Dear PG Music:

Here is my submission for the Xtra Styles contest (Jazz category). I love these Xtra styles. The STARLIT.STY style, which is a jazz rock players dream, enabled me to go back to the Prog Rock glory days of groups like Yes. During the composition of this piece, I had been studying the songwriting and production in the album Close to the Edge, which I tried to reflect in style, energy and feeling.

https://soundcloud.com/david-snyder-gigs/long-distance-runner

This was presented in a forum last week. Below are the lyrics, following that is the Style I used and the additional real tracks I added, and a description of the parts I played myself.
Finally I have pasted a forum post where I explained how I produced and arranged the piece from start to finish to get that “Yes” sound.

Genre: Progressive Rock/Jazz

Long Distance Runner

By David Snyder

Prologue (The Delirium):

Blue Haze, Summer
Long Distance Runner
Blue Phase, Summer
Long Distance Runner

Verse 1

Think fast, moon blast
Seagrass, long past,
Love right, hang tight
Seems right
Light dust, moon rust
Clock out of water, clock out of order
Mariner’s daughter

Ch:

Twist and shout
Cool haze of summer
Blue haze of summer
See past the border
Ring flash, sea splash
Twist and shout
Roundabout
Cool haze, cool haze,
Cool haze of summer
See past the border
Long Distance Runner
Knights of the Order
Long Distance Runner

V2

There is no dark side of the sun
It’s dark for everyone
Into the water
Long Distance Runner
Learn past, run fast, seagrass
Ten past the corner
Long Distance Runner

CH

Learn past, run fast, seagrass
Ten past the corner
Long Distance Runner
Long Distance Runner


Epilogue (The Redemption)
Think tall, see small
Run for the border
Run for the border
Long Distance Runner

All lyrics and music copyright David Snyder 2016


****** Song Summary *************
Title: Long Distance Runner
Key=C , Tempo 100, Length (m:s)=3:57
23 bar intro, 73 bar chorus, from bar 24 to bar 96. Repeat x1 chorus

Basic Style is _STARLIT.STY (Star-lit Dreamy Jazz Rock) Xtra
Styles (User Defined and Modified)

David Snyder, Acoustic Guitar, 12 String, Sitar, Electric Lead and Rhythm, Ibanez Hollow Body, Synth, Organ

Lead and Backing Vocals, Production

RTs:
RealTracks in style: 1759:Bass, Electric, Pop16ths Ev 085
RealTracks in style: 912:Piano, Electric, Rhythm SmoothPoppy Ev16 090
RealTracks in style: ~542:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm Dreamy Ev 085
RealTracks in style: 2603:Guitar, Electric, Soloist JazzRock16thsJon Ev16 090
RealTracks in song: 381:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm Syncopated Sugar Ev 102
RealTracks in song: 1596:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Pop16ths Ev16 065
RealDrums in style: RockModernSyncEv16^8-a:Snare, Closed HiHat , b:Snare, Ride

Production Notes

Hey thanks for the nice comments everybody. For those who wanted to know how this was done, I have some source material. In the drop box with my user tracks I put the organ part in both Finale and Midi. The instrument in Garritan/GPO5 is "full organ." For Finale users it should open right up. This part I had to play myself of course.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/y4ujowwpqh5y42t/AABnCcRP8YYL6ydXzoebe2Nza?dl=0

This Rick Wakeman style part moves fast and goes against the BIAB backing tracks--kinda sorta you have two keys stacked on top of one another. The song is in C, but this part is playing in a ringing G modality--basically G7sus and Dm7 with a few odd notes--the G Bass note operating as a pedal throughout. This is what creates the momentum.

Over that, I am playing a hollow body electric with a riff that is in A minor, basically doing a lot of pull offs starting on the A on the 10th fret and walking down, hammering on the third and fourth string around the fifth fret then working my way back up. That creates the swirl. I laid out the entire composition in one Chorus in BIAB and killed most of the other instruments except for drums and bass until the opening is over, and then the whole band kicks in in that Starlit style (Xtra style.) The drum pattern is reversed. The intro uses a Chorus pattern (green) and the next section follows with a Verse drum pattern (blue) switching back and forth. One half of your brain is insisting the song is going Chorus Verse Chorus while the other half insists it is Verse Chorus Verse. That is when the hallucination kicks in.

The rest is just 4 separate vocal tracks doing a different melody with one "main" vocal track.

Anyway, with the Xtra styles and some homemade playing, it is possible to get that prog rock sound. It's fun. Give it a whirl!!

David,


great vocals and excellent orchestration/arrangement.


And thanks for sharing your production efforts and for providing the downloads.


Looking forward to trying the Finale file.

Thanks and sure!!

It should be set to Full Organ in Garritan (GPO4 or GPO5) but if it is not, set it to full organ in Aria Player. If it is set to piano it won't sound like much.

Good one, David!

David, I really enjoyed this. A couple of days ago, I was out walking the dog and I normally listen to Spotify while walking. Every day I think, "who should I listen to today?" Well I selected Rick Wakeman (whom I haven't listened to in awhile, mainly because I only have him in vinyl), but was needing some of that 70s prog-rock. So I really enjoyed the "Yes" vibe of your song (very timely for my listening pleasure).

The production work is great and you've done some pretty cool stuff with the RT's.

A really interesting composition. You make great use of the new Xtra styles. In joyed this.

Charlie

Wonderful David. A great production. Love the layered vocals

Hi David,
as i wrote in Soundcloud , it's incredible your passion for music.
I like it , in particular way the intro.

A very full on sound.

Thanks for the listen.

Hi David,

I think is my favourite of your competition entries! Great vocals and I must admit that I listened to it before I read your explanation and immediately thought "reminds me of early Yes". So well done, you definitely achieved what you set out to.

Interesting production notes. I must give that a go as I am still into a lot of Prog Rock myself (Yes, Return to Forever, Rush, Alan Parsons, Bill Bruford plus many more I cannot recall).

Rec

Thanks Noel!!

Thanks John!!

Thanks Charlie!

Thanks Joanne!

Thanks so much, I really appreciate that!

Thanks VideoTrack!

Thanks so much, and thanks for the vocal production tips!