Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! Been wondering what you were up to. For me, it reminds me a little bit of Tom Bombadil from the Lord of the Rings. Great work!
Windows 11, Intel Core I5 10400, 16 gig ram, Scarlett 2i2, Sony Acid Music Studio 10, BIAB 2020 UltraPlus Pak
I'm glad I was back here in time to hear your song. Everything appeals very much to me: very nice lyrics, good musical structure and the way you sing (and soeak) fits everything perfectly.
Really liked this..vocal nice and clear...and the lyric--I wish I knew the backstory on this! Excellent production and enjoyable listen. Noel..did you consider adding some actual jaw-harp phrases? I once had that thought but gave up on either trying to record it myself or finding a vst sample that was decent.
Thanks for posting!
Hi Tano,
Thank you heaps for having a listen.
I was thinking of writing up a separate article for the Songwriting Forum about how this song came together. The journey was a little bit different from most of my work. I'll get on to the in a few days when work settles down for me.
With the jaw harp, I created a loop from the Realtrack and then pitch shifted that loop in Reaper. I found that this was the easier way for me to get a balanced sound. I could create a jaw harp melody using this method but I haven't tried it yet.
This is not "just" superb, but, to my ears at least, genius. The melody and lyrics effortlessly tell the story - it's captivating, almost hypnotic! I loved it. Bravo.
Hi James,
It's great to see you again.
Thank you so much for passing through the thread. I sincerely appreciate it. I know that I can't possibly live up to the "genius" title. I'm way too ordinary for that -- but I confess that I loved reading the word. It was like that "sit up and open your eyes wide" moment that often comes when eating a chili pepper that's particularly spicy! Reading it gave me a zing. To be honest, I don't think I've ever once seen the word "genius" in any sentence about me.
Very nice, Noel. Great storytelling and an engaging vocal, including the spoken section. Words to live by: 'Friends to love, songs to sing, a sun that shines and a wonderful world to walk on' Regards, Leon
Noel, Sorry I am late for the party. Very BIG sound. Everything sounds great with all details well polished. Composition flows smoothly, nothing sticking out. Vocals are bright and clear, but I do feel you are a little tense when you sing. Would be interesting to hear a slow song with your vocals relaxed. Mix is pro level.
"He doesn’t dwell on things that tomorrow could bring ‘Cause each day’s a shiny new day"
I like that. Thank you for sharing.
Misha.
P.S. Jaw harp players? Cool! I have a friend who improvises on j.harp very well. Unfortunately he lives far. One day I hope to lure him to record some takes for couple of my tunes
Good to hear a new tune from you—it’s been too long. Love that vocal, so engaging! Your usual top notch production—really refreshing listen. And a wonderful character story/song—we could use a few more Jacksons these days! Great stuff—welcome back to the board!!!
Noel - This is a very polished production, no surprise there. Everything really works and fits well and is balanced, and nicely spaced and separated. I hope you don't mind, but I feel like this song would be perfect in a children's movie with Jackson traveling through a countryside, on long roads, riding a horse or in a wagon trying to find a place where he and his jaw harp belong. It just evokes that kind of vision.
Hi Ed,
Thanks heaps for visiting!
I love the images you mention. When I wrote this, I called on everything I knew about the concept of wandering minstrels... there were real-life experiences, and stories such as the Pied Piper of Hamylin, and Danny Kaye's musical movie, "Hans Christian Andersen". It was an interesting journey for me
It all began with this song from "Hans Christian Andersen" that I landed on one night while zig-zagging my way around Youtube. (It's pretty amazing what can be found on Youtube!)
Lovely uplifting song. Inventive use of jaws harp and a very memorable singable chorus (almost theatrical).
Hope you are doing well down there in Victoria.
Excellent work on a wonderful production.
Peter
Hi Peter,
Thank you for visiting. It's always great to see you!
Yep... things are good in Victoria. It turns out that we're one of the few places in the world to get on top of a second wave of covid so quickly! As I see it, Dan Andrews and Brett Sutton have done an awesome job. Soon we'll be nearly back to normal.
Great song Noel delivered with an excellent vocal and lush arrangement.
I was just thinking as I was listening that maybe the song is based on a real person you know, or have met on your travels, such is the detail you have included in your excellent lyrics.
I have always admired the way you are able to take a song apart and analyse the lyrics and other aspects of the song.
Windows 10 (64bit) M-Audio Fast Track Pro, Band in a Box 2025, Cubase 14, Cakewalk and far too many VST plugins that I probably don't need or will ever use
What a pleasant and quaint song you have posted! One can't help but smile listening to it. The instruments are played very well and the vocals match up very nicely. It sounds like a song from a totally different era. A brief injection of simplicity into our complicated, stressful lives of the modern world.
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.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
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.
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean