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I sadly have less and less time to write, let alone listen, these days. That said, I just wanted to share this little song here ... hope you like it. Hopefully, my schedule will lighten up soon, and inspiration and the mood to write will come back soon. Anyway, all feedback welcome - thanks for taking the time to listen. https://jamesdelsono.bandcamp.com/track/a-melody-for-our-soulsA MELODY FOR OUR SOULS See, every time I write a love song And picture you sat by my side, I feel that, somehow, something's wrong And it's as if you had died. And every time I try to write About something, someone else instead It is the dream of YOUR sight That reminds me our love is dead. ... and yet ... You are alive,
Somewhere, a place I'll never see ...
You are not mine,
In my arms, again, you'll never be.*** And so, each, every time I write a love song My pen stops here, uninspired By anything apart from our love, long gone ... It is so late, now, and I am tired ... And yet, rather than to an empty bed Retire, my quill hovers, over here ... Our love may long have been gone ... and yet, In writing, I can let flow one more tear ... For you are alive,
Somewhere, a place I'll never see
You are not mine, forever not mine ...
In my arms, again, you'll never be.*** Remembering, remembering The night you said "I'm ever yours", I cry and close my eyes, and write A melody for our souls. ****** Song Summary ************* Title: A Melody for Our Souls File:A Melody for Our Souls.SGU Key=C , Tempo 100, Length (m:s)=3:57 No intro. 128 bar chorus, from bar 1 to bar 128. Repeat x1 chorus No Melody No Soloist track. Song is saved with Volume, Pan, Reverb, Chorus, Bank0, Song is saved with bar changes for Key Signature, Style is _WHIMSY.STY (Whimsical Piano Country Waltz) RealTracks in style: ~1122:Bass, Acoustic, CountryWaltz Sw 110 RealTracks in style: ~2049:Piano, Acoustic, Solo-Accompaniment CountryWaltzJohn Sw 085 RealTracks in style: 829:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm Country Waltz Sw 110 (A:held) RealTracks in style: ~~689:Organ, B3, Background Pop Ev 085 RealDrums [in style:NashClassicWaltzSw^4-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride *******************
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Hi James,
What a journey!
Bernie Taupin once wrote some lyrics for an Elton John melody that said, "Sad songs, they say so much." It was while I was listening to your words that this thought popped into my mind.
I love how verse 1 captures the emptiness and loneliness of a broken relationship. This leads perfectly into the next stage of the story where the song's writer/character is having a hard time finding words to express his feelings.
When the journey gets to the last line of verse 4—where you say, "In writing, I can let flow one more tear"—it seemed to me that this is the most important line of the song. It's as though every previous line leads to this moment. In this line, the song's character is crying through his crafting of a song. Even though his mind might be numbed and dazed, his heart is sobbing.
I know you like being inventive with your composing. This is no exception. Juxtaposing sad lyrics against a slightly buoyant backing created an interesting contrast. The combination of words, backing and your vocals kept me engaged for the whole length of the song.
I enjoyed listening and appreciate where your song took me.
I hope that life stops being so busy for you!
Noel
MY SONGS...Audiophile BIAB 2026
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James, you said that you were very busy these days so you had little time to both write and listen to songs. If you can keep writing masterpieces like this while you are very busy I hope you keep being very busy  Seriously this is an outstanding song. The backing tracks match those extremely sad lyrics perfectly, brilliant! This is your best to date IMHO!
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Your poetry is always inspiring.
Well done!
moto
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James,
Nice one, nice write. That chorus is achingly sad. Well done! Here’s hoping things slow down for you and you can spend more time sharing your music.
All my best to you,
Deej
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Hi James,
Good writing! And the spoken word delivery works well.
Good job on the backing track too, well done.
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Noel: thanks so much for such a thoughtful and in-depth review. The reason I put a buoyant background track underneath sad lyrics is because I wanted to convey that the character in the song is keeping a brave face in front of adversity - it's all "major key" on the face of it, but the lyrics tell a different story. I don't know if I conveyed that, but that was the idea :-) . Again, thank you for your wonderful and kind review!
Mario: wow. I'm so glad you enjoyed the song. Don't know if it's my best so far, but yes, I think that the lyrics were "to the point" on this one, so perhaps that's a reason why you may have liked it? Who knows. but THANK YOU for listening and for such a wonderful reaction and review to it!
Captain Moto, Deej and BlueAttitude: thank you. I, too, hope to be less busy soon. In the meantime, it warms the heart to hear such nice reviews, honestly. Thanks so much for taking the time to listen and provide feedback :-)
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So, so beautiful... I don't have the words to explain how much I enjoyed this... it is a stunning piece of music!
Will
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Thanks so much, Will - wow. I'm so grateful for such a wonderful reaction to any song of mine, and for such words. Thanks.
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James,
I can truly relate to what you said about not having the time to work on music! It's such a shame to not be able to do what we love but it makes us appreciate the valuable time we do have and make it count!
You did an excellent job putting this one together! Your mix sounds good and your words paint a lovely picture once again!
Hopefully you'll soon find more time to devote to your music! Take care, Torrey
Last edited by Torrey Bliss; 09/02/21 03:48 PM.
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This is a stunning piece! You may not have much time to write, listen, or play right now, but I think this shows that when you do get the time to do so, you'll knock it out of the park. Well done, and thanks for taking the time, as always, to share what you make with us! We love hearing what you guys make. It's definitely one of the major highlights of my day getting to listen to what everyone here on the forum creates.
Cheers,
Ember
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James,
A solid write. Mix is good.
fj
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My word. So much positive reaction - thank you, each and every one of you, for such nice words.
Torrey: time is always a challenge, but ... we HAVE to make time. Simply MUST.
Ember: thank you for such kind words. So happy you enjoyed this little effort of mine. Without Band-in-a-Box, none of my songs would exist today, so a special thanks to all of the staff at PG Music for making this happen and for listening to the results of what you have helped create.
fj: thanks for a fair appraisal of this work :-) I've done better, I've done worse, I think ... so yes, "solid write" is more than fair, I think, haha. Thanks for listening!!!
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Hi James, Whenever I hear your songs, they always remind me of back in the 70's when Telly Savalas used to sing songs. You use a lot of the same inflections in your voice and evoke so much emotions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J94-_w9ARX0It's always a nice listen. Thanks for posting.
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The juxtaposition is cool...it works well and the result leaves me hoping for a melodic rendition to come.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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A Noel said the contrast of the lyric and the backing tracks adds a different
(and effective) dimension to your song.
Also the Victorian aspects of some word choices enriches the imagery.
The build of the story from V1 is great.
Nice mix too!
Kudos,
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! A few of our videos are here on our website: https://www.janiceandbud.com/our-music.html
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Hi James,
Your song was very pleasant to listen to, in spite of the sad story.
While listening my attention drifted away from your words and replace them with images of my own.
Still your spoken words sounded through all of this and brought me back to your lyrics. It is beautiful to experience how spoken words and your voice can charm one's mind.
You've made a lot of progress,
Hans
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Thanks all. Dunno about a melodic version right now, Ray, but who knows, if I get the time! Thanks, everyone, for listening and for your very kind comments, once more!
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
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Introducing XPro Styles PAK 11 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
XPro Styles PAK 11 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 (and higher) is here with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 31 RealTracks/RealDrums!
Guess who’s back again? That’s right! It’s our XPro Styles PAK’s triumphant return with the 11th edition in this series! 100 new styles are coming your way spread across the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres. And this edition's wildcard genre explores the immense and far-reaching catalogue of electronic music! The included 31 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1-11 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 11 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2026 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 22 – Now Available for Mac Band-in-a-Box 2026 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Mac & Windows Band-in-a-Box version 2026 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
It’s time to celebrate! Xtra Styles PAK 22 for Band-in-a-Box® is here, and we've got 200 brand-new styles coming your way!
No Xtra Styles PAK is complete without the classic rock & pop, jazz, and country volumes you know and love, and we’ve got plenty to share, with 150 styles spread across too many genres to list! Of course, it also wouldn’t be complete with our special wildcard volume to add a little spice and pizzazz to the mix. This year, because we loved it so much the first time, we’ve decided to make the second iteration of our SynthMaster volume, full of new sounds, interesting genres, and 50 engaging styles, all making use of the diverse SynthMaster plugin! Here you can find genres such as airy yacht rock, sultry electrotango, and even some synth soca funk. Don’t wait, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 22 today!
In this PAK you can find: dulcet folk ballads, funky gospel country, Brazilian jazz fusion, upbeat 1980s pop, classic Americana, a plethora of breezy bossa novas, indie singer-songwriter, scintillating synthwave, exuberant electronica, and many, many more!
Special offers available until August 31st, 2026!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1-22 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 22 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 22.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 22 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 22 requires the 2026 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
Peter Gannon Talks Band-in-a-Box with zplane
zplane recently interviewed Peter Gannon, the founder and creator of Band-in-a-Box, about the software's early days, what sets it apart from AI, how zplane's audio algorithms are used in Band-in-a-Box, and more!
Special thanks to the team at zplane for their continued support.
Check out the full interview here: https://products.zplane.de/blog/peter-gannon-interview-pg-music
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