Here's a new song that I started putting together about a month ago. I thought I'd play around with jazz-funk. Hope you enjoy it.

Also... just recently, I read a post by Charlie Fogle wherein he said that he'd like to see some BIAB-created videos of songs. Charlie, the below video link will take you to such a video. It's great that BIAB 2015 makes these videos so easily. I synchronised my audio with it in Windows Movie Maker. Hope this clip is what you were meaning.

BIAB-created video: Out There Somewhere

Audio only: Out There Somewhere

Comments and criticisms welcome.

Regards,
Noel


Band In A Box
Style: _JFNKPOP.STY (JazzFunkPoppyRhythmSectn [110RS])

RT 1434: Bass, Electric, JazzFunkPoppy Ev16 110
RT 1435: Guitar, Electric, Rhythm JazzFunkGroovinChords Ev16 110
RT 1436: Guitar, Electric, Rhythm JazzFunkGroovinMute Ev16 110
RT 1437: Piano, Electric, Rhythm JazzFunkGroovin Ev16 110
RT 1761: Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Pop16ths Ev16 085
RT 745: Guitar, Electric, Soloist Jazz Ballad Sw 085

Drums: JAZZFUNKPOP^1-a:HHSDSTK, b:HHSNR


Lyrics
Red and orange ripples on the ocean
The scent of frangipani rides the breeze
Another moon will soon be climbing higher
As another sinking sun meets the seas
And here I stand, staring at the sunset
Hoping that a miracle will sail this way
If only I had wings
I could escape
Fly away today

Out there somewhere is home and I miss it so
It's out there somewhere and my heart is hungry to go
Every night I close my eyes
And with all my soul I hope and pray
That some day God will help me fly beyond the sea
Out there somewhere is where I long to be

In mem'ry, I see their happy faces
Friends and family wave me farewell
I watch the harbour fading in the distance
And feel adventure thrill me with a spell
But now I'm here, struggling for survival
Shipwrecked on an island unknown by man
I hope it's not too long
And to keep it short
I'll do everything I can

Out there somewhere is home and I miss it so
It's out there somewhere and my heart is hungry to go
Every night I close my eyes
And with all my soul I hope and pray
That some day God will help me fly beyond the sea
Out there somewhere is where I long to be
Out there somewhere is where I long to be

What a good song Noel, I really enjoyed listening and following the chords on the video.

Nice catchy chorus, a song that could be used in lots of different ways, just listening to, or film.

When I look at the chords I am amazed at the complexity of them, and how you were able to weave a nice melody line around them, curious to know Noel how you came up with the melody, did you have it first, and then just work out the chords for it, or put in chords and work out the melody line from them?

A most enjoyable listen Noel and the video is brilliant in showing us the chords and how its done.

Take care
Musiclover

Noel,
You've done a sensational job with this. I really like the vocals especially with the placement of backing vocals in the Choruses. They really fill the song out nicely.

The selection of style really works well, with a great guitar feel sitting throughout the mix.

The song tells a meaningful story in a well presented manner. Excellent choice of Styles.

Congratulations!
Trevor

Hi Musiclover,

Thanks for popping in.

This song was inspired by a minor-sounding loop I listened to over and over and over. I've found that if I repeatedly listen to a loop of music, around 2 to 8 bars, sooner of later words start coming to mind and sometimes those words can lead to lyrics. In this case, they did.

Originally this song began in the key of G minor because that was the key of loop. The chord progression for bars 3 - 10 came first and I built the melody around it simultaneously as I developed the lyrics. Then, when I got to the chorus, I thought it might be useful to give it a musical lift and so I went to G major (like the Cilla Black song, "You're My World"). Bars 3 - 10 are chords I, IV, V in the minor key and these are paralleled by chords I, IV, V in the major key in bars 19 - 26. Bars 11 - 18 were the last to be added and they came about when I was looking at extending the song. Essentially they are a transitional bridge where I'm travelling from the minor-key verse to the major-key chorus.

Thank you for taking the time to have a listen/watch. I appreciate it.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Trevor.

Good to see you. I agree. This is a really great style. I thought of eric and his classy, laid-back guitar playing when I put it together. He's the jazz-funk specialist in the forum!

I appreciate your taking the time to listen... thanks for the comments, too.

Regards,
Noel

very nice song. Much feeling in it.
Nice chords line.

I appreciate your video, so I played my guitar
while I was listening to the song very easily.

Great voice as usual.

Sergio

Hi Sergio,

Thanks for visiting. I appreciate the comments. Also, I'm glad the video was useful. It was a good idea of Charlie's!

All the best,
Noel

Noel,

Loved this! Solid write. Start to finish.

"Red and orange ripples on the ocean
The scent of frangipani rides the breeze"

Great opening! (I did have to look up frangipani...)

The chorus is terrific. The cadence of this:

"Every night I close my eyes
And with all my soul I hope and pray
That some day God will help me fly beyond the sea"

... is outstanding. Folks often neglect how important the cadence of a lyric/melody combination is to creating a good (well-written) song. This is truly top-notch in that regard! The 2nd time it came around, I could not help but break out in a big smile...

The arrangement/instrumentation and mix are excellent - no surprise there. Your vocal is wonderful - in the pocket.

I thoroughly enjoyed this! Terrific.

floyd

Wow Noel, a really great song. This one flows very naturally.
Thanks for the nod to me about the video, and it is exactly what I surmised, expanding the song to 'see' what we 'hear' and gain a teachable moment.

I think the video allows the BIAB user to get a meaningful and technical insight into the song. For the non-BIAB user, they can follow along with the chord progression and also hopefully to get motivated to purchase their own copy of BIAB because if nothing else, the video accentuates the PGMusic marketing piece and makes it appear you simply enter your chord progression, choose a style and sing-a-long with your song. LOL, those little red squares and red chord/dots swiftly pass by un-noticed.

It's good to see that others have commented favorably about including the Biab video feature.

As usual, top shelf lyric and story, excellent mix and great vocals. I enjoyed the backing vocals and think they sit perfectly in the mix.

Enjoyed this from start to finish.

Charlie

Hi Noel,
+1 I couldn't say it better.
The video is a nice touch.

Guenter

Hi Noel.

I was hooked by the rhythm right from the start and then there's that beautifully smooth vocal floating over the top of it.

Great song and I especially liked the harmonies.

Where the lead guitar link came in I was hoping for a solo, but then I always am!

Cheers, ROG.

Noel this is fantastic. I really liked the chord progression, backing tracks, lyrics and especially you vocals.

Great song!

Very nice, Noel. Enjoyed the listen.

Regards,

Bob

Beautiful melody! very enjoyable.

Kenny

Wow!!!well done mate. Very original.
Love the video. Rob

Well Noel,

This is definitely something else than your other contributions we've heard so far. Very nice rythm/arrangement, smooth and relaxed groove.
What's not to like ?

Rob and Anne-Marie

Great sound Noel! This style suits you really well and the tight well written lyrical journey with it's deft choices of imagery held me from start to finish.

Hi Noel. Great song. Really enjoyed the lift to the chorus and very much like seeing the chords.
Wish all songs were posted with chords. I think this song particularly suits your voice. Cheers.

Noel,

Such sad lyrics, I feel, but as usual up to your impeccable high standards.
I like the vocals over bars 27 - 31 a lot.

I also appreciate your insight into your technique for writing songs as it is SO different from my method. I also like that you can explain the reasons for the changes whereas I go "well why not?"

good stuff

very enjoyable as usual

Alyn

Thanks floyd! I appreciate your comments.

I played around with the "Every night I close my eyes..." section quite a bit before it settled into what it now is. It has taken me a heck of a long time to develop an ear for how the sounds of words fit together.... a decade or more in fact! I've also discovered that it's sometimes necessary to close my mind to the meaning of words and just listen to how they fit together sound-wise. Learning to write lyrics has been a long and interesting journey for me. I'm just grateful that you discovered these forums because your songs have been a huge part of my journey.

Strange about 'frangipani'. I had a look in Wikipedia after reading your comment and discovered that the flower has a heap of different names. Live and learn!

Thanks again!
Noel

Noel, i like the write. It flows easily and makes for a natural sounding smooth delivery of your outstanding vocal. The mix and arrangement are up to your usual high standards and make for a compelling listen. I enjoyed the video. Top notch and professional in all regards. Tom

We joined floyd in having to look up frangipani! and like him we thought the chorus was
outstanding.

Watching the video was quite a ride for us "grab three chords and hang on" old bluegrass
pickers. Structures like that are light years beyond our writing...but that doesn't mean
we can't enjoy them especially as we tend more to listening to the "total package" rather
than parsing components out.

Thematically wise we really like these "longing for something out there" songs and this is perfect
for that. Some of the dots are connected and others are left for the listener.

Add a fine vocal, arrangement and RT choice and it becomes very nice ear candy. BTW, it's
interesting that the inspiration came from a loop...we've heard that before from musicians
and it such an interesting way to start.

Thanks for the chance to hear (and watch) this! It was really enjoyable.



J&B

You have such a quite and strong production process that I really like. I do not know what you use but it is very professional sounding. The vocals hit the mark and very enjoyable. The band was a good choice and very powerful and the video is a nice touch that I think is very clever. Great job!
Sonny

Hi Charlie,

It's good to see you. I'm glad the video is what you were after. Thanks for suggesting it! Apart from once testing this feature in BIAB 2015, I've never really used it. Your post got me thinking about it. I won't promise a video every time but I will keep it in mind and will post one every now and then.

Also, thanks for your generous comments! You made me smile

All the best,
Noel

Hi Guenter,

I appreciate your passing through the thread. Thank you for making time to listen and watch. When I first saw the finished video, my thought was "I'm glad Charlie suggested it." It's good to read that it appealed to you.

All the best,
Noel

Hi ROG,

Thanks for dropping in and listening. I appreciate your time and your comments. Now if only I had your instrumental skills to add to what BIAB could do, that would be cool! Maybe one day.... in the meantime, I'll just rely 100% on BIAB. It's such a fantastic program!

All the best,
Noel

Hey Mario.

Thanks for the comments. I appreciated the grin that came with them. I rarely write songs in minor keys and it was an interesting change.

Thanks again!
Noel

Very cool song Noel!! Great energy and passion. I really like the change to a very optimistic feel in the chords/melody of the chorus. Mix is excellent. Very nicely done all the way around!! Take care. Greg

Thanks, Bob. By the way, I like your new avatar. Very clever.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Kenny,

Thanks for dropping in and listening. BIAB is such a great songwriting tool! I can't imagine life without it.

Regards,
Noel

Hi Rob,

Thanks for taking the time. I like your new avatar - classy in a country kind of way!

All the best,
Noel

Hi there RnAM,

It's good to see you both. I appreciate your having a listen and commenting. Thank you. I'm not in your league yet.... but if I keep practising, who knows what will happen!

All the best,
Noel

Hi Josie,

It's always good to see you. Thanks for the feedback and the smiles that came with it. It seems as though all those Pat Pattison seminars I've been to are starting to sink in! Now that would be cool if it's true Time will tell.

Once again, thanks for passing through.

All the best,
Noel

Noel,

This song is great all around. And for me, your best vocal performance as well.

Bob

Hi Richard,

Thanks once more for taking the time to visit one of my threads. When I finished writing this song, I was pleased with how it turned out. This is unusual because I usually don't have any feeling one way or another about my songs.

I've never written anything that starts in a minor key and then moves to the parallel major. I've been aware of this music technique for a long time (probably since hearing Al Martino singing Love Is Blue back in the early 70s) but just never thought about using it. If you listen to Al Martino, you can hear the song move into the parallel major when he sings "When we met, how the bright sun shone...". It's a great lift that comes with this change.

Perhaps one of the most famous and most covered songs that uses this minor-major composition strategy is You're My World (this is one of my favourite performances of this song). There's no mistaking the minor-to-major lift that comes along with the chorus in this song!

Feel free to use my chord progression if you want to experiment. It was a good idea of Charlie's to do the video. As I said to Charlie, I won't promise to always include one, but I'll keep it in mind and post one every now and then.

Thanks again,
Noel

Hey Alyn,

Welcome to my thread.... hmmm... that's probably something the spider said to the fly when I think about it. I promise, I meant nothing sinister

Thanks for taking time to listen and comment. Appreciate it. My work has none of the creativity that weaves its way through all you do. I cannot write music and lyrics without being analytical and scientific in my approach. I really admire your stream-of-consciousness technique (at least, that's how it seems to me) and how you manage to let Art create the end result. Maybe one day I'll discover how to do that! Until then, I'll be satisfied with what I can do and admire your work from the southern hemisphere.

I'm glad you liked the song. Thanks again for that.
Noel

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the listen and thanks, too, for the comments.

I notice that there's a recent song of yours that I haven't yet visited. Sometimes this 24 hour day that we get is just not enough.... rest assured that I'm getting there...

I appreciate your dropping in.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Janice and Bud,

Thanks for visiting. To be honest, I'm really impressed with how the loop got me up and running. As mentioned earlier in the thread, all I did was to keep on playing it over and over and over.... First I found myself humming along with it and then some sounds came along. The image of a sunset on a tropical island sailed in next and so I sat down and wrote a couple of hundred words about being on a tropical island. Basically, I just let my thoughts flow where they took me. Just in case you're interested, here's what I wrote (Andrea Stolpe calls it Destination Writing)...



After the destination writing, my mind was tuned into the situation and lyrics started to come together. The writing also gave me the title and the opening lyrics so that was a bonus!

Creating this song was a great journey. So much so that I'm working with another loop now!

Once again, thanks for dropping in. I appreciate the visit.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Sonny.

Thank you for giving my song a listen and for commenting.

At the end of my mixing process, like a number of people on the forum, I use Ozone (by izotope) to polish the sound up a little. It seems to add a bit of sparkle and shine to the final product. It's certainly possible to get the mix sounding great without Ozone, it's just that Ozone makes it way less tedious for me. (I'm a preset person!)

Thanks again for venturing in.

Regards,
Noel

Thanks Greg. Appreciate it.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Bob,

Thank you. I appreciate the comment about my vocals,too. I still don't see myself as a singer but I enjoy trying! Maybe one of these days...

All the best,
Noel