Not Every Day Was Sad

I really like this STYLE which gave me the inspiration for this song. I added my Fender Nashville Power Telecaster on the intro, break, and fills. Everything else is BIAB. The tracks were exported from BIAB to Reaper and the guitar, vocals, and harmonies added.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

****** Song Summary *************
Title: Not Every Day Was Sad
File:NotEveryDayWasSad-Gumbdrop.SGU
Key=D , Tempo 130, Length (m:s)=4:25
9 bar intro, 133 bar chorus, from bar 10 to bar 142. Repeat x1 chorus
No Melody
No Soloist track.
Style is _GUMDROP.STY (Gumdrop Americana Country Pop)

RealTracks in style: ~684:Bass, Electric, PopHalfNotesSync Ev 120
RealTracks in style: 1275:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm PopUpliftHeld Ev16 120
RealTracks in style: ~1119:Guitar, 12-String Acoustic, Strumming Ev 120
RealTracks in style: ~543:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm Dreamy Ev 120
RealDrums in style: RockHardEven8 w Tamb [Multi]

*******************

Wow, Buford - great job on this one! It sounds sincere, and really heartfelt, and the guitar work on it is superb And the backing harmonies that kicked in around 1 minute, I definitely didn't anticipate that!

A very catchy tune - thanks so much for sharing! You should be proud of this one

Hi, Deryk. So pleased you enjoyed this one. It took a lot longer than most, but lots of fun to do.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Very cool tone on the tele. You sure have that dialed in. Super vocal and backtrack

Hey, Scott. Glad you liked the song.

My Tele setup is dirt simple:

- Bridge pickup: full volume, tone down a bit from full (10% down)
- Single (no repeats) short slapback echo: note and echo about the same volume
- Compression: heavy and obvious, with lots of sustain (not max)
- No reverb, except what the master mix adds.
- D'Addario Jazz-Rock (EXP115) string set with an added nine on top makes playing steel licks a snap to execute: 9,11,14,28,38,49 (throw out the 3rd string 18 that comes with the set)
Your fingers will thank you.

You can hear the pick sounds at the beginning of the song, which sort of indicate the high level of compression. Give it a shot if you like/or need that kind of tone.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Your guitar work really helped this style to stand out.
Great song about reflecting.
Well produced and performed.
Rob

Hi Bob Buford, Great work on this song! Really enjoyed the flow of the instruments and the vocals. Very easy to listen to song! Well done!

Thanks for sending me your settings. I managed to pickup a well loved 83 Tele with a rosewood neck. I have been fooling with settings but everything sounds like my strats. Look forward to getting a more traditional tele tone. Tom Adams also gets a wicked sound out of his tele as well..

Hi, Joe. Glad you enjoyed it. The STYLE seemed to suggest to me a kind of Eagles thing. Like "Peaceful Easy Feeling", or "Lyin' Eyes". So I pulled out my best Don Felder, Bernie Leadon chops and got to work. Makes me want to do more like this. We'll see.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Hey Rob... This was pretty much fun to do. I'm pleased you enjoyed it.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Bob,

This is such a great sound! I really like the laid-back, easy 8-beat groove. It's a perfect fit for the song. The write, the arrangement and the presentation are outstanding to my ears. I agree with Deryk, those background harmonies are a pleasant surprise.

There's a lot of craftsmanship on display with what you've done here.

Really enjoyed it!

Regards,
Noel

I liked your guitar work in that, Bob.

+1! Absolutely beautiful Bob.

Very nice showcase of what BiaB + fine user picking + fine user vocal can yield.

And the write and production are in the pocket.

Enjoyed it!

J&B

Hi J&B. Thank you so much. Pleased you enjoyed it.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

HI JOSIE! How's things? Pleased you enjoyed the song.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Now there's a compliment from a man who's work I admire so much.

Thanks, Floyd
Bob

HEY NOEL!! How's things down your way? Great to hear from you.
Thanks for listening,
Bob

Bob, I really liked the Tele work on this one. Also you did a fine job on the vocals. Tom

Love that tone!

great guitar sound (loved your detailed breakdown)

nice flow to the song, good vocals and mix

strong write, I really like the title

enjoyed

Kenny

Hey, Tommy! Appreciate your nice comments. This one was fun to do but, man, a lot of work to get it the way I wanted it. Getting picky in my old age.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Hey Kenny...thank you. Very nice comments. Makes me want to work harder on the next one.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Mac,

Thanks for the link and the comments. I'll check it out.

Bob

Hi Mitch,

Thanks for the nice comments here on the forums and on Facebook.
I really want to do more of this style of music in the future. Stay tuned.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Excellent song in every part of it.
You have super country vocal that goes well with song

Great guitar playing too.

Sergio

Another +1 from us. Great lyric, vocal and mix. And enjoyed your guitar work. Vocal harmonies were outstanding, too. Super song and delivery!

Alan & Di

Hi Sergio, Pleased that you enjoyed the song.

Thanks for listening
Bob

Hey Alan & Di

Thanks so much for your nice comments. This one took a while to do. It would have taken a LOT longer if I'd had to do all the harmony parts myself. But fortunately I was able to delegate that tedious chore to the TC Helicon VL3X. Pairing up BIAB with the VL3X is a songwriter's dream. I can concentrate my efforts on lyrics, arranging, and instrumentation knowing the harmony tasks won't be backbreaking. Some fun, boy!

Check this forum thread for links to more VL3X tips and info:
Back In Their Day

Also, visit the PGM hardware page for more info on this amazing piece of gear:
TC Helicon VoiceLive 3

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Nice! beautiful Tele tone and playing.Great vocals and overall mix.

Hey TS,
Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for listening,
Bob

Hey George,

Love to hear that! Appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Hey Mark,

Thanks for the kind comments. This was a fun one, but pretty time-consuming. Anytime I decide to add guitar it adds at least a day to the project. Makes it worth it when folks notice thought. Thanks for listening,

Bob

I just wanted to say "Thank You" to everyone who responded to this song. So many people wrote me about it on the forums and on Facebook and by email, I never expected such a response. There were quite a few times I gave up on this song. But it kept playing in my head and forcing me to come back and try again. Glad I did. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. More of this to come...sooner than later.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Thank You Bob ,this has a strait/eagles feel to it.Loved the harmonies,and great telecaster playing .vocals were spot on for me ,cant wait to hear more
cheers brad

Hi Brad,

Appreciate your comments. This one was more work and worry than I expected. But in the end it worked out better than I hoped. I wanted that Eagles feel, and I'm hoping I can do it better each time.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Absolutely!

J&B

Bob

Beautifully played and performed. Nice feel to the guitar (heard the Eagles influence)and a very pretty melody.

Peter

Hi Peter... I tried a lot of things, but that STYLE just seemed like an Eagles song to me, so I went with it. Now I want to do ten or twenty more.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Positively!

Bob

A great vibe and the production is to notch!

Wonderful song!

Would love to hear what you thing of my song "Summer Chaser".

Thanks Lawrence. Pleased you liked it.

I posted a "belated" comment on "Summer Chaser" as I had listened earlier and never got to finish my listen. Check out my comments there.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Bob, this is another very good tune! You always produce high quality work. It puts me very much in mind of some early Eagles work, especially on the BG Vox. Thanks, T

Hi Torrey,

Thank you so much. That's kinda what I was going for. The STYLE rather suggested something like early Eagles to me too. I tried to write the lyrics with some room for those kind of harmonies. I'm working on doing more of this.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Loved this song. Great production, great song and great vocals.

Appreciate it.
Thanks for listening,
Bob

Hey Scott...is that a full rosewood neck or just the fingerboard? I have a few Tele's with maple fingerboards, actually two I think. But I much prefer rosewood for bending. I guess I didn't know Fender made a full rosewood neck. Was it standard on that model? Is it an American Tele?

I think most of the tone you get out of a guitar comes from your hands, the way you play. I once read that "any banjo Earl Scruggs plays sounds like a '28 Granada" which is a highly-prized vintage model of the Gibson Mastertone banjo. They are priceless and rare. $25,000+ when you find one. I've had some vintage Tele's but I didn't think they sounded any better than a new American Standard Tele. Sound is SO subjective anyway.

Later,
Bob

Wow! 1100 views! Thanks folks. Appreciate your support and...

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Hi, Bob !:))


This must be one of the absolute
best productions on the site
at least during the time I´ve
been around ! It is absolutely
perfect and everything works so
fine that I can´t but congratulate you
to this wonderful production !

If I´m not mistaken you do use
the Harmony Singer doing in
the background ? I have that
gadget too but have not been able
to use it´s full potential yet !

Cheers
Dani

Hi Dani, that's quite a compliment. I'm pleased you like the song. I normally do my own harmonies when I have time, but it's hard, time-consuming work. So when I discovered the TC Helicon VL3X I was overjoyed. The harmonies are believable and relatively easy to generate with the VL3X. For more info visit the TC Helicon website:

http://www.tc-helicon.com/en/products/voicelive-3-extreme/

I've had TC Helicon harmony products for nearly 20 years but the latest generation is just amazing.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Xtra Styles PAK 3, Americana. Yep, fun stuff!

Wow! Over 1400 views! Thanks everyone.

Bob

Absolutely a great write, arrangement and production. Stellar work both live and from in the boxes.

Enjoyed this one a lot.

Charlie

Hi Charlie,

Appreciate your wonderful comments. Thanks for listening,

Bob

Nice song Bob!! Everything works from the song to the vocal, to the production, to the hook. Wonderful job all around!! Take care. Greg

Very nice Bob!

This has a very nice Brooks and Dunn sound to it.
Keep them coming.

Rob and Anne-Marie

Hey Greg! Thanks, man. Pleased you enjoyed it. This one took a while.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Hi Rob and Anne-Marie... Thank you so much! Pleased you enjoyed it. More to come.

Bob

Good one Bob. Listened to this the other day but have only just got round to commenting.

Thanks, Josie. Probably be my last one for a while. Congrats on your video course. Hope you sell a million.

Bob

Thanks everyone. Such a great response to this song. I'm so pleased to read all the great posts.

Bob

"Not Everyday Was Sad" is now free to download from Soundcloud!

Enjoy,
Bob

Hi Bob!
I just listened to Not every day was sad. Actually I listened to it twice. I read your post on songwriting using BIAB and picked up some good tips. I totally agree with everything you said about using band in a box. I used the earlier versions for years as a tool for laying out my song and to have something to take into the studio for the band to go by. But in the last few years I realized that this was something that had gone way beyond that. I've spent many thousands of dollars to studios. I mostly got a good product, but I paid through the nose for it, and in the end, sometimes, what I got wasn't what I had heard in my head. Putting your tune into someone else's hands didn't always turn out like you wanted it to. The tools are there now to do it myself in the way I choose, and for that I am grateful. You asked a question about my comment on your song. My wife and I have been together for fifty years now. We've been up and we've been down, from living in the car broke to having a nice home paid for, but we've also had to walk away from one or two. I have to say, I don't regret any of it, because in the end we are where we are right now. Those that said we'd never make it are gone now, or at least forgotten. I try not to look back on past mistakes, though Lord knows I've made a ton of them, but we are happy and still kicking. There are a lot of people that can't say that. Having said that, I totally enjoyed you tutorial and will be watching for more. GP

Thank you for your comments. Your experience is much the same as mine. I spent a ton getting songs recorded and didn't always get what I expected. With BIAB I get exactly what I'm willing to work for. I love working in a big studio but it's pretty much out of the picture for me now. I just can't justify the cost when I have BIAB that can do 95% of what I want.

As for your comment, I was afraid that I may have overstepped by asking you to expound on your "memories" statement. But I was guessing it was similar to mine. Quite different in some respects, but all couples have their ups and downs. And it would be easy to just blow it all off and make the hard times your focus. Young couples today seem to give up pretty easily, at least from what I've seen and heard. So the title "Not Every Day Was Sad" is sort of my critical response to those folks who think it was all bad. Anyway, I appreciate your answering my question.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

This song has been looking for a band since early this year when I began writing it. I never imagined I would select a STYLE named "Gumdrop" (Americana Country Pop) that would fit it so perfectly. Someday I want the PGM guys to tell me how they decide on the name of a STYLE. Can't be easy since there are so many. I found two dozen styles in the Xtra Styles 3 PAK for which I wanted to write something. Perhaps there are more songs to come from the inspiration found there.

The only instrumentation I added to the song is a Fender Nashville Power Telecaster on the intro, break, and fills. Everything else is BIAB. The tracks were exported from BIAB to Reaper and the guitar, vocals, and harmonies added. Final mix and mastering were done in Reaper. Telecaster EFX via Johnson J-Station. Vocals via the sweet Rhode NT1000.

Enjoy,
Bob

"Not Every Day Was Sad" is now available on YouTube:

LINK: Not Every Day Was Sad - Bob Buford

This is a new mix also. Just neveeeeer satisfied.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

For those who asked, the remix basically includes some tweaks to correct things like finger and string noise etc. One SMALL guitar part was replaced because it had a noticeable buzz on the last note. The harmonies in the second verse were increased somewhat to be more audible. So really, no big changes. That's it. Hope it answers the questions. If I were to include this song on a formal CD release I'd probably redo most if not all of the harmonies in an attempt at making them more perfect.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Thanks, Mac. Everyone seems to interpret a song's meaning differently, which is exactly the point. The way you look at anything determines it's meaning and reality for you. So this one is not so much about retrospection as it is about adjusting your point of view and choosing to look at life and events in a different way which ultimately changes their meaning for you personally. Don't want to get all philosophical here. It's a song. However, sticking a little truth between the lines never hurt.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Scott,

This is the Telecaster I use 90% of the time. I have 5 or 6 different Telecasters, but this one just feels so comfortable and with three pickups and a piezo in the saddle it has tons of tone possibilities. It's a Fender Nashville Power Tele. It has active electronics powered by a 9v.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

A number of people have asked if I would post the BIAB file for "Not Every Day Was Sad" so here it is:

Not Every Day Was Sad - SGU file

Right-click the link and choose the "Save Link As" menu item or the equivalent for your operating system.

Remember, you must have the _GUMDROP.STY installed in BIAB for this file to work properly.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

I meet an old friend a while ago and we share the interest in songwriting and as weekend/hobby musicians. He showed me BIAB and it seems like it is everything I ever wanted. i just listened to your song now and placed the order for my very own BIAB. Thanks for sharing the songs

Welcome to the BIAB forums, Jim. And congrats on purchasing your first BIAB program. You'll find a lot of help and feedback here for your songwriting and production. And I'm sure you'll love what BIAB can do for your music. There's just nothing else like it. You could spend a ton of money in a professional recording studio and still not get anything better than what BIAB will give you. Can't wait to hear your first BIAB song.

Thanks for listening,
Bob

Thanks everyone. Such a great response to this song. I'm so pleased to read all the great posts.

Bob

Not sure who all is continuing to play our song "Not Every Day Was Sad" but it's getting some great traffic since we posted it. So to everyone that keeps the counter moving forward...

Thanks for listening,
Bob

This song is also available on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/miCreNTpW60

Enjoy,
Bob

10,000+ views? Really? I wish someone would explain to me how this works. This song hasn't been up a year yet. End of July I think. I'm amazed, pleased, and kinda confused. ???

Thanks for listening,

Bob