been a tough year. But we are resilient and will push on.

Actually, the flute is a BIAB Midi (Pan Flute). That was the first take and I liked it.

Wishing you and yours the very best. Merry Christmas ...

Alan & Di

Alan

Thanks for sharing your events with us. We wish you and Di a positive and continually forward moving progress.

The tune's pretty good too!

Take good care of yourselves.

Trev

Good to see you on the forum again and great to hear a song from you. As others noted, you've gotten really natural and authentic voicings from BIAB. A nice song and great production.

You've been a modern day Job the last year but there's still resilience and spirit in your posts. That's a lot of what it takes to get back on your feet.

I also see genuine happiness in others posts when you have time to visit us here. Glad you dropped in.

Merry Christmas to you both.

Hi Alan,

So sorry for you, we hope you'll recover as much as possible over the next couple of months and will be able to create music that will be enjoyable.
Rob, for instance, hardly uses his electric/acoustic guitar anymore, because Biab reproduces the guitar sounds way better than real time guitar recording with a microphone - unless of course you own a million dollar studio

The song you've posted is smooth and relaxed.
Enjoyed.

Anne-Marie

Alan, Everything sounds good on this one. This is the perfect use of Biab to create a easy going very listenable tune. I enjoyed it. Merry Christmas to you and Di. Tom

Hi Alan,

I'm glad to hear you're on the road to recovery.
A nice composition and arrangement.
I enjoyed this a lot.
My best regards to Di.

Guenter

Alan,

Great to see you! As long as you are making music, you are keepin' on...

A great listen. Good mix.

Merry Christmas to you both!

floyd

Wow Al, sorry to hear about all of your hard times. You're in my thoughts. Hopefully things will be on the upswing for a good long while. Really nice job with this tune all the way around! Feels very natural. A wonderful composition and a very nice mix! Hope to see you around here more often. Take care. Greg

Very cool tune. I find the music can take you to a special place when all around is stressful and sad. Glad things are turning the corner for you. merry Xmas to you and your family

Hi Trevor ...

Just wanted to get out of the way why we've not been around much this year. Now, on to music!

Thanks for the well wishes and the kind words on this. Much appreciated! Much appreciated and Merry Christmas ...

Alan & Di

HI Charlie,

Well, sometimes all you have is patience and you have to lean on it. Thanks for nice wishes.

Glad you liked the song. I wanted to do something upbeat and happy. Glad this one seems to do the job! Merry Christmas!

Alan & Di

HI Anne-Marie,

Thank you for your very nice wishes. And we, too, hope we can contribute some worthwhile music to the boards.

Smooth & relaxing ... just what I was going for! Thanks for validating y effort! Best to you and Rob ...

Alan & Di

Hi Tom,

Thanks so much for the kindness and well wishes. Glad this tune works for you. BIAB is a great resource for musicians. Hope I can learn to use it better! And Merry Christmas to you and yours ...

Alan & Di

HI Guenter,

Vielen Dank, mein Fruend!

Thanks for ypur very nice comments. Glad you liked this laid-back tune.

Frohe Weinachten!

Alan & Di

HI Floyd ...

Yep, music creation is both a good distraction from the problems and instills a sense of confidence and satisfaction when something comes to fruition. Glad you liked the song. Merry Christmas ...

Alan & Di

Hi Greg,

We appreciate those kind words of encouragement. I am an optimist and anticipate all will be well in time. Glad you like the song. It was fun to do. And Merry Christmas to you and yours ...

Alan & Di

HI Scott ...

Yes, music has a special touch or ability to transport ones mind and feelings. The sense of accomplishment only adds to the positive attitude I have going forward. Thanks again. Merry Christmas!

Alan & Di

Very pleasant listening.

Best whises

Sergio

Thank you, Sertgio

I'm sorry to hear all that you guys are going through and I do hope that the worst is behind you.
I enjoyed listening to your song and to me everything fit well.
Sonny

Hi Sonny ...

Thanks so much for the nice comments on the song and, particularly, for the well-wishes of everything else going on. Some days are better than others, but we're managing. Your kind thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Best to you...

Alan & Di

Like Tom said "This is the perfect use of Biab to create a easy going very listenable tune."

Sounds like those cats have been jamming together for years!

Easy to listen to but edgy enough to hold the attention.

Everybody is in the pocket for sure.

Great production!!!!

We wish you two the best holidays and may next year be much better for you!

J&B

Hey Folks,

My heartfelt sympathies for all of the challenges and I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers.

As for the song it is very cool, but yes I think the bass is a tad too high, not much, just a tad.

Keep writing! You have some awesome tunes!!

Alan,

This is great! You have a really wonderful sense of music. I love the way that your arrangements fluidly travel from bar to bar, musical idea to musical idea. I have a lot learn from how you put music together. Don't stay away quite so long next time!

My best wishes to Di and I hope that you have a blessed Christmas. You both deserve it. May good things come your way.

Thinking of you both,
Noel

P.S. Without a doubt, you are two of the most stoic people I have ever met.

Al and Di, my heart goes out to you.

I don't frequent these forums all that much, but I did notice a while back that I hadn't seen many posts from y'all.

I'm here this morning listening to some songs, saying some overdue thank-you's regarding my last song post, and I wanted to scroll and see what your last posted song was. I'm so sorry for what you've been through and what you're going through now.

Wishing you strength. Prayers.


Totally dig the tune. There's healing power in music too.

Hi, Al & Di !

I´ll pray that all
your disasters are behind
you for good !

Enjoying your sweet sounding
swing Al ! Could not be
better !!!!

Take Care

both of you

..and a much Happier New Year !!

Cheers
Dani

Hi Alan.

A super relaxing piece of music with a happy feel to it, which is remarkable in itself considering the troubles you've had.

Wishing you and Di a much better 2016.

ROG.

Thank you, Dani. We appreciate y our kind words and wishes very much! Happy New Year!

Alan & Di

Hi Rog ...

Your kind wishes put a smile on our faces .. thanks! And we're gad you enjoyed the song. It's nothing fancy ... just what came to mind. Wishing you a great 2016!

Alan & Di

HI Noel ...

You are much too kind. But we thank with all our hearts. We're delighted this one rests easily on your ears. As we mentioned to a previous listener ... it's not at all that fancy ... just what came to mind at the moment. Thanks for the well wishes and kindness. Happy New Year to you, too!

Alan & Di

Hi Scott ...

We've been pretty much absent, too, fore the past several months.Thank you for your kind words and well wishes. we truly appreciate both. We're delighted you liked the tune ... nothing fancy, but what struck us at the moment. God Bless ..

Alan & Di