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Hi everyone, I thought it is rather quiet on this forum now (joke), so I could let you listen to another song of me: https://soundcloud.com/user-296497130/the-priest-with-joanne-cooper Joanne Cooper sang with me in this song. Although we were 5000 miles away from each other I think she managed to do a very nice job following my voice. And she did it in high pitch! I made this song quite a while ago (1976), but I always loved the simple melody and lyrics. So I brushed it up, put in other instruments and asked Joanne what she thinks of it. And she liked it as well. I even put in a pedal steel (second time in all my songs I did this...) Though the lyrics are short, they are nice. Only 6 lines of text. But they give a complete image. I later added 2 lines at the end. This gives the song a possible nice ending. Hope you like it. The style: LaJolla, key E and tempo 75. I added a nylon guitar to it. Hans Lyrics: (c) HWBerkhout 1976, 2019 The PriestSometimes I feel like a Priest In a fish and chipsqueue quietly thinking as the vinegar runs through How nice it would be To buy supper for two (4x) No, let's not suffer I buy supper for you
Last edited by Birchwood; 09/11/19 12:55 AM.
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With the changes each time around you manage to really extend the limited lyrics. Joanne's harmony vocal turned out really nice. The pedal steel works well. Enjoyed the listen.
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Hi Hans,
You and Joanne have done a great job. I love how you've taken one verse of lyrics and turned out a 3 minute song. That's very, very creative in my book!
What I really appreciate about listening to this is that you've shown us all how to use lyrics as a tool for developing melody and arrangement as opposed to the usual scenario where melody and arrangement are used to showcase lyrics. You've given me a great deal to think about and I really appreciate that. Thank you!
This is a very clever creation on many levels and I enjoyed listening.
All the best,
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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Hey Hans! Nice to see this posted on the forum. I enjoyed singing the harmonies in this unique project. I have to say, though, that it was not as easy as I first imagined  I carried the song around in my car for a couple of days then decided I was ready to record the harmonies. However, they were not great. I found it quite difficult to line them up and resorted to using Melodyne to get them to line up with the lead I do like how it turned out. So very very different. Thanks again for giving me the opportunity to collaborate on this extraordinary song. Looking forward to more.
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I really enjoyed this performance. You've brought a lot elements together in such a simple way to focus the song on your lyrical message. As I listened, a tweak to increase the visual impact of the lyrical message that came to my mind was to change the character 'priest' in the first line of each verse. For instance, the contrast between a priest and a thief both obtaining the same result from the remaining lines of the verse could be quite compelling and such changes would have lyrically built the song the same as you did musically. The song worked wonderfully as is and the collaboration between you and Joanne really was the icing on the cake. A worldly project on every level. Enjoyed this immensely.
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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Nicely done! You and Joanne singing together was stunning. Incredibly catchy, and the instrumentation is lush and suits the vocals perfectly. For me, this is a fine example of less is more. I wouldn't change a single thing - great work, and thanks for sharing
Cheers,
Deryk
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Certainly no chore to memorize the lyric, but I can imagine it was a bit difficult to do a duet (even at close distance) with such malleable phrasing. Hats off. The way it built I was kind of hoping for a choir to come in. A sweet sentiment like a tiny appendix to Eleanor Rigby. I enjoyed listening.
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Hi Mark, Noel, Joanne, Charlie and Deryk,
Thanks for your posts and your nice comments.
Mark, you mentioned you liked how the extention of really small lyrics worked out. I was hesitating about bringing out this song, because of the few lyric-lines. I even asked Joanne if she thinks it would make it a dull song. But on the other hand that's what I liked about this song. It's simplicity.
Noel, You mentioned the same thing about the extension of 1 verse, but pointed at that point that so you can use it as making the melody.
That's exactly what I had in mind those years ago while composing this song. The other thing you mentioned was the rhytmsound that worked distracting. When I mixed it for the first time, I thought a metronome was also recorded, but it were the drums (a tambourine). I thought I solved it. I mixed it again yesterday and put the tambourine more to the middle. To me it looks solved now.
Charlie, you had a nice suggestion, by changing the subject everytime I sing the verse. I thought about it, because it triggered me a bit. But it would distract too much from the message; the loneliness and longing for a partner.
Deryk, what you said about less is more is so true. But it also brings tension. Mostly we like more 'adventurous' songs, otherwise they become dull. And you gave me some tension too by stating not to change a single thing (it nearly sounded as a serious warning...). I had to deal with Noel's distractionpoint as well! Hope you are not disapointed by the changes I made.
And of course Joanne! I knew it could be difficult to sing along with me. Not only because thousands of miles separates us, but to follow my voice... Even I have difficulties following my voice, when trying to double it. Therefore you did a very good job on this.
But you pleased me more to read you are longing for more. Be sure on that!
Hans
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Hi again Hans, ...you mentioned was the rhytmsound that worked distracting. When I mixed it for the first time, I thought a metronome was also recorded, but it were the drums (a tambourine). I thought I solved it. I mixed it again yesterday and put the tambourine more to the middle. To me it looks solved now. Yes. I did mention that but I removed it from my comments because after I re-read your initial post, I noticed that you didn't ask for feedback so I thought I was out of line by sharing my thoughts. I've just had another listen to the song and the sound isn't as distracting now as it was yesterday. I think the distraction might also have been more noticeable because I used headphones. All the best, Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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I really like your vocal in this, nice tone! Joanne sounds great too of course.
Nice song, Hans, enjoyed the listen!
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Hans, Joanne
Another strong collaboration from people half globe apart!
Good resurrection! Very nice vocals / harmonies from you and Joanne. I am also stunned how you managed to get away with short lyrics to full scale song without being boring. Arrangement and mix is solid! Enjoyed it!
Thank you for sharing!
Misha.
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Hi Hans. And Hi, Joanne,
this time I did something I usually don't do: I read the comments first. Though I've learned that you're always coming up with something unexpected I was even more confused by those comments: Didn't get the slightest idea what I was going to listen to soon....
And, yes, it was totally different from anything I might have considered, BUT IT'S JUST AMAZING. What a inventive and - dispite of the few lines of lyrics - chequered song.
Your singing is really unique (in the most positive sense!) and sort of 'eigenwijs', too (sorry, that's an internal joke between Hans and me), and it's completely beyobd my imagination how Joanne managed to get into it. If I had been her, it would have been 'Return to sender' - wouldn't have known which side to attack it from ;-))).
So, Joanne: R.E.S.P.E.C.T., that was quite a challenge, but you really mastered it.
And I loved what you did with the nylons, eh, nylon strings - very nice licks you added.
Hans, a truly great thing in all aspects !
All the best to both of you,
Stefan
Last edited by Crossroads; 09/12/19 11:09 PM.
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Really nice feel to this!! Not sure how to take the lyric......I guess priests get hungry too. Certainly a pleasant listen and Joanne does a great job on the harmony! Enjoyed it!! Take care. Greg
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As others have already said the notion of working the entire song around a verse would
seem to be a daunting task but you pulled it off well. Nice.
The harmony sounds good and even though you two have very different vocal timbres it worked well.
A cool collab and musical exploration!!
J&B
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
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GREAT lyrics, but I wanted more! Nice work all the way around.
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Hi Dave, Misha, Stefan, Greg, Janice, Bud and Tunemonger,
Thank you all for listening and giving your comments. I enjoyed reading them all. Most of you even made funny remarks. Like that!
Dave, I thought you were joking about my voice, but then I realized you were completely serious ;-)
So thanks a lot. I'm sure Joanne likes your compliment as well, but she has to speak for herself...
Misha, in a next song I will only use one line of txt and sing about half an hour. No, I'm only joking. As I said earlier I was hesitating too if this works out well enough. Joanne made me shove those feelings away. And thanks for the mixing compliment. I always have you in the back of my head when mixing songs now. See what comes from what you did to me?
Stefan, you have showered me with compliments. But the most astonishing fact is that you read all comments from others first. And even then I amazed you with this song. It took me days to got back on earth again after your writings... Thanks for this 'airtrip'.
Greg, I think you were one of the few wondering about the lyrics. And you know, you are right! Priest can also be hungry. Probably they stand in fish and chips queue as well. Only the guy I sang about wanted more. Priests won't... (I think)
Janice and Bud, you are so right about our different voices/timbres. That was a difficult part and because I told Joanne to sing it in a particular key made it somewhat more difficult. Now I'm learning to sing like Joan Baez to compensate what Joanne had gone through... (I'm joking of course). But maybe we can sing a song together one time?
And finally Tunemonger, I liked it when you called it 'Great lyrics'. But I gave you two lines more at the end! They weren't in the first concept of the song. And thanks for your compliments.
Thanks,
Hans
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Nicely done...
Proof that some songs don't necessarily need lengthy lyrics...
Congratulations to you & Joanne...
I enjoyed listening!
Jim
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Really lovely vocals on this song and fantastic lyrics. Thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Ember
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Hans, I knew that less was more when it comes to instrumentation but you have proved that it can also apply to lyrics!
You have a great voice and Joanne's harmonies were icing on the cake. You also have some excellent chops on the nylon string guitar. Excellent work on the mix also.
You two should be very proud of this one.
Love is grand.
Divorce is twenty grand!
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Hello Jim, Ember and Mario, Jim, I'm really pleased to (can) read your comments on my and other songs again. I missed you on the forum! You and Mario mentioned the short lyrics, but put it in a very nice context. Thanks for that. And Mario, also for the compliments on my vocals and of course those of Joanne. She must be used to these compliments, I am not that much  And it was very nice to read Ember was content with the whole song and lyrics. I was afraid she would be more critical (just kidding). Hans
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