And so the madness that is February begins...I am going to post all my songs in this thread so as not to clog up the forum. Comments, tips and suggestions are as always much appreciated.
Song number 1 My first song was inspired partly by a post I saw on Facebook the other day and partly by one of my favourite singer-songwriters that Donald put me onto - Townes Van Zandt and his song Techumseh Valley.
The band:
RealTracks in style: 1036:Bass, Electric, NorthernRockBallad Ev 065 RealTracks in style: 2335:String Quartet, Rhythm PopHall Ev 085 RealTracks in style: 1595:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Pop8thsSteady Ev 065 RealTracks in style: ~1676:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking CountryBrent Ev 065 RealDrums in style: NashvillePop16^2-a:Sidestick, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride RT1596:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Pop16ths Ev16 065
Chords and lyrics Capo 2
Em C G Raised in a small town C Em Loved boys and dogs and also old things G Museums and houses C D and unfamilar roads and what they bring
Em And how she always yearn for G the love of a boy Em But they would only use her G like a worn out toy D thrown away
Chorus G Those diamond blue eyes D burned into your soul Am Damaged in the center C where hope had left a hole G D They say that she had a way with people Am C D But I say they had their way with her
G D Am C
G She learned to let go C Em Never waiting for one of them to stay G They used her and left her C D Left her all alone to find her way
Em And wander she did G From beds both big and small Em No-one that can claim her G There's no-one there at all D Anyway
G Those diamond blue eyes D burned into your soul Am Damaged in the center C where hope had left a hole G D
Wow - really well done, Joanna I particularly enjoyed the lyrics here. You painted a vivid story extremely well, and it definitely helped the music behind it hit harder. And of course, your voice here is flawless! It was really awesome to see you do this live too.
I can't help but notice that it looks like we use the same mic! It's a good one, isn't it? We used to use it to record our radio plays and voice over samples with it. But -- back to the song! This one really resonated with me and I was very moved by this song. Thank you so much for sharing with us!
The band: RealTracks in style: ~518:Bass, Electric, Pop HalfNotes Ev 085 RealTracks in style: ~362:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 085 RealTracks in style: 1403:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm Soul70sWarmHeld Ev16 100
Chords and lyrics: Capo 3
(D) We are still fine and we are still young, all that we ever want is just to have some fun (Em) we know that it won´t last forever even here and now and (D) still it travels on forever here we are now And (G) life goes (D) by so (A) fast in the (G) eye (D) of the (A) storm…
(Chorus) We are… (D) flying and fal (Bm) ling, dying and ca(G) lling… we were dying from the (A) day we were born… We are… (D) shifting begin (Bm) ning drifting and spin (G) ning… but we´ll never (A) forget… the eye of the (D) storm…
(D) So us Let´s live it up and let us live for now, we know that there´s no other way no other way how (Em) one could change their fate, it won´t happen yet and (D) still you see that we´re not yet there we're not done yet there is (G) still a (D) lovely (A) sun in the (G) eye (D) of the (A) storm…
We are… (D) flying and fal (Bm) ling, dying and ca(G) lling… we were dying from the (A) day we were born… We are… (D) shifting begin (Bm) ning drifting and spin (G) ning… but we´ll never (A) forget… the eye of the (D) storm…
Two very good songs to kick off- Diamond Blue Eyes is a powerful story. Really liked those lyrics! Your production process must be finely tuned to get these songs down ( with harmonies,of course!) in quick order. The simple video presentation gives a nice live feel.
It is getting easier to make the videos. All I do is record on my iPhone while I am recording the lead vocal. I have my chords and lyrics loaded onto www.mysonglist.com playing on my iPad mounted just below my iPhone.
I record a few takes of the lead vocal into RealBand using the usb mic and into the iPhone at the same time. (I don’t bother to video record me singing the harmonies). Then I choose the best take of the lead vocal and record some harmonies, mix it down and produce a wav file of the audio. I then bring the audio and the video into Videopad, line them up and mute the audio from the iPhone.
The harmonies is something I have been working on. I always struggled to sing live harmonies and this method is helping me with that too. I just choose a string on my guitar to sing the harmony to (so say the melody is generally around the G string on the guitar, I choose the B string and sing the harmony around that string, all the way through the song. So say the song goes from G to Em, I just sing the B note. When it goes to C, I sing the C.
I learn the harmonies by singing the song from start to finish along that string and then slowly turning up the volume on the lead vocal. I then record the harmony all the way though and simply cut out the parts where the timing had gone a bit wonky.
Then I repeat the process choosing a different string on the guitar. In that way I end up with lead vocal and two harmonies.
Here is song number 3. It is called "The Same Old Clouds"
I used the good old "ice cream" chords on this one mainly because those are the only chords I can play on my ukulele
The band: RealTracks in style: ~1136:Bass, Acoustic-Guitar, FolkSwing Sw 110 RealTracks in style: ~1142:Ukulele, Strumming FolkSwing Sw 110 RealTracks in style: 2715:Guitar, Nylon, Background SwingBrent Sw 110 RealDrums-TambourineSwing8ths
Lyrics and chords: (G) You look to the east (Em) I yearn for the west (C) when we are together we (D) argue what is best
(G) why are we still quarrelling (Em) why do we still fight we (C) want to be different we (D) want to be right
(C) But if you (D) think about it
(G) we all wish on the (C) same blue moon (D) make love under the (G) same dark sky we bask bask bask on the (C) same burned earth and (D) everybody sees the same old clouds pass (G) by
You can speak in colours (Em) I talk black and white the (C) Gaps can make us whole again dis(D)tinctions make us right
(G) if you see it logically (Em) its hard to point the blame (C) Things that make us different (D) make us all the same
(C) AND if you (D) think about it
(G) we all wish on the (C) same blue moon (D) make love under the (G) same dark sky we bask bask bask on the (C) same burned earth and (D) everybody sees the same old clouds pass (G) by
Listened to Song #1 - really nice. Good melody, simple and memorable, and a good lyric. Really nice production for the song type, too. Well sung, well mixed. (Townes is great inspiration...).
There's a lot to like in them...even if they weren't so rapidly written!
I like the way you are presenting them with live video.
Nice!
J&B
PS The uke is supper cool!
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
Floyd, Noel, Janice and Bud and Lawrence. Thanks for listening and commenting. I appreciate it.
I hit a bit of a "road block" the other day when another FAWMer sent me some lyrics that I just couldn't do anything with (no matter what I tried). I eventually recorded a rather dark Elvis Costello "I want you" type of thing which was rather awful and I wont even post here or on FAWM.
Anyway Sam is on a roll and just listening to the marvelous stuff he is delivering helped motivate me to get back in the saddle. So here are the next three.
The first one is just a little bit of fun (and rather suggestive for me!). It is called "Hey Hey What do you say"
Lyrics Hey hey what do you say? lets get away Why should we stay?
My my how we can fly just you and I if we only try
Hey leave a little light on, leave an little love on for me Baby gotta get our love on, gottta get a light on for me
Oh oh what do we know where this will go? if we dont go slow
Hey Hey is getting late hey sugar hey what do you say?
chorus
oh oh its just you and me I like what i see What will it be?
Hey hey come into my bed The nights still ahead You hear what I said?
Tracks: RealTracks in style: ~592:Bass, Acoustic Bluegrass Doc Ev 100 RealTracks in style: 2546:Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm OldTime Ev16 110 RealTracks in style: 2545:Banjo, Clawhammer, Rhythm OldTime Ev16 110 RealTracks in song: ~~362:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 085 RealDrums in Song: PopAmericanEv^1-a:SS 1/2 BB, b:Snare Half BB
The second is a classic country song around the "She has no luck with men and has turned into an alcoholic" type of thing. No video for this one as I followed my normal production technique which included using a pop filter, comping the vocal from various takes, tuning the vocal and not playing the guitar while recording vocals, (all of which make making a live video type thing a lot harder!)
Lyrics: She walked through the door and sat at the table looked out of the window there were tears in her eyes
Said I thought I had found Someone who is able To give me the love I I always thought 1 deserved
and i think I know whats coming my way I think I know what she's going to say
And the circle turns on and each time it goes It leaves her more broken And everyone knows
The tide always turns And the water runs out he's taken tomorrow And he's taken her heart
She looks in her handbag I'm wondering why pulls out a mirror and looks in her own eyes
And then changes her mind and pulls out a bottle I make out a shudder as she tries to hold out
and i think I know Whats shes going through and i think I know What I need to do
Tracks: RealTracks in style: ~700:Bass, Electric, PopHalfNotesPush Ev 085 RealTracks in style: ~365:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking Ev 085 RealTracks in style: ~362:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 085 RealTracks in style: 1875:Mandolin, Soloist CountryAndy Ev 085 RealDrums in style: NashvilleEven8^2-a:Sidestick, HiHat , b:Snare, HiHat RT363:Pedal Steel, Background Ev 085 RT689:Organ, B3, Background Pop Ev 085
Lyrics and chords: (G) (D) (G) (D) light of (Em) stars take (D) hold shine (C) away glow..(G) bright
stay (Em) strong be (D) bold... be (C) soft... to(G)night
oh...(C) light of stars shine ton(D)ight
C ohh..oh.. (G) star lights (C) shine (Em) dream wings (C) fly (G) love song (D) sings (G) sweet lull(D)abies
(G) love song (D) sings (G) (D)
V2 wings of (Em) dreams take (D) hold fly (C) away... soar (G) high...
stay (Em) strong be (D) bold... be (C) free... to(G) night
oh..(C) wings of dreams fly to(D) night ohh..oh..
(G) star lights (C) shine (Em) dream wings (C) fly (G) love song (D) sings (G) sweet lull(D)abies
(G) love song (D) sings (G) (D)
V3 song of (Em) love take (D) hold sing (C) away play (G) nigh
stay (Em) strong be (D) bold... be (C) kind... ton(G) ight
ohh.. (C) songs of love sing to(D)night
oh..(C) wings of dreams fly to(D) night
ohh..oh..
(G) star lights (C) shine (Em) dream wings (C) fly
(G) love song (D) sings (G) sweet lull(D)abies
(G) love song (D) sings (G) dream wings (D) fly
(G) as star light (D) shines (G) for you to(D)night
(G) love song (D) sings (G) sweet lull(D)abies
Tracks: RealTracks in style: ~518:Bass, Electric, Pop HalfNotes Ev 085 RealTracks in style: ~542:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm Dreamy Ev 085 RealTracks in style: 2820:Harp, Rhythm ClassicalSlow8ths Ev 085 RT1814:Guitar, Acoustic, Fingerpicking CelticAir Ev 085 RT2511:Violin, Background PopEvenHigh Ev 120 (1TrackStringQu
He`s Taken Tomorrow is a real heart tugger - well told story with a chorus that sounds like classic country . The organ works well and your vocals beautiful... they`re pretty good on the spontaneous Hey Hey too;jumping into an unfamiliar style a good way to loosen the cogs! I`m a big lullaby fan: Love Song Sings is gorgeous and my favourite of these three ...ooh those overlapping vocal lines just floated me away.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
If you're already using Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®, make sure to grab the latest update! Build 904 is now available for download and includes the newest additions and enhancements from our team.
PowerTracks 2026 is here—bringing powerful new enhancements designed to make your production workflow faster, smoother, and more intuitive than ever.
The enhanced Mixer now shows Track Type and Instrument icons for instant track recognition, while a new grid option simplifies editing views. Non-floating windows adopt a modern title bar style, replacing the legacy blue bar.
The Master Volume is now applied at the end of the audio chain for consistent levels and full-signal master effects.
Tablature now includes a “Save bends when saving XML” option for improved compatibility with PG Music tools. Plus, you can instantly match all track heights with a simple Ctrl-release after resizing, and Add2 chords from MGU/SGU files are now fully supported... and more!
Get started today—first-time packages start at just $49.
Already using PowerTracks Pro Audio? Upgrade for as little as $29 and enjoy the latest improvements!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!
Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!
We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!
Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.
If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!
Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!
We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.
When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.
I particularly enjoyed the lyrics here. You painted a vivid story extremely well, and it definitely helped the music behind it hit harder. And of course, your voice here is flawless! It was really awesome to see you do this live too.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean