Late Night Adventures

Another quick throw-together. I created the basic file in the waiting room of the hospital as Di was getting her daily infusion - about two hours. When we got home, I spent another three to four hours selecting some new RTs for a few of the indigenous tracks for the style, and fine tuning the chord progression. I then did a little more fine tuning for final mix in Audacity. And this is where I ended up with this.

A few notes: I added some delay and a very slight touch of chorus to the guitar. I composed a whole new chord progression for the style. The EP is a bit louder than I usually select for a b/g track. But I think it works on this one ... not burying the guitar yet offering a robust b/g fill.

Also, Audacity is the closest thing to a DAW that I use. I've attempted several DAWs but I'm clueless. I've tried Reaper, Real Band, and Cubase. I could probably build a nuclear submarine before I could figure any of them out. The instructions for all of them seem to assume the user has at least a basic knowledge of the process. I have "NO' knowledge whatsoever! If you need to know an unusual chord or an advanced chord progression, I might be your guy. After that ... you're on your own!

The mix is slightly heavy on the left channel. But when I more closely centered the piano, it lost some of its "character", so I left it as is.

Open to any comments and/or suggestions. Thanks for listening.

Alan

PS: Hope everyone's new year is off to a good start. Also, the "plucky" sound of the guitar in many places is generic to the style ... not a recording issue.

Late Night Adventure I could listen to all night. Really good stuff. Audacity is a DAW! If you can use it, you can use others, but if it's doing the job, why switch? I used it for years.

Hi Alan,

Well this is right up there with one of my favourite artists, Ken Navarro. I just love it. Great stuff.

Martin.

Thanks a lot, TM! Sure do appreciate that! And yeah, I guess Audacity is a stripped-down DAW. But, as you said, if it works ...keep on going with it!

Again, thanks for the listen and very kind words. Best to you ...

Alan

Hello Martin ... Good to "meet" you! I've been around here for several years but have been absent a lot due to my wife's serious medical issues.

Many thanks for those comments! And yeah ... Ken Navarro is a fantastic guitarist. Although he almost always plays an acoustic, he gets a real nice sound from it. I think my favorite song by him is "My Best Friend". Love the drive of the bass and percussions!

Again, many thanks. Best to you ...

Alan

Youtube's Reaper mani is a GREAT place to learn the how (& if you can milks a decent tune from Audacity you're already a star in my eyes - I had no end of trouble with it).
The fellow there has updated his how to series for Reaper starting at R5. Highly recommended - I used his vids to problem solve and learn new things frequqntly.

Part 2 tells you exactly how to get a project going.
This song is very smooth & cool. A great use of waiting room time.

Hi Alan,

Loved this.

Reminded me very much of a British band in the 80s called Shakatak, who you
won't have heard of, but who had a good line in funky jazz-pop.

I need to listen to this track again, late at night and with the lights down low.

I know you're going through difficult times, but I hope all's going well with you and Di.

Take care old friend,

ROG.

Nice work on this, especially for a quick throw-together It flows amazingly well, and really makes for a interesting moody track. Wishing the best for you and Di also.

Great job and thanks for sharing!

Hi Alan, great to hear you again, this is magical. Your guitar playing is stunning Hope you're both well ?

Hi ROG!

Always a real treat to hear from you. Glad you enjoyed the song. And you are correct ... I've never heard of Shakatak. But love the name! Funky JazzPop and Jazz Rock are two genres I really enjoy. I went to YouTube and listened to about half a dozen of their songs ... great stuff! I particularly liked "Night Birds". I also like the Duke Robillard Trio quite a bit.

I have a question for you: When singing lyrics to a song, why do British performers almost always use the American pronunciation for words such as "Dance", "Can't", etc. I've always wondered about that!

Take care, my friend. I will pass on your kind words to Di. And yes, she's having a really tough time. We both appreciate your kindness. Best to you ...

Alan

Hi Deryk ...

Many thanks for the props! Glad you enjoyed it. I'll pass on your well wishes to Di. We appreciate that. Best to you ...

Alan

Hi Graham. It's nice to drop in when I can. There's a lot of great music on this forum and it makes me sad I miss so much of it because I can't be here for any length of time. I used to listen and comment on almost every song posted. I see you have a newer one [posted. Will be over to hear it real soon. Many thanks for your visit and kind words.
Wishing you well ...

Alan

Oh, so sweet, Alan. As others have mentioned here, you are quite accomplished with Audacity, and have no need of anything. That's such a fun chord progression, and a very entertaining production. BTW, I listened Early In The Afternoon, and it works so well there, too.

Al,
Smooth and,as you say, "somewhat perky".
Plug and play in your hands always sounds professional and highly enjoyable.

Robert

Alan,

This tune is so smooth and has such an infectious groove...

You have a great ear for music and I look forward to hearing whatever you post.

Loved it!

Bob

Hi Ray ..

Appreciate a link to that video about Reaper. Will give a hard look this weekend. Looking forward to it. And I appreciate the kind words on the song. Many thanks for all. Best to you ...

Alan

Hi Marty,

Appreciate the time to listen and comment so nicely. Glad you enjoyed the song. Glad to hear it also sounds decent in the afternoon! There are still some facets of Audacity I can't figure out, but I can figure out what's most important to me. I'll probably keep using it for the foreseeable future. Ray gave me a link to what he says is a great instructional video for Reaper. I'm gonna check it out in a few days.

Again, many thanks! Wishing you the best ...

Alan

Hi Robert ..

You are much too kind. But, I'm finding a way to deal with it! I'm very appreciative of your very nice and supportive comments. Thanks again ... glad you enjoyed the song. Wishing you the best ...

Alan

Hello Bob ...

Hope all is well up there in the cold Northeast. Here in Alabama, it depends on the day you ask. Today we were in the 60s ... the tempo tomorrow is supposed to be in the ow 40s with a low in the mid 20s. Next week ... 50s and 60s!

Glad you liked the song. I appreciate the listen and kind words. As far as having a "great ear for music", everything I do is by ear. I do not read music and have no formal training on music whatsoever. I create music using an old adage: if it walks like a duck, quacks like duck, it's probably a duck. With music, if it sounds right, no matter how I got there, I guess it's right. Anyway, that how I come up with songs.

Many thanks, my friend! Wishing you everything good ...

Alan

Hi, Al & Di !:))


I am completely awed !
This is simply sublime music
and naturally the absolute
new Alfav of instros from you !

Am still shaking !!!!

Congrats to this masterpiece !:))

Cheers
Dani

Thank you very much, Dani!@ I sure do appreciate those really nice comments. I'm delighted you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know! Wishing both of you everything good.

Alan

Sounds great to me, Alan! I love this type of music and that style of playing.

As far as DAWs go, they all do pretty much the same thing. If you are comfortable with what you have and it does what you need, no reason to switch.

Good to see you back with a new one, and thanks for checking out our latest song too!

Very very nice. I think the EP and guitar play well together here. It sounds about as close to two players riffing off each other in the same room as I can imagine. Great progression and quality sound.

Alan,
Silky smooth funky @ jazzy tune! You arrangements are always a treat.
Listens very well. Clear, airy mix. Nice playing! Enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Alan,

You are SO good at this kinda thing. I cannot believe you do not use a DAW. The mix is Perfect!

A gorgeous piece of music. I sounds like George Benson and Chick Corea got together at their best just to make Chuck Mangione and Kenny G jealous that they were not invited....

Top notch. A great listen.

Best to you and Di!

fj

HI Dave ...

Thank you so much for the very nice comments. I truly appreciate them so much. Di needs nearly 24/7 care and music is my respite from those demands. But she's a terrific lady and I don't see that necessary attention as a burden ... it's just what you do if you love someone. She got home from the hospital ER about three hours ago ... blood pressure was 240/106. That's beyond stroke level and she's already had one major stroke. But, she's a wonderful and loving lady.

I've loved this style of music since the first time I heard Wes Montgomery ... then George Benson ... the Ken Navarro. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know.

Best to you ...

Alan

Thanks so much TM! That was the effect I was hoping to achieve. Thanks for validating my effort. Sure do appreciate it.

Wishing you & yours the very best ...

Alan

Hi Misha ...

You arer much too kind! But thank you so much for those encouraging words. Sure do appreciate them!

BTW, I answered your PM a couple of hours ago. Thanks for the note! best to you ...

Alan

Good Early Morning, Floyd ...

Well, what does someone say after getting such a wonderful review and comments? "Thank" You hardly seems enough. Loved your analogy ... appreciate your support and encouragement. I spent 50 years playing bands but never got a chance to play this genre publicly/for money. But I'm enjoying what BIAB offers me to create these songs. They're a great company ... almost as great as the folks in this forum.

Many thanks and wishing you and yours nothing but the very best ...

Alan

We rarely quote others in responding but, hey, what's left to say? Not much. We just loved the artists floyd mentioned.

Regarding the DAW thing, my attitude is "dance with the one that brung ya" if it works and for you it certainly does as
the composition sounds outstanding on our monitors.

REALLY enjoyed it.

Best to the both of you!

J&B

A delicious venture into the smooth jazz realm!!! Really well put together Alan.....you are the master of the instrumental!!! Take care. Greg

First of all - top notch performances on the guitar and great selection of the tracks and chord progressions. For "A quick throw-together" this is pretty darn smooth. Like something Chick Corea might just toss out an coffee break or something Enjoyed it from beginning to end.

P.S. - Regarding the DAW's - I have similar challenge - I hope to get a handle on those one day. My hands are full right now just learning music theory and working on the manual skills. The greatest DAW in the world ain't gonna make a fine wine out of sour grapes.

Hello Folks ...

Aw ... thank you so much! I haven't figured out so much of Audacity, but the things that matter most to me seem to be working. Glad you guys enjoyed it. And thanks for letting me know! Wishing you well ...

Alan

Greg ...

Thank you so much, my friend! I appreciate every word. Hope all is going well in your retirement! I've been retired for 13 years now ... don't regret it at all!!! When I retired... that's exactly what I did. I didn't swap one job for another. I truly retired!

Wishing you everything good. BTW .. your Motor Lodge song is one of my very favorites in quite some time.

Alan

Hi Ed ...

Nice to have you with us on the forum! I'm delighted you en joyed the song. I love this genre and post quite a few songs in it ... although I grew up playing country ... which I still like a lot.

Chick Correa can make an EP sing like a bird! I appreciate that analogy. Again, many thanks for the nice words.

Alan

PS: I do not read music appreciably and have never had even a single minute of music theory. Everything I do just comes to me in the way it does. I taught myself chord construction and chord patterns. I guess it's just a God-given ability. But whatever, it works!

Again ... best wishes.

Another great sounding composition Alan...
Laid back & smooth...
I certainly admire your talents!