A little while back I discovered Realtrack 2928 (Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm RnBPop8thsJoe Ev 110).

The sound of this particular RT fascinated me because artist Joe Robinson has used fret-board and string noises in a very rhythmical and dramatic way to enhance the feeling of his playing. I set out to see if there was some way that I could create a song using this particular Realtrack as the hero of the arrangement. I grabbed some lyrics that I'd written a couple of years back and that had been sitting around waiting for a home.

Here is where my journey took me to...

• ♫♫ The Way Of The World

So that I might have additional control over the guitar RT, using BIAB I prepared 32-bar chord sheets of individual chords in 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-bar variations (using A and B variations). From these individual chord wav files, I then created loops for the chords and assembled them into a backing.

Please feel free to comment and offer any suggestions.

Regards,
Noel

=====

BIAB Band

• 518: Bass, Electric, Pop HalfNotes Ev 085
• 2510: Viola, Background PopEven Ev 120
• 2928: Guitar, Acoustic, Rhythm RnBPop8thsJoe Ev 110
• 896: Guitar, 12-String Acoustic, Rhythm FolkRock Ev 100
• RealDrums: BossaRockPerc^8-a:Percussion , b:Brushes, Sidestick
• Realdrums: Afucheshaker

Lyrics
Standing at the top of the wooden steps
Staring straight ahead
He's hypnotised by what's in front of his eyes
A cherry tree has erupted in pink
Winter has finally fled
Spring is here with her promise of awakening life
And he’s thinking...

That's the way of the world since time began
And the way of the world is nature’s dance
Beginning with spring
Life never stops trav’ling

The tree reminds him of the day he was wed
When he stood there watching his bride
So gentle and proud, she was beautiful, calm and serene
The air around her was bursting with hope
Like spring had finally arrived
And last he’d awoken from Winter’s lonely dream
He nods his head...

That's the way of the world since time began
And the way of the world is nature’s dance
Beginning with spring
Life never stops trav’ling

Inside his mind, the Earth revolves in heaven like a merry-go-round
Such an almighty ball of blue, green and white
And it’s home while he’s flying the cosmos
Riding this roundabout of life

Yes, that is the way of the world since time began
And the way of the world is nature’s dance
Beginning with spring
Life keeps on rolling along

That's the way of the world since time began
And the way of the world is nature’s dance
Beginning with spring
Life never stops trav’ling

And he says, “Till planet Earth bids me farewell
“I’m going to seize ev’ry moment on life’s carousel”

©2018 Noel Adams, words and music, all rights reserved.

This just makes me feel good. Tasty band playing that light syncopation. Classic melody feels like home. Smiles here first bar to last. Been in kind of a foul mood today, and you've cured me. Thanks.

Tangmo,

Thanks for listening.

I appreciate your comments and I'm glad the song helped re-invigorate your positive outlook

All the best,
Noel

Love the positive nature of this! The world needs more feel good songs I think

This is great, Noel, the mix sounds fabulous through the 'phones. That Bossa percussion track is the cats meow! And that guitar RT sounds great too, very interesting the way you put it together.

And possibly your best vocal performance, especially during the chorus.

My new favorite of yours I think, enjoyed very much!

Noel… I like the way that you built this song… Thanks for explaining your architecture with the loop.. I think that that approach works very well, and probably replicates how someone would actually play, versus an entire track of time repeated sequences, like RTs sometimes yield. I liked your strong, clean vocal, and I especially liked the little tag that you added to the end to wind things up. Great work!

Noel,

This is a delight.

A strong write. Perhaps your best, (in my opinion).
The first verse paints a picture of a moment in time which leads perfectly to the "philosophy" of the chorus.
The chorus then states its purpose succinctly, simply, unequivocally...
(the began/dance rhyme is nice, fresh).
The second verse presents a nice expanded view, again with nicely painted pictures.
The bridge expands out further. Nice.
All leading back to the chorus as they should.
The tag lines are a truly fresh way to finish (and complete) a song.

The production is strong, too.
A perfect melding of guitars and percussion.
That RT (RnBPop8thsJoe) is a great find. Nicely used.
Adding the strum in at the chorus - nice.
BossaRockPerc suits the song so well. Dropping it out at the bridge - so "right"...
The viola - added in at the perfect time.
Your vocal is nestled in perfectly, too...

Excellent arrangement!!! Excellent mix.

All around top shelf. One of your best without question.

fj

Great work on this Noel96, thank you for sharing this! This sounds very full and warm. Very organic collection of instruments and thoroughly enjoyed the strings in the chorus. Very fitting vocals with a nice touch of reverb. Well done!

Hi Noel,

You paint such a vivid and clear picture,

you can't help but feel good listening to this,

rebirth, a renewal, new hope

I love spring, all baseball teams are tied for first!

maybe this year is our year (sorry for getting off on a sports thing)

I love it, another excellent song,

Kenny

I really enjoyed the use of drums here. Thanks for sharing!

Noel

A delightful easy to listen to positive song with a melodic chorus a fine vocal and a nice band.
A joy to hear.

Peter

Loved this tune Noel. Super vocal and lyric. Backtrack was perfect for your lyrics. Well done

Brilliant choice of instrumentation, especially for the way you built your song around that lovely guitar track. Good feeling throughout. I especially like the chorus.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one Really pretty melodies, and really easy on the ears. Love the subtle groove too. Really helps the whole thing flow along beautifully. Plus, it is nicely catchy as well. Got me humming along really quick.

Thanks for sharing!

Cool song Noel! I like the arc of the sentiments in the lyrics, and the really nice feel of the rhythm section. It's extremely well engineered and mixed too. After a couple of listens I can't get the hooky melody out of my brain!

Cheers
John

Always nice to hear your vocals and the lyrics about wonders of our planet. Simple arrangement, I like especially the viola and the percussion, but nice story of the acoustic guitar also.

Janne

And he says, “Till planet Earth bids me farewell
“I’m going to seize ev’ry moment on life’s carousel”

There is so much wisdom packed into that line. And the older we get the even more wise it seems.

Bud thanks you for the reminder -- Janice never forgets it!

I wish we could add to what floyd said as it is so articulately stated and spot on.

Every spring I (Bud) walk through our forests and marvel at the rebirth...but on a walk the other day that seemed rainy and dreary to me Janice was constantly pointing out the rebirth and beauty of different fungi and other plants that "spring" up this time of year - during mid fall. Too frequently that attitude alludes me and I'm lucky to have her as an inspiration. And lucky to have compositions like this to listen to.

We've much liked every song you've posted but even given that this one is extra special (along with Life's Lotto ). No need to go into details as the write, vocal, band choice and production are all up to your high bar standards.

Suffice it to say thank you for sharing this for all of us.

J&B

Beautiful Noel! Love it. Great laid back beachy Boardwalk vibe.
Sounds wonderful on my new speakers.

"Noel96"...

Your song, "The Way of the World", by way of your RealTrack choices, has a nice, laid-back "pop" sound with a light calypso-style beat that is as charming and fresh to the ears as it is reminiscent of Michael Franks' sound.

The lyrics are seriously appreciative of the rhythms of Nature, and they are very nicely married to images of marital bliss and youthful hopes.

As is usual, you sing with the fervor of a man who is open to everything that life has in store for him. It's a reassuring voice that shares its sense of wonder with those who would listen closely enough to it.

You may be the reigning philosopher/songwriter of this forum, "Noel96"!

A fellow "trav'ler",

LOREN

Hi Noel,

Everything Dave said is spot on and I fully agree. He said it much better than I could have. Love the casual but upbeat cheerfulness. Your vocal is tops and, like Dave said, the chorus is splendid. You have a special relationship with music creation that I wish I had. Wonderful! Wishing you the very best.

Alan

Noel,

Sundance expressed it very well - the "beachy, Boardwalk vibe" is infectious and noone writes feel good glass brimming over, lyrics better.
Very good arrangement- the little glimpses of viola and Afro percussion were inspired choices.
I couldn`t help hearing some playful harmonies in a few places, though that`s not to take away from one of your best vocals.
Musical sunshine, sir!

Robert

Really pretty and inspiring!! Sitting inside my house with the smokey California air surrounding me, this was just what I needed! A breath of fresh air!! Great job Noel....mix and vocal are great!! Take care. Greg

Noel I think that this is your best to date. A super backing track groove with your vocals set perfectly within. Your lyrics were fantastic.

This is a super feel good happy song.

I really liked this one.

Noel,

Love how you consistently get such a great, crisp and clean sound out what you lay down. This one is no exception. Some really nice lyrics to go with. And a “ear-worm” hook on that chorus. What a nice tune! Cool listen.

Humble regards,

Deej

Wonderful write! And very clever use of BIAB to have more control over the Realtrack. Thank you for sharing that idea!


much enjoyed!

Simple backing really suited this great song. Well put together and very enjoyable Noel.

Hi Noel,

We sure love the special sound of Joe's RT and you managed to create a cool and uplifting song with it!

Rob and Anne-Marie

Dave,

Thank you for your continued support. I appreciate it. I agree with you about the Bossa percussion track, too. It's great for a singer-songwriter sound that's a little different. For me, the conga Realdrums are a bit like the cello Realtracks, they seem to work with just about everything and I have to throttle back on wanting to use them all the time.

All the best,
Noel



Hi Tano,

Thank you for finding time to have a listen and to comment.

The Joe Robinson Realtrack has many different noise sounds incorporated within it. While it 'worked' OK to generate it for a whole track, I created loops because I wanted to get a little more consistency in sound in this particular instance. I'd never done that before. In Reaper, I also colour coded my chords so that each loop was very easy to identify and it was also easy to see the chord progression at a glance. Then, if I modified a loop, knowing where in the track I needed to place the modification was quick and painless!

Thanks again,
Noel

Hey floyd!

Thanks for taking time to listen and comment. You made my day

This song actually grew from a long-forgotten comment that my dad once made to me.

While I was doing some of Andrea Stolpe's destination writing on the topic of 'Spring', in the hope that it would lead to some song lyrics, the image of a blossoming cherry tree came to mind. That image suddenly transported me back to when I was around 9 or 10 and I was standing beside my dad on our back porch. He was looking at the flower-covered cherry tree in our back garden and saying to me, "That tree reminds me of the day I got married. It's beautiful. It looks like winter is done." Once this memory resurfaced, all I needed to do was to grab a huge chunk of poetic license and develop the memory into a story. I have no idea what my dad was thinking that day but, a few decades later, he certainly provided me with a good starting place for a song.

Once again, thank you for visiting.

All the best,
Noel

Thanks, Joe. Appreciate it.

Regards,
Noel



Hi Kenny,

Thanks for the visit. It's always good to see you. "Rebirth, a renewal, new hope" is exactly what I was aiming for. Thank you for mentioning that!

All the best,
Noel

P.S. Hope your baseball team shines this year!

It is amazing how little chunks of memory float back to the surface every once in a while. I am glad that happened with you and you had the presence of mind to capture it in song. Another in your list of uplifting positive songs and a among your best. The band you've chosen fits perfectly with the message and melody. The mix is really clean and you've outdone yourself with a fine heartfelt vocal. Very nicely done! I enjoyed the heck out of it, Tom

Hi Ember,

Thank you for listening. Those bossa percussion were definitely an inspired set of Realdrums that PG Music put together!

Regards,
Noel




Thanks Peter. Always appreciate your visit.

All the best,
Noel

Scot, thank you for dropping by. And thanks for taking the time to listen and comment.

All the best,
Noel



Yes, I agree. That Realtrack is pretty amazing. Using it to create loops worked well in this case! Thanks for taking time to listen and comment. Appreciate it.

Regards,
Noel

Noel,
you're a perpetual pool of positivity.
Excellent construction of stuff around the pivotal RT.
Well done.

This song has your classic earmarks all over it - well sung, clean production, upbeat and sunny outlook, descriptive lyrics, and a cheerful disdain for regular, boring rhyme schemes.



Bonus: my spell checker just taught me the correct spelling of "disdain."

Noel,

Very nice song!
Lyrics, melody, chord progression, vocal, I feel Noel's touch everywhere.
I also agree with Sundance.
Great laid back beachy Boardwalk vibe.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Noel,

I listened to this several times in a row... I think this is my favorite of everything you have done to date. I really love the song and delivery.

Tremendously dynamic mix and the vocal is perfect.

Bob

Deryk,

I really appreciate that you had a chance to have a listen. Thanks for all the feedback, too!

All the best,
Noel

Hey John,

It's great to see you. Thanks for having a listen. I appreciate you sharing your time.

All the best,
Noel

Hi Janne,

Thank you for visiting the thread. It's always a pleasure to see you. I appreciate that you had a chance to listen to my latest! Now... if only I could arrange music as well as you...

All the best,
Noel

J&B,

Thank you for once more taking the time to listen. I really am sincerely grateful. My overarching view regarding my existence is that sometimes it's very easy to get caught up in the downside of life and this can overshadow just how amazing and truly incredible this world, this universe and life are. My parents were both very much glass-half-full people and my mum especially could always manage to find a silver lining somewhere in just about every situation. I never stop feeling thankful to her for the lessons she taught me.

Thank you again!

All the best to you both
Noel

Hi Josie,

I always smile when I see that you've visited I'm glad you enjoyed this latest. Thank you!

Maybe great things come your way,
Noel

Hey Loren,

Thank you for dropping by. I always appreciate the opportunity to say "Hi" to a fellow trav'ler! As seems to be the case every time you visit one of my threads, you have a knack for saying uplifting things that make me smile! I don't know that I'll ever make the ranks of 'philosopher/songwriter' but you've certainly given me something to aim for!

All the best,
Noel

Alan,

It's always great to see you. Thank you for the visit. I appreciate your comments, too. I'm not all that much of a singer but with the various plugins these days, I can get away with a fair bit! In this song, I used the CLA Vocals plugin. It makes it really easy to tweak vocals and get a good sound.

Take care. Please say "Hello" to Di from me.

My very best thoughts and wishes,
Noel

Robert,

It's good to see you. Thank you for having a listen and letting me know how you hear the song. I appreciate it. I actually toyed around with harmonies a bit but, in the end, I left them out because they seemed to rob the viola of its presence. To my ears, the viola sounded more powerful and fitted better when there weren't too many other musical distractions.

Thank you again!

All the best,
Noel

In such good taste, that song will be around for some time to come.
Background vocals?

It seems many songs come from experiments... You've done particularly well with your creative experiment... I enjoyed it.

Noel this has such a light and feel-good quality to it! Excellent work putting the real tracks together in such a cohesive form! Great as always! Thanks, T

Greg,

Thank you for listening. Appreciate it!

All the best,
Noel




Hey Mario,

Thanks for the visit and thank you for listening. It's Joe Robinson's guitar playing that makes this backing work so well. He's a talented man!

Hope you have a wonder New York Christmas and New Year,
Noel



Hi Deej,

Thanks for dropping in! My main tools for polishing the final production are Ozone 8 (overall mix) and CLA Plugins (used on vocals and one of the guitars here). I usually use Nectar on vocals but I thought I'd give the CLA plugin a go this time. I'm pretty sure these help with getting that crisp and clean sound you mention.

I appreciate that you found time to have a listen and to comment.

Best wishes for Christmas and New Year,
Noel

Lawrence,

Once again, thank you for listening! Right now, I'm sitting here wondering where you might go with the idea of generating and comp'ing chords. Hope you get some use from it!

All the best and may a wonderful Christmas be awaiting you and your family,
Noel



Graham,

It's always a pleasure to have you visit! I appreciate your listen and comment. Thank you. I hope that all is travelling much better for you and your wife these days.

Kind regards and all the very best for Christmas and the New Year,
Noel



Hi Rob and Anne-Marie,

It's great to see you! Thank you for passing through. And thank you for listening and commenting, too.

May a wonderful holiday season come your way,
Noel

Noel,
Thank you for the thoughtfulness of your PM...
I really appreciate it.
Merry Christmas to you and your family...
Don't forget to celebrate all 12 days!

Hi, Noel !

...and Happy New Year too !

What a wonderful tune this is
and I was almost close to
missing it - absolutely wonderful indeed !

Cheers
Dani

Noel,

I don't know I missed this one, but it sure is wonderful!

That real track sounds great. I think this is one of your best. It is very organic, and you sound really happy singing it.

This one would be good for your next album. A really strong write and performance.

Happy New Year!