Always Room For Cello

This is somewhat of a concept Blues piece. It's based on traditional old Blues styles from the 1940s and early 1950s with a 12/8 time signature. Di said she heard it in the character of early versions of "Stormy Monday" but with a totally different melody.

The cello on lead is supposed to embody the sadness, loneliness and despair of some kind of loss; whereas the guitar lead embodies the somewhat controlled anger, followed by the cello again (marginally quieter) suggesting the residual sadness but reluctant acceptance of the loss. The B3 is supposed to define an edge/embellishment to each of the moods. I'm not sure if I succeeded in all that but thought I would give it try.

Being a medium-sized hollow-body acoustic instrument, the cello can be a little "boomy" and mushy in places. I worked very hard in Audacity to minimize that, although there is a bit of it here and there. Hope you enjoy!

Alan



File: Always Room For Cello - BG Trax.SGU
Key=Ebm, Tempo 60, Length (m:s)=4:00

Style is _SPECTER.STY (Specter Down-tempo 12-8 Soul)

RealTracks in style: ~733:Bass, Acoustic, Jazz Ballad Sw 060 (A:in-2)
RealTracks in style: 936:Piano, Acoustic, Rehearsal Waltz Sw 140
RealTracks in style: ~993:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm CountryWaltzGrittyPicked Sw 140
RealTracks in style: 2558:Cello, Background SlowSwing Sw 065
RealTracks in song: ~675:Organ, B3, Background Blues Monday Sw 065
RealTracks in song: 568:Guitar, Electric, Soloist Blues Monday Sw 065
RealDrums in Song: BluesMondaySw8^08-a,b:Light Snare, Ride High

Alan,

This is superb. You've outdone yourself (again)!



As I'm listening, I find myself thinking, "With this composition, Alan has moved from the arena of 'wonderful music' into the showcase of 'outstanding work of art' ". You've taken the theme of moods and have used all the nuances of sound - timbre, pitch and articulation - with great skill to visualise this theme in all its colours. Sitting here with my eyes closed, a kaleidoscope of 'moods' rolls along in 12/8 in my mind. That's an amazing feat in my book. I have no idea how you've done that.

I really love this melody, the backing and the arrangement. You must have spent quite a lot of time piecing together the Realtracks. This composition is definitely noteworthy (pun intended)

In a nutshell... this is first-class from all angles. It is definitely one to be very proud of.

Best wishes to you and Di,
Noel

This was an excellent piece. I loved the cello from the real tracks. Well done Alan

Excellent piece, Alan.

It was nice to hear that particular guitar soloist... and that organ. An interesting grouping of instruments. A good mix.

Enjoyed it.

fj

Wow, you really did a great here It's hauntingly beautiful. I understand how all the instruments play a role in the impact it has here, but I must say the mix and arrangement here is nearly flawless. I could imagine hearing this in a film.

Great work, and thanks for sharing!

Hey,

Not much to say after Noel weighed in.

Great concept and, man, when that solo axe comes in...Wow!

J&B

Song machine!!!!!

Wow, this is such a fantastic piece! I could barely here any of those 'boomy/mushy' parts that you were referring to. I think you did a really stand-up job on this one! This has to be one of my new favourites! There are no words to describe how amazing this piece truly is.

Keep up the fantastic work!

Out-EEEFG-Standing!!!

What beautiful texture! Great work! I've always loved the cello!!!

Thanks for this creation...

Dave B.

Dave Brooks Music

Alan this is just perfect! Great soundscape and that cello lead is fantastic. Fantastic blues!

I also liked the title parody - great job on that!

Noel,

Well, I'm not sure what to say in return. I'll start with a sincere "thank you very much". I don't often to concept musaic, although I did a completer album of a like theme in the middle 70s. But this one just seem to call to me for a concept approach - not sure why, though.

I pretty much follow what my ears tell me using a bit of musical knowledge.

I am delighted and totally awed by your comments. Again, thank you so very much.

Alan

Di says "Hi"!.

Thank you Scott. I enjoyed putting this one together. I glad it sounds good to you. Thanks again!

Alan

Thanks a bunch, Floyd. the hard part was making sure the various parts didn't step on each other and taming that danged cello!

Glad you liked it. Wishing you the very best,

Alan

\

Hi Deryk,

I like the "haunting' reference. I was striving for a slight element of haunting and perhaps some eeriness. And maybe, someday, it might be in a movie! that would be cool!!!

Thanks a big bunch, Deryk.

Alan

Hey guys!

Thanks for stopping in. I'm still in awe of Noel's comments. But i sure do appreciate everyone else's though as much. And yeah, I was very happy with the guitar. It hit the mark perfectly for what I was trying to accomplish.

Thanks for listening and your thoughts. Hearing from the two o0f you is always a great moment for me. Wishing you both the very best.

Alan

Ha! The machine is well oiled and hopefully produces its products as intended. More to come! Thanks a lot, David. It's always a treat to hear your comments. Best to you & yours.

Alan

Hi Ember,

You're always so nice with your comments. I hope I've truly earned them.

I worked my butt of taming that cello - to the extent I was able to do so! the other big challenge was finding the right guitarist for the solo.

I appreciate you dropping in for a listen and the wonderful comments. best to you & the PG Music folks.

Alan

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the ars and terrific comments. And yes, the cello is a very versatile instrument if used to its full capabilities - extend it beyond it's typical background role. Glad you buy into that concept, also.

I'll be over to hear tou tonight. See ya then.

Alan

Hi mario!

I was wondering when someone was going to comment on the title! Maybe a majority of the forum members are too young to be able to relate. We old farts have a lot of things to think back on!!! the one thing about getting old is you have a lot of history to look back on and apply the various elements learned to newer projects.

the cello lead was fairly easy, other than massaging the "mush" out of it without making it screech. I think I found the happy medium.

Thanks again, my friend. best to you & yours.

Alan

Hi Alan,

A wonderful piece, which held a particular fascination for me.

Many years ago, when I was at college, I played in a progressive blues band with the line up of guitar, bass, drums, organ and yes, cello! The lad on cello had a contact mic sellotaped to the body of the instrument and played it through a Fender Twin Reverb. He did some amazing blues solos.

So, this took me back to my youth and I enjoyed the whole thing. Wonderfully atmospheric throughout and a great mix. Excellent.

Cheers, ROG.

Sounds so good!

you've got a hit on yer hands here,

the forum is lighting up!

I really like this

that solo guitar is tasty!

Kenny

Hi ROG.

It's always my pleasure to hear your comments. Thank you for the very kind words. I'm delighted this one resonated with you.

In my mind, it's always feather in the cap of a performer/composer who can revive fond memories for the listener. I'm so happy this took you back to a good time - put a smile on my face.

That's an interesting concept your cellist used to expand the indigenous qualities of the cello. I played through a Twin Reverb for many years. I now play through a Peavey Nashville 112 and a Fender Frontman 25R.

Thank you for the story and the very nice comments. Wishing you and yours the very best.

Alan

Hey Kenny,

A pleasure to hear from another of my favorites composer/players. A hit ... that would be nice! But for now, I'm very happy with comments like yours and the other folks. I spent about three days on this - probably 20 - 22 hours total. One thing about being "retired" - I can fill in my own calendar for the most part!

And yeah, I got lucky with the guitar that's the third effort on that track. All total, I experimented with that particular track almost 20 times. This third effort was, by far, the best. Glad you like it, too.

Wishing you the best, my friend.

Alan

Alan, this is especially fantastic.

You've given a new dimension to BiaB, further demonstrating the versatility that can provided with a user's creativity.

This is quite remarkable.

Thank You VT! I appreciate the time to listen and the really nice comments. BIAB offers significant opportunities
for innumerable opportunities for a person with an inquisitive mind and a desire to tackle the possibilities. I blend many different genres and I've ended up with some pretty good tunes.

Thanks for the great comments!

Sounds lovely. Is the cello all BIAB? There are several ways of recording a cello to avoid boom, mushiness and wolftones along with the necessary playing techniques to avoid those issues. If they are all RealTracks, & I haven't heard RT cello before now son can't comment on thoose issues within it, then it's too late. Audacity is OK but you'll find better options for working with cello in Reaper.
nevertheless - lovely track - possibly a little over polished but that's fine too.

Hello, Alan

Very fantastic blues song!
The melody played by cello is really melancholic.
It echoes to my heart deeply.
The third chord of the melody (maybe F7) is very nice.
And the chromatically descended cliché of Cm after Bb7 is also pleasant.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Thank you, Ray. And yes, all the tracks are BIAB. I got most of the mushiness out, mostly with EQ and a little bit of compression. All in all, I pretty happy with it. it just took a lot of effort. But I didn't mind.

Appreciate the nice words. Thanks!

Alanb

Hi Shigeki!

It's always a pleasure to get your comments. Thank you for those lovely comments - I truly appreciate them. And yes, that's an F7 - you have a great ear! I'm delighted you enjoyed the song. Thank you for telling me! Wishing you and yours the very best.

Alan

Alan

What Noel said. Very nice bluesy tune with an excellent use of the cello and nice transition to the guitar solo.
Nice work.

Peter

Hi Peter,

I always appreciate when you drop in and leave me a few words. I appreciate the really nice comments. This is becoming one of my favorites - as far as my original compositions are concerned. Thanks again and best to you and yours.

Alan

Alan, this is a beautiful and powerful arrangement. I would really like to hear this one with a powerful vocal. It stands on it's own either way. However, It has Bonnie Raitt's name written all over it. Lyrics Please.

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Hi Gary,

Thank you so much. Glad you enjoyed it. I thought about a lyric but didn't wan't anything to distract the listener from the cello and guitar. But I might think about lyric in a while and have both the instrumental and vocal versions. Thanks for the thought.

Best to you,

Alan

A very nice instrumental Al!! And, I agree: Always room for cello. I love the cello. It is one of the most emotional instruments. Enjoyed this!! Take care. Greg

Thanks a lot, Greg. And yes, for some reason, the cello tends to be more emotive than most other instruments. It can really set the mood. Thanks again for the listen and the very nice comments. Both are much appreciated. best to you,

Alan

Alan, that track sounds very good!! You did a great job working that cello in! I' ve had trouble getting the cello to cooperate with the chord changes and I know sometimes it takes a lot of work to make it happen! You did it! Thanks, Torrey

Hi Torrey,

Thanks so much for those very nice comments. Sure do appreciate them.

Thew BIAB cellos can be hard beasts to tame! It took some work but i was pretty happy with the results - glad you agree!

Thanks again. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Wishing you the very best,

Alan