So, been using BIAB for a little while and just pushed this tune out I wrote a few weeks ago.

SoundCloud

The entire thing is done on BIAB, and was mixed down with Real Band.
the vocals are mine (Joe Holt). It was not done using a style. As I pick all the instruments carefully myself. The one lone bass drum is a loop created with Real Band. There is also Youtube video if anybody cares.

YouTube

Hey Joe,

This is songwriting at its finest, a very well done and enjoyable song, looking forward to more in the celtic style from you.

Musiclover

Well, that's an awfully kind comment.

Wow!! Beautifully done in every aspect. Amazing song, vocal, arrangement. Works on every level!! Great work! Take care. Greg

Hi Joe,

welcome to the forum.
It's a really amazing song.
Great vocals and instrumentation.
Enjoyable listen.

Guenter

Thanks folks for the kind comments, and I appreciate the forum welcome. I write a great deal so I will put more up over time.

Hi Joe. Welcome to the forum. Nice song and performance. Thanks for sharing. As others have said, this is a well written and arranged song. What actually impressed me the most were your vocals. After viewing The Cumberland on YouTube, I took the opportunity to enjoy some of your other posts with Acoustic Smoke. Impressive. Your vocals and performance are stellar on every video and I encourage the other forum members take time to listen to this song and some of your other posts on YouTube.

Your videos are very tastefully done in a professional appearance and the audio and video mix is really nice.

I got all the way back to your first post where you describe your composer studio and vision for your YouTube channel. It was also on that first post that you credit Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy for you vocal acumen. BiaB helps me with my musical limitations but is little help in masking my vocal talent mediocrity. I've checked out his website and product and will review some more of his Vocal Academy YouTube posts. But, I was wondering how substantially do you think his course helped your vocal progress from your proficiency before taking his course to your opinion to the quality of your vocals after you finished?

Regards,

Charlie

Charlie I so appreciate your encouragement and comments. Bearing in mind, I was a professional singer before I began using Tamplin, He did great things for me. His classes are stage one, two and three. One for beginners, two is intermediate and three is masters full pro. Three is difficult stuff no question. When I purchase his course online I quickly found I was right at the top of his intermediate class. I could do his Master's class as well, but it wasn't easy. His classes are based in an operatic style designed to give your voice flexibility, range and control. Tone and color you have to get elsewhere, or as I did just develop on your own.

Tamplin will easily teach you the basics from body control to range and he does it with a pretty easy to follow format. Any professional singer must be able to do three things: One, there can be absolutely no discernible gap between your chest and head voice. Tamplin is very good and working this. Two, you must have a minimum of a three to four octave range with equal power tone and control at every point in every octave. Tamplin does wonders for this. Three, your vocal pitch control and the speed at which you can change pitches must be nearly absolute. Again, Tamplin totally hits it.

With the main Course comes a vocal workout for each gender and for each stage of the course. This workout is a Godsend for me. Both video and audio versions are included. I put it on my phone and warm up with it every time I go into the studio or on stage. That alone has proven priceless. Even as a pro I never warmed up very well because I confess I really didn't know how, I had been classically trained as a singer but it was so very long ago and I had stopped singing for two decades. If you do as he suggests and simply do the vocal warmup every day, you will move from stage one, to stage two, to stage three very rapidly. In the end, with his course it's really no more complex than just doing those warm ups every day like learning any instrument. They are simple, to the point and effective. One aside, he has kept the 80's metal rocker hair. He tosses it like a woman every few minuets on the videos . . . . drives me nuts, oh well, artists.

Hi Joe - Welcome to the forum!

A solid write and a very fitting arrangement - good grouping of instruments. Nice build.

Terrific vocal.

Looking forward to more...

floyd

Hey Floyd, I have listened to several of your pieces on here as well. It's some of the better stuff on the forum.

Very nice recording and singing. Excellent use of the BIAB stuff. I watched the youtube version and then went to soundcloud version (must be a good song -- ha, ha).

The thump-thump bass drum didn't fit into the track as well I would have hoped. Maybe it is just a tad too loud. Good singing for sure!

Well, I can see that with the Bass drum. I have a version where it is louder but felt it was too much. The intent was to subtlety suggest an old galley ship rowing drum. Just an emotional thing really. If anyone has a suggestion for maybe a better sounding drum that might fit that bill I would love it.
Thanks

Joe, thanks for taking time to give such a complete answer. Very helpful.

LoL; I'll keep a watch out for flying hair if I order the course.

I appreciate you taking time to respond in such detail and look forward to your next original composition.

Charlie

Welcome Joe!

Impressive.

Love the expression in your voice.

Nice arrangement too.

I've never tried looping - isn't it great you could do that right in RB!


Josie

Welcome Joe,

Your voice is incredibly powerful.
The lyrics are wonderful

As the others have said this is an impressive song
Maybe alternating each hit between a floor tom and a low tom.

I look forward to hearing more

Alyn

Hey Joe....

Nice song and good work using BB & RB. Nice writing job. I'd like to see the lyrics somewhere. It's a bit hard for these old ears to understand all the words clearly.

I think the use of period instruments was really well done.

On the kick.... hummmm... it was ok but not quite on the spot as Kemmrich pointed out. Sounded kinda dry... more of a thud than a solid kick. Sometimes you have to think out of the box. I have used a cardboard box, the desk surface with the fleshy part of my closed fist, and yeah, even my drum samples to get closer to the sound I'm looking.

Also EQ, compression and verb needs to be applied. Perhaps even try layering and see how that sounds....in other words... experiment.

I think there are a few country artists that are popular now that are delving back into this period style of music.... The Band Perry being the first one that comes to mind. Listen closely to modern period to see how they use the kick and try to emulate that in your tunes.

All in all, an excellent tune and welcome to the users forum..... looking forward to hearing interesting and enjoyable things from you in the future.

EDIT: since you called this a "demo" are you planning on finishing it? I'm not a big fan of faded endings, I'd rather her the song wrapped up nicely..... although I do fade my bluegrass tribute Ode to Wolf, but of course, my buddy died, so the fade is representative of losing him..... But back to your tune.... I'd like to hear this one in it's finished version..... assuming that you plan to do so.

This is masterful work. Wonderful marriage of great writing, singing and recording. Where have you been all my life?


I love your other stuff on your site as well (especially "Jonah").

Any plans of a tour?


http://acousticsmoke.com/index.html


Regards,

Bob

I believe I share your feelings with both the drum and the fade out ending. In fact, the history channel asked me to write the theme song for one of their up and coming reality shows called "Woodies Fairly Reliable Guide Service." I have the song finished in demo form now,

Sound Cloud

but I learned a fascinating lesson. They told me they do not purchase Fade out endings, only what they call button endings. I was told that is industry standard for film and TV so I am now writing only button endings but this song slipped in before I learned that. I should probably fix that as you suggest.

I totally agree on the drum and yes, I think I will fix that and come up with a complete non demo version of the piece. I will put it up here I think in a couple of days maybe. Also, here are the words:

The Cumberland
When wind it wanes and canvas hangs like stiff clothes on a wire,
The seadogs call me prophet; the young pups call me liar.
brave and bold we sailed that old and stormy southern sea.
We raged along the slavers coast, a terror proud to be.

Blooded hands and callused feet, our nerves immune to fear.
We suck on rum like babies thumb cause farmhands dine on beer.
Again the call aroused us all and back to sea we go.
Climb swift the riggings lift and let the salty canvas show.

At last the foe to Hampton Roads, comes our ship to claim.
Their back it shines like metal tin, their short mast billows flame.
We know our loss when broadsides cross and heaven hears our plea.
Now drink deep the salty sleep, we're baptized by the sea.

Pipe all hands to muster, beat to quarters dog the guns
Decks are cleared for action boys now, put 'em to the run.
When the first round struck and glanced the steel nations cried and swore
Our first rounds last of sailings past it put all wooden ships ashore

We couldn't win we shouldn't run, we wouldn't strike the flag
I watched each crew stay fast their gun while the hull turned into rag
The seadogs call me prophet; the young pups call me liar.
She lay the shallows draft to the yards dead with all flags flyin'

Well, that's an impressive forum debut. As all have mentioned everything works together well in support of the exceptionally expressive vocal and the fine lyric. Kudos!

Welcome, hang around a while, you might find things you like here and will certainly "meet" some interesting folks.

Bob, you are far too kind. Acoustic Smoke just completed their 12 city summer tour for 2014. We run a pretty small area up here in Northern Minnesota from Grand Forks ND in the West to Duluth MN in the East, everything between them and on North to the Canadian boarder. This winter we will be in the studio recording out third album "Woodies Fairly Reliable Guide Service." We are not signed to a record company for this new record, but we are signed to a talent agent and he can keep us pretty busy in the summers up here in the North Land.

Just remember, when there is 3 feet of snow on the ground up there in January, it's warm and sunny in Florida!

I'd love to hear you guys live.


Regards,

Bob

Alyn that's actually a pretty good idea, I might give that go. By the way, you produce the wildest stuff. I can't quite decide if I love it, or hate it and there isn't much room in between the two extreams. I expect that's what you are going for. It's just. . . well . . . wild. I bet you get that alot.

Joe,
Very well done. You have a great voice. Thanks for sharing
SD

I'll +1 that. Powerful vocals! Below is a local DJ serious fan of the Folk scene in these warmer parts

http://wlrn.org/people/michael-stock

Joe,
Thanks for listening to my stuff and your honesty,
It's never what I intentionally go for it just happens

Back to you, I've listened to some of your other songs and am impressed, best of luck for that History Channel song.

By the way the lyrics for this song "paint a picture with words"
beautiful

Alyn

Wow. Flash from the past. Michael Stock is still around? We did his TV show many years ago. He asked my favorite interview question ever - "So, do you like playing music?"

Cool tune there about Woodies Guide service.

Welcome to the forums Joe.

What I would have said has already been said so all I can do is to repeat what a great first song on the forum! You have a very good voice, much better than most so called professional singers in today's rock and country scene!