This might be an involved post. Thanks to those who have the time and inclination to read it. So first, I've been working on this song for weeks and I'm having a hard time trusting my artistic choices. I could really use ears to help with three different issues which I list below.
First, I want to say something about the song. It was inspired by a book called The Fifth Mountain by Paulo Coelho, a story of faith and courage during times of testing. I wrote the lyrics back in 2009 after reading the book. Thanks to BIAB, it's finally taking some shape and I find it quite a synchronicity to be working on it because it feels like a relevant message/tribute for friends in Western North Carolina (some still unaccounted for) who were my family for 10 years. I would really like to get it right.
Style is PNOMOOD1.STY (PianoMood1 - Reflective Soundtra) RealTracks in song: 2046:Piano, Acoustic, Solo-Accompaniment CountryPopJohn Ev 120 RealTracks in song: 695:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm ElecRockArp Ev 120 (A:arp) RealTracks in song: 1255:Bass, Electric, PopShiningA-B Ev 120 ReadDrums Congas Ev 16 (single) Loop Chillout_autumn_82_flute_e_minor (treated with flanger and reverb)
My questions in order of importance are:
Is the hissing of the flute too annoying? Is there anything I can do about it?
Do the congas work or is it just messy? I could not find the drums I wanted. I'm open to suggestions if you think something in the Pro pack could work.
What genre would you call this?
And of course, anything else you notice or care to offer...
Beth, lovely song. Do pray your friends are ok. Know communications are crippling the ability to know the extent of the damage and loss, even still. What a mess...
The "hissing flute" really wasn't noticeable to me. Most flute patches have a breath envelope in the attack. If your flutes were MIDI (and not a loop) you could edit the patch in the synth to reduce the breath attack. But I think it's fine.
The congas at about 2:00 sounded a bit out of sync to me, or at least they didn't feel like they contributed. But I liked the congas at about 4:00 as they seem a nice extra dynamic to drive the song to the conclusion.
Genre? Hmmm. New Age? The relaxing music and message of hope and redemption seem to fit. But I'm neither an expert nor a fan of genre categorization...
BUT...I did love your song!
DC Ron BiaB Audiophile Presonus Studio One ASUS I9-12900K DAW, 32 GB RAM Presonus Faderport 16 Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
Beth - to my ears any genre 'confusion' possibly arises from the unusual chord structure, some changes are 'edgy' and although I understand them and can follow them instantly on ac guitar, they twist my ears in places? Having said that - the fact that you've put the sequeence together and can sing over the top indicates a substantial talent on your part, how it sounds directs it towards potential listeners (or puts them off). I wouldn't select chords 'because you can' or because they are possible - great songwriters work with chord sequences which 'feel right' and sound harmonious, you have huge ability as a song writer and singer and I get the impression you're about to do great music & recordings!! Push on Beth, many new discoveries just round the corner!
Carl, you're a sweetheart for saying such nice things. I will push on because I'm having fun. God must have given me weird ears because I honestly don't hear what's so unusual about my chords (though I've been told before I "have the wrong ones"). I guess I like a bit of dissonance; it's truer to life. Not that I really know what I'm doing!
Is the hissing of the flute too annoying? Is there anything I can do about it?
Do the congas work or is it just messy? I could not find the drums I wanted. I'm open to suggestions if you think something in the Pro pack could work.
What genre would you call this?
And of course, anything else you notice or care to offer...
Firstly re genre, I have no clue, but more often than not I haven't a clue what genre a lot of my material is. There are so many genres, subgenres, sub-subgenres and sub-sub-subgenres these days I haven't a clue how so much of my own work.
It's hard to criticise so much that's posted on this forum as so often it comes down to taste and preference, but I personally thought that both the flute and congas were the wrong instruments for the song.
What key is the song in and what's the tempo? Also, which program do you use for mixing the tracks? I only use Audacity as I was familiar with it prior to discovering BiaB, plus it's free and doesn't use up much disc space. I'd actually like to have a go at creating BiaB instrumentation for this song, but I've found through working with vocalists on Fiverr that the way they envisage how to produce a song around lyrics is totally alien to mine. One vocalist totally misunderstood clear instructions re what I wanted and produced her own version, completely ignoring my music, and while what she produced was actually quite brilliant just wasn't at all what I wanted. Re your song, I relate to the lyrics, so I'd choose more positive instrumentation.
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
Yes, a lot comes down to personal preference. Ironically, the flute was somehow essential to me, just wasn't sure the best way to work it in. I appreciate that the lyrics spoke to you (the book is a great read too). While I'm not interested in collaborations on this song at this point, you're always free to play around with it.
Ooo, cool how the harmony comes in on the right, then moves towrad the center. Extraordinary lyrics of human compassion. Hope your friends are doing well. I, too, have some folks in the way of the storm. The piano is so good. Nothing about the flute annoyed me. The conga don't really add anything, so I'd dump them. The drums are there for a sense of time, and the seem fine for the song. The song itself is too good to care. I'm not big on any restrictions genre classification imposes. Just create like you do and let others decide where to file it in the music store.
Enjoy whatever happens! marty
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@babumusic51 SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/marty-straub Band in a Box, Reaper, Cakewalk, Ozone 12, EZDrummer
Second, This is really good. Loved your vocal and chord progression. I found the congos distracting and if this were my song I would delete them. IMHO this song does not need any percussion or drums. The flute is fine. For a genre I would put this in the good music category.
OK, a random thought; Why does toilet paper need a commercial? Who's not buying it?
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
I think the congas are just fine - but I seem to be in the minority with that opinion. If anything, I would simply drop them and not replace them with anything.
Genre? That's often a conversation that will present more than one or two opinions. As Mario suggested, it's just good music. But if it were manditory to need a genre for this (posting on some sites require that), I'd go with Alternative Acoustic.
Wishnh you the very best and hope your friends back the States will be fine. best to you,
Is the hissing of the flute too annoying? Is there anything I can do about it? The version I heard has the flute too far in the background to even hear any hiss. I didn't even remember hearing it once the song was done.
If you've got issues with flute hiss, you can use a low pass filter to cut off some of the high frequency noise.
Do the congas work or is it just messy? I could not find the drums I wanted. I'm open to suggestions if you think something in the Pro pack could work. Drop the congas, they don't really add much.
What genre would you call this? It's folk with New Age lyrics - at least, that's what an average listener would discern from the lyrics.
Yes, a lot comes down to personal preference. Ironically, the flute was somehow essential to me, just wasn't sure the best way to work it in. I appreciate that the lyrics spoke to you (the book is a great read too). While I'm not interested in collaborations on this song at this point, you're always free to play around with it.
Key F Tempo 105 The chords are attached.
I've copied the chord sheets. I'll play around with it when I have some free time.
Some favourite Waoist Adages: #1: Play on the Way. #13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you. #58: Bring consciousness to it. #63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made. #92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
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