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floyd said "a lot of sad in that. " He's right - there is, and for us old school country fans (and bluegrass) sad songs were once the staple of the set list. We performed many sad songs for many years in our bluegrass bands. What many folks don't realize is that they are not easy to write w/o becoming overly maudlin. Songs by the Stanley Brothers come to mind in particular as examples of great sad songs. And Bill Monroe was the master of what he called "true life" songs. Your tune is right square in this wheelhouse. Sad things happen, hope springs eternal and you well expressed those sentiments with the write and heartfelt vocal.
Interestingly the arrangement captures the feel of both older and more modern country. Something a fellow forum member has called Appalachian Honky Tonk with the addition of the banjo.
Well done Mr David!
J&B
Hi J&B, You are so very kind with your words. Your analogies certainly humbled us. I always liked the Stanley Brothers (Carter & Ralph) and the Clinch Mountain Boys. But Bill Monroe was a little tougher for me. Actually, I loved his songs but something about his voice just didn't sit well in my ears. Nonetheless, he was a master of the genre and had some of the very best songs. The Stanley Brothers, particularly Carter's original writes, were the epitome of saying a lot with just enough words. Their gospel songs were excellent, too - particularly "I Hear My Savior Calling". I smiled at your comment regarding the mix of traditional and more modern sounds. I told Di a couple of days ago that if I removed the drums from the mix and used an acoustic bass, this would be very similar to traditional Bluegrass. Again, thank you so much for you very kind words. I am humbled and I know Bob would be, too. Wishing you both the very best, Alan & Di (Bob too)
Last edited by Al-David; 06/23/17 01:45 PM.
BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops
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As PeterF noted, sad lyrics framed with happy, jangling banjo. Nice contrast. Because of the use of pronouns, it took me a minute figure out that each verse introduced a different character. Not that I'm suggesting a rewrite it needed - just that I'm a bit slow-witted as a listener if it's not spelled out for me. I enjoyed the listen, which seems a bit odd to say about a downer of a song. 
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I really like the song. Great mix and arrangement. Enjoyed my listen a lot.
Charlie
BIAB 2025:RB 2025, Latest builds: Dell Optiplex 7040 Desktop; Windows-10-64 bit, Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz CPU and 16 GB Ram Memory.
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Hi Alan! I was just thinking of you and Di the other day, remembering the visit we shared at your home! I know you've been through some rough times since then, but I hope you are doing well at present.
Regarding this song: I like the way you applied the hook to various situations in the main character's life. The sound you've achieved here is hard to fit neatly into a genre cubbyhole, but I can imagine hearing it at the kind of music festival where country, americana and bluegrass are all played. I'm going to call it Americana.
Good hearing from you again, and I hope you keep writing songs. You also write books, don't you? I remember thinking that you are a man of many talents!
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Hi Alan, A really nice song and really good lyrics. That's life, we use to say (or as the French say: "cést la vie") The banjo is great. It's a sad ending, but... somehow the music doesn't correspond to that atmosphere, at least that's how I feel it. But... that's just a small nit. All in all it's a very good song  Anne-Marie
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As PeterF noted, sad lyrics framed with happy, jangling banjo. Nice contrast. Because of the use of pronouns, it took me a minute figure out that each verse introduced a different character. Not that I'm suggesting a rewrite it needed - just that I'm a bit slow-witted as a listener if it's not spelled out for me. I enjoyed the listen, which seems a bit odd to say about a downer of a song. Hi David, Thanks for the listen and comments. And yeah, it's the life cycle of the sad losses of people close to you. The contrast in lyric and backing tracks is to suggest that although we lose loved ones in way or another, life also has a positive theme and that's what we need to keep everything balanced. Thanks so much for the review. Glad you enjoyed it. Alan & Di
BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops
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I really like the song. Great mix and arrangement. Enjoyed my listen a lot.
Charlie Hi Charlie, Always good to hear from you. We're delighted this works for you and that you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for letting us know ... we appreciate it. Best to you. Alan & Di
BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops
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Hi Alan! I was just thinking of you and Di the other day, remembering the visit we shared at your home! I know you've been through some rough times since then, but I hope you are doing well at present.
Regarding this song: I like the way you applied the hook to various situations in the main character's life. The sound you've achieved here is hard to fit neatly into a genre cubbyhole, but I can imagine hearing it at the kind of music festival where country, americana and bluegrass are all played. I'm going to call it Americana.
Good hearing from you again, and I hope you keep writing songs. You also write books, don't you? I remember thinking that you are a man of many talents! Hi Pat! Di and I were just discussing you, too! First we often talk about what a great time we had on your visit. It was a real pleasure having you. Di's health continues to be a major issue. But we deal with the best we can. I'm doing fine. I've had four scans since my chemo and all have come back negative. Maybe Americana is, indeed, the best niche for this one. Bob and I gave this a little thought before we actually put it yo paper and guitar strings. We wanted to capture the sadness of how we lose loved ones in various ways throughout the cycle of our lives. We tried several slower, more somber backing tracks, but as we mentioned earlier to another reviewer, it sounded like a dirj rather than a "real" song. So, we decided to use the more spirited backing track as the metaphor that there are upbeat happenings to offset the loss and create more positive experiences. We hope the listener might catch that. Thanks again. A big smile crossed our faces when we saw you had come on and commented on a few songs. And yes, I write novels. i have two on Amazon at the moment. I'll have another one coming out next month and one more by year's end. Music and writing are very cathartic Wishing you the very best. Alan & Di
BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops
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Hi Alan, A really nice song and really good lyrics. That's life, we use to say (or as the French say: "cést la vie") The banjo is great. It's a sad ending, but... somehow the music doesn't correspond to that atmosphere, at least that's how I feel it. But... that's just a small nit. All in all it's a very good song Anne-Marie Hi Rob ^ Anne-Marie. Thank you very much for taking a listen and commenting. We sure do appreciate that. As we mentioned in a couple of earlier replies, the music is more upbeat as an intentional contrast ... to make folks aware that with all the losses in our lives, there's also the other side of life. One where the experiences are positive and pleasant. The music represents that facet of the life cycle. Thanks again for the listen and nice comments. Best top both of you. Alan & Di
BIAB 2024 Ultra Plus-all StylePaks*Win11*32GB DDR5*Rhyzen 9745x*AT 2035 Mic*Peavey Nashville 112 Amp*Ibanez ART120* Acoustic/Electric/Washburn D200S Acoustic*Stromberg Monterey Jazz Guitar Loops: https://aldavidmusic.wixsite.com/bestmusicloops
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First of all I love a song that tells a story, and your write here is a wonderful example of that. A sad ending, but that makes it more real.
Lots of great lines, a couple I really like:
"Everything in life we love isn’t promised us forever
It may be gone tomorrow, perhaps returning never"
and:
"Her body lay there in the bed but Heaven’s where she’s at
She had said her last goodbye
She won’t be coming back"
Really good song!
Dave said it for me Al &Di! Great story/song. Take care. Torrey
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I've found that music, languages and math all have one very important thing in common ... they have a rather specific syntax. Once you learn that syntax, the rest falls into place much easier. That's amazing. i would love to more about this syntax thing you are suggesting.
Last edited by erickabadude; 07/12/17 11:22 AM.
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I love the truth and the reality in the lyrics. It brings forth some interesting questions. What in life really is forever? Loved it. Very thought provoking!
Cheers,
Ember
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