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Thanks, Herb. I appreciate your dropping and giving the song a test run.

Regards,
Noel


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Hi Noel,

A great Christmas song!
Your vocals are very good, the piano is beautiful (we have used this one often).
As a whole... a top production!

Rob and Anne-Marie


We are Rob Meulman and Anne-Marie Bovenkamp from The Netherlands.

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Noel this is fantastic. I really liked the lyrics, vocals and backing tracks. The harmonies were excellent.

To really nit-pick I thought that the lead vocal was dry and could have used a little reverb. BUT that is just my personal preference and others may not agree.

Great song!


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Hey Pat,

Thank you for dropping in and posting such a great reading post. The calibre of your posts is always outstanding. You have a very succinct way of politely saying exactly what you mean and doing so with an occasional touch of humour. That's a real skill. I'd love to be able to write like you!

You've asked many questions in your post (as did floyd). I promise I'll answer them! I'm currently constructing a pdf that will be available via the "About the song's construction" link. (It's an empty document at the moment, though.)

The reason I'm doing it this way is because I thought others might like to know the answers too, I'll explain a little more fully how I do things and how I use tools like BIAB's custom soloist, etc.

Please be patient smile

Thank you for taking time to listen to and to comment.

All the best,
Noel

P.S. I remember those early songs too! LOL! I used to hate singing and felt incredibly self-conscious. Then, one day, I just gave up worrying and adopted the attitude that I might as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb. It's mutton all the way with me now smile


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Originally Posted By: c_fogle
Such an excellent write, arrangement and production. Everything fits in place. As Floyd states, a wonderful song that could become a classic in its on right and I think it would sound great done by a choir. Thanks for posting and Merry Christmas.

Charlie


Charlie,

Thank you for such generous comments. I really appreciate them. You brought a huge smile to my face. While I can hear this song sung by a choir, I can't really see it becoming a classic. Shepherds, angels, birth of Jesus, are very well used themes and I don't think I have anything present that makes my song stand out from the multitude. That doesn't matter, though, I just enjoy writing music! I'm so grateful for PG Music and BIAB/RB.

I wish you and yours a fantastic Christmas and New Year, too.

Take care,
Noel


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Originally Posted By: musiclover
Nice song Noel, well written with a nice melody line and great mix as well.

Pity we can't have a listen to your song as well in our local shopping malls. By Christmas time we'll be fed up listening to Lennon and Yono's War is over.

All the best Noel
Musiclover


Hi Musiclover,

Thanks for popping in and giving my song a listen. I'm very grateful for the positive comments. I laughed when I read the part about shopping malls and "War Is Over". Here in Melbourne / Australia, the experience is EXACTLY the same. Whenever I got to a shopping centre, that song is nearly always what greets my arrival! That being said, though, how amazing would it be to write something like that that keeps on coming back year after year.

Hope you have a great Christmas,
Noel


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Originally Posted By: tommyad
Noel, Glad you're back around. This is a terrific write. Love the chord progression. Your voice is in excellent shape on this one. The arrangement is top shelf. The bells and the organ were great additions near the end. Clearly a lot of tweaking went on here and the end result is marvelous. I also would love to hear the big choir. It's not easy to write a memorable Christmas song, but you have done just that. Going back for another listen. All the best, Tom


Hi Tom,

I'm glad you dropped in. Moreover, you brought a whole heap of uplifting comments with you! I think you're being overly generous but thanks for taking time to write them down. It made getting up in the morning worthwhile!

About the tweaking ... to be honest, I can't stop myself. The more I listen to the mix, the more I hear those bits where I haven't got things quite right. I probably spend way too long on massaging the mix! Oh well, I love every minute.

Once again, thank you.

All the best,
Noel


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Noel,

I enjoy Christmas songs and enjoy your singing so this was a win-win for me! I love how much gusto you put into your singing voice.


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Noel,

This is just great - love the song, vocal and mix. So good to hear you again.

Bob

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Wow, back with a bang Noel! This has a very pro sound indeed, the engineering and mix is simply great. Well perfect to my ears. And the vocal sits just right. Spot on arrangement, and your vocal delivery is superb. All around full marks!

John


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Noel,

So good to hear you back again, my friend! Like you, I have been out quite a bit this year. I hope you are able to be around more now. I always enjoy your posts. You are one of the more generous people in a sea of generous people around here. smile

I love this song. And I think you did a great job on the vocals. You just keep getting better. I agree with Floyd, this one would work well with a good church choir. Great song!

Steve


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Hi Guenter,

Thank you for the welcome back. It's good to be back.

I appreciate your taking time out to have a listen to my song. It was interesting when I revisited it because the number of RTs has risen dramatically since I first wrote it. That gave me a whole heap of new sounds to play around with. BIAB is an incredible program!

All the best,
Noel


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Hi Dani,

It's always great to see your name pop-up in a thread. The Users Showcase is definitely better off for having you as one of its regulars.

As I'm typing here, I'm trying to imagine Christmas in Finland. It must be very cold and very unlike the kind of Christmas that I'm used to.

Best wishes for a terrific Christmas,
Noel


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Originally Posted By: Scottt709
Loved your song. Lyrics, singing, harmonies and playing were very well done. Piano was a very cool track...


Thanks Scott. I appreciate your passing through the thread. The piano RT is great. It's very energetic and would take a bit of stamina to maintain for 3 minutes!!! I'd love to know how to play like that.

Best wishes for a great Christmas,
Noel


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Hi Paul,

First off, I'd like to say that I'm a great admirer of your creations. You have some excellent musical and technical skills that work in partnership to create some top class works. I'm a bit of a novice by comparison.

Thanks for taking time to provide honest feedback. I'm always happy to receive any critical thoughts - positive or negative. Your point about reverb was supported by floyd and MarioD. As a result, I went back and boosted it a couple of percent. It has made a difference. I find reverb a bit of a mine-field and that's why I always listen to advice from those who know how to use it properly!

I'm glad you liked the song smile

Best wishes for a joyful and thoughtful Christmas,
Noel


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Originally Posted By: RichMac
Hi Noel. All sounds thoroughly professional to me!
You certainly know what you're doing!
Christmas cheers.


Hi Richard!

It's great to see you.

When I read the "You certainly know what you're doing!", I raised my eyebrows. Nothing could be further from the truth. I know that I know some stuff, but mostly what I do is trial and error; usually more error than anything else. One of these days I hope to be able to have a song fall into place in next to no time. For the time being, though, I'll just keep on learning and having fun!

Thanks for passing by!

Regards,
Noel


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Originally Posted By: Sundance
Hi Noel!

Excellent song! WOW! That about says it all. grin

Josie


Hi Josie,

I apologise for taking so long to get back to you. Unfortunately, the BIAB (Windows) forum has been bursting with problems and questions and I find it very difficult to keep up with that forum and this forum.

Thank you for jumping in and listening. You made day!

All the best,
Noel


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Originally Posted By: gibson
No-el, No-el,

Sounds good to me, I am not one for traditional Christmas songs but I can see the appeal of this one. My dear departed Dad would have LOVED this and joined in with his idea of harmony crazy

I like the lead sheet in all your songs as I can read the notes whilst listening, it would be nice to have a left hand as well cool . I enjoy reading musical scores and getting the piece in my head

The Xmas song I have done this year is miles away from this traditional masterpiece!

Alyn


Hey Alyn,

It's always good to see you! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you.

Apart from people singing me my own personalised Christmas songs, I also get my presents wrapped in peronsalised paper smile I don't know what my mother was thinking when she called me Noel! LOL!

I'm not promising anything but next time I write the music to one of my songs, I see if I can work out some kind of accompaniment for the left hand. That should be fun!

Thanks for listening. I appreciate the feedback. Your dad sounds like quite a character.

Enjoy Christmas,
Noel


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Hi Bud and Janice,

Thank you for your time and your thoughts. I ended up feeling very good for the rest of the day after reading your comments! I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to get back to you but, as I said to Sundance, with the release of 2015, the demand for help in BIAB (Windows) has been very time consuming.

Now I just have to work out how to get into your league. I imagine that that's going to be as difficult as swimming from my place to your place! Still .... nothing ventured, nothing gained (so someone wise was supposed to have once said).

I wish you both a wonderful Christmas,
Noel


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Originally Posted By: R & AM
Hi Noel,

A great Christmas song!
Your vocals are very good, the piano is beautiful (we have used this one often).
As a whole... a top production!

Rob and Anne-Marie


Hi Rob and Anne-Marie,

Thank you! If I could get my productions to be 50% the quality of your productions, I'd be a very happy man. For the moment, though, I'll just have to keep plugging away and getting practise.

All the best for Christmas,
Noel

P.S. I love your "Wish You A Merry Christmas". Anne-Marie, you have flair for singing wonderful counterpoint harmony.


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