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Hi everyone, I was away for a while due to health problems. Before that started I was busy making a song on the state of our earth. But I couldn't finish it for some time. I asked the help of Ray and my (Australian) brother in law on lyric issues, and Marty and Wolfgang, Andi's brother, to advice me on issues in the song. Before I got ill, I wanted a sitar in the song. Well everyone was against that idea, but I was a bit of a hardliner on that. So it stayed in. And afterwards they liked it... (Ray didn't know about that). When I was thinking of the lyrics, it crossed my mind that a lot of people say the are concerned about what's happening in the world, our environment e.d., but on the other hand aren't changing their way of living. for instance; we never flew more than last year. And than I thought, but what about me? Well that is the content of these lyrics. I hope you like it, but tell me what I could have done better or so. Hans The song: Troubled Times, link: https://soundcloud.com/user-296497130/troubled-timesThe lyrics: Troubled Times (c) HWBerkhout, dec 18, 2022/ Jan14, 2023 *(People who value freedom most, are most often deprived of it, Ales Bialiatski, Belarus) I see dark clouds on the horizon, growing darker every day Still we act indifferently while they are approaching Is this how we battle global warming, with more words than deeds? When every forty seconds someone dies because of this? Chorus Troubled times engulf the world And solutions seem complex We have to change our lives, but still I hear: "Not me! I change nothing" People who value freedom most, are most often deprived of it* It's where tyrants rule in rogue states, and they laugh in our faces Do you see democracy dying, while extremism thrives? This will destroy societies before our very eyes Chorus Troubled times engulf the world And solutions seem complex We have to change our lives, but still I hear: "Not me! I change nothing" =solo= bridge: Conspiracy theories are the new truth, but they will never save this world and in front of my mirror I wonder: does that apply to me too? Chorus 2x Troubled times engulf the world And solutions seem complex We have to change our lives, but still I hear: "(Not me!) I change nothing" Outro /Solo chorus Troubled thoughts engulf my head And solutions seem too complex I know I have to change my life But I hear the whispers: "I do nothing, nothing, nothing" Troubled times engulf the world We have to change our lives (2x) but still I hear: I change nothing The instruments: Style is _RADICAL.STY (Radical Disco Funk Blues). Key: D Tempo: 110 bpm RealTracks in style: 2937:Bass, Fretless Electric Pop8thsRene Ev 085 RealTracks in song: 2021:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm CountryBalladJohn Ev 120 RealTracks in style: 2905:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm BrightBluesyPopColin Ev 100 RealTracks in song: 3164:Guitar, Baritone Electric, Rhythm BluesyPopSteady8thsCleanBrent Ev 100 RealTracks in song: 4231:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm SoulRock70s Ev 100 RealTracks in song: 4044:Sitar, Background SlowSwing16thsAnwar Sw16 075 RealDrums in Song:FunkDisco: a: Kick, HiHatb: Kick, Closing HiHat Beside this I used my keyboards in my DAW and loops for the fx.
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Hans and collab team,
It doesn't matter what style of song you do, your vocals always make a song work well! You've got a great voice for Pop/Rock tunes! Your collaboration team you put together served you well! I like the experimental nature of the instrumentation you used and feel it worked well!
Thanks, T
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Hans and company, you hit the nail right on the head with this song.
"People who value freedom most are most often deprived of it*
It's where tyrants rule in rogue states, and they laugh in our faces
Do you see democracy dying, while extremism thrives?
This will destroy societies before our very eyes"
That is so true and happening as I type.
Outstanding song in every way.
PS - loved that sitar!
Principal: Your child always causes trouble in school.
Me: My child causes trouble at home, do I ever call you?
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Hans, you sure chose a good collaboration team - and the results prove it. Personally I usually don't like the sound of a sitar, but along with your comrades, I think it works very well in this song. Good for you for sticking to your guns. I thought the mix was also very good, and that it was a very good write as well. I think the specific topic is interchangeable with many topics, and as a result becomes relevant to a vast array of people. Good job on a good song.
Brad
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Really Cool song man!
Excellent instrumentation, idea, vox, playing, mix, everything.
This is quite moving.
Loved it.
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Hans
Nice work - strong vocal and a good driving song, with a strong lyric.
Sitar was good - I've got one in a song I've been updating.
Excellent.
Peter
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I'm glad you are back, hope you are feeling much better now. This new song is really strong one. Very important but sad message, you have managed to build strong lyrical content around it, using even statistics and that nice Bialiatski's quote.
The melody and the chords are very enjoyable.
The arrangement sounds very interesting and full of small details, so much happening, must have taken lots of work. The combination of several styles, soul, rock, disco, shows your enormous talent and creativity. The sitar blends nicely in the tapestry of those styles.
Your voice is as strong as ever, excellent performance.
Janne
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Hey Hans, I'm not sophisticated enough to fully appreciate the music as it is quite complex and not in my limited wheelhouse [yet?]. But man, I give you more credit than I can express for the messages in this song.
Here in the US one could argue we are the worlds leading exporter of expertise-denialism including climate denial and vaccine denial. Remember hydroxychloroquine, bleach and beams of light? Not to mention our Jan 6.
We babyboomers may have contributed a lot to progress but I'm looking forward to when Gen X takes the baton.
Keep speaking the truth brother!
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
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Hi, Hans. You KNOW I loved the somewhat-out-of-place sitar right from the start. That's the only credit I deserve for this masterpiece. I really like how you work, how you build a song and keep changing it to make it even better. You vocals are always SO GOOD. Pneumonia has nothing on you. Well, you already know how much I love this song, and how good you are at including dynamics.
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Wow! That was really something. A powerful message wrapped inside a great vocal and surrounded by a unique arrangement. My old brain had a bit of trouble trying to follow the quickly changing chord progression but you were on it the whole way. I liked the sitar for it's worldly appeal. After all it's a global problem. The drums sound great and the mix is outstanding. I loved it from start to finish, just glad I didn't have to play on it. Lol, Tom
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Hi Torrey, Mario and Brad, Thanks a lot for listening and commenting a song about doing nothing ;-) Hans and collab team,
It doesn't matter what style of song you do, your vocals always make a song work well! You've got a great voice for Pop/Rock tunes! Your collaboration team you put together served you well! I like the experimental nature of the instrumentation you used and feel it worked well!
Thanks, T Torrey, the collab team was complaining they had not much to do. But I told them they did a wonderful job for me. I liked what they did! Sometimes it lead to nothing, but then the song changed and that was because of them. The only instrument that was not exchanged for another at all was the sitar. Their resistance was fierce at first, till that moment most of them loved it... But they had to be patience on the final song, because first I got the flew and later that turned into pneumonia. That was heavy stuff! And I also got the wrong medicine... Hans and company, you hit the nail right on the head with this song.
"People who value freedom most are most often deprived of it*
It's where tyrants rule in rogue states, and they laugh in our faces
Do you see democracy dying, while extremism thrives?
This will destroy societies before our very eyes"
That is so true and happening as I type.
Outstanding song in every way.
PS - loved that sitar!
Mario, ha! You liked the sitar!!! To tell you the truth, I never used that instrument in my songs. I knew George Harrison used it in a song with a Maharadja. It wasn't my cup of tea... Yes, those sentences you've quoted took me a lot of time. Not because of the message, but how to make them fit in the song. And while I was ill, I read the papers and saw that line from Ales Bialiatski from Belarus and I thought "That's what I need!" The other lines I already wrote, but couldn't sing of course. But that sentece of doing nothing is actually a bit true. Well we use less meat, don't fly often, but on the other hand... And that was the main message. Thanks you liked it, Mario! Hans, you sure chose a good collaboration team - and the results prove it. Personally I usually don't like the sound of a sitar, but along with your comrades, I think it works very well in this song. Good for you for sticking to your guns. I thought the mix was also very good, and that it was a very good write as well. I think the specific topic is interchangeable with many topics, and as a result becomes relevant to a vast array of people. Good job on a good song.
Brad Brad, if you read my relies to Torrey and Mario, you'll see I didn't like it either. But sometimes you have to take a step out of your own groove, at least I think like that. And you are right, the topics I 'touched' could have filled a song from 6 hours. No one would have listened to it, but there is a lot to worry about. I haven't named your country...;-)) Thanks a lot for this nice comment, Brad! I wish you all a very nice musical day, Hans
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Nice one Hans,
a complete success...love the vocal & message.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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Hello Hans
Really cool song
I was partly present at the creation
And you really managed to improve the song again and again and to make adjustments respectively
And that was certainly not an easy task with this song
And your idea with the sitar, which you had from the beginning, was the right idea.
Great work my friend
Many greetings
Andi ;-)
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David, Peter and Jannesan, Thanks for listening to this song with that odd instrument. I was afraid people would appreciate it, but so far I'm wrong.
Really Cool song man!
Excellent instrumentation, idea, vox, playing, mix, everything.
This is quite moving.
Loved it.
David, what a lot of compliments from you! Thanks for that. I am glad my voice came back just in time. Hans
Nice work - strong vocal and a good driving song, with a strong lyric.
Sitar was good - I've got one in a song I've been updating.
Excellent.
Peter Peter, thanks for this. I am curious how your sitar song will sound. You know, I never liked the sound of that instrument. I was experimenting a bit with sounds and so I used the sitar too. Not expecting any use of it, but to my surprise, with a strong beat it sounded surprisingly well. Then I decided to use it, although a lot of people were shocked to hear about that decision... I'm glad you are back, hope you are feeling much better now. This new song is really strong one. Very important but sad message, you have managed to build strong lyrical content around it, using even statistics and that nice Bialiatski's quote.
The melody and the chords are very enjoyable.
The arrangement sounds very interesting and full of small details, so much happening, must have taken lots of work. The combination of several styles, soul, rock, disco, shows your enormous talent and creativity. The sitar blends nicely in the tapestry of those styles.
Your voice is as strong as ever, excellent performance.
Janne Janne, that pneumonia came out of nothing, well, I was coughing a lot the last month or so. And at first I had a wrong medicine. So, not a very 'nice' start of 2023. Because of this the (almost finished) song was rebuild in bits an pieces. I changed it all the time. Mostly in my head, because I stayed in bed. I read about Bialiatski and decided to make way for it my lyrics. And then I changed the intro, later also the outro. My wife went crazy. Luckily my music partners did not! But because of that the song became like it is now. And I'm very glad you liked it! Hans
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Hi Hans,
Very pleasant composition. The use of the Sitar is original even if it only intervenes discreetly
Kindly regard
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash
Kindly regards
Derochette
alias JaniJackFlash
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Hi, Hans, awesome work to all involve, love the vocal very well done and changes are excellent thanks Eric
AMD (TM) 5950 4.9 GHz 16Core Processor 64 bit 32 bits of ram windows 10 pro 64 bit os. sound card Antelope ZenQ guitars Ibanez 2202a 1968 les Paul Custom and Cavin ae 185 Guitar boss Gt-100,GT1000 pedal Yamaha HS8 studio monitors
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Hans,
A good write. Serious stuff.
Good vocals.
Cool BAND.
Excellent mix.
Good stuff.
fj
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Good song, Hans, message is right on point. Good vocals as always, also like your arrangement and use of dynamics. Sitar? Why not? 
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First, we’re sorry that you were ill and very happy that you are better and back to the forum! This is a powerful song for your return, Hans, and we’re glad you held out for the sitar. Janice said she immediately thought of George Harrison when she heard it and of the optimism that so much of his music evoked. Hopefully such optimism will return to the world stage. Bud said he was reminded of, "if you aren't part of the solution you are part of the problem." Your vocals are soulful and the dynamics in the song are very effective with the lyric message. Those ominous sounding guitar chords that appear occasionally are a great bookend to the sweet, hopeful sitar. Welcome back, John! Kudos to the entire team! 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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Weird, my earlier post seems to have disappeared.
I'm glad you're doing better!
Good write. Cool feel for the song. Interesting backing, good vocals.
The sitar is an interesting choice for a solo, but then, when does a sitar fit into a mix? Still, it grows on me. And I think it works really nicely as a backing instrument.
-- David Cuny My virtual singer development blogVocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
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