Hi Forum friends,
I haven’t checked in for a while but here is a new song from me called:
WANDERING.
The title relates to what I wish I was doing rather than what I have been doing.
It’s a cruisy little instrumental, featuring piano lead, guitar accompaniment, bass and drums
RealTracks featured are:
RT2959:Bass, Acoustic, SmoothPoppyNeil Ev16 090 (Neil Swainson)
RealDrums-NashBrushBalDbKE (Brian Fullen)
RT2200:Guitar, Nylon, Background CountryBrent Ev 085 (Brent Mason)
I wrote the piano arrangement, as well as the middle bass part from 2 min 14 sec until 2 min 36 sec.
I also programmed the accompanying guitar tracks using Native Instruments' “Session Guitarist Picked Acoustic”.
I hope you enjoy it. As always, your comments, criticism, praise and suggestions are welcome and encouraged.
Cheers,
Mike

That's a nice piece Mike.
It changes character when the rhythm section comes in but that's a good thing. That midi acoustic guitar works a treat.
Nicely done.

Mike,
Enjoyable tune, with many unusual twists and surprises. Good clear mix. Listens very well.
Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

Thanks Ray. Your opinion/feedback is highly valued by me because you are always so honest.
Cheers,
Mike

Love it, Mike! way to take control of the band. The opening reminded me of Till There Was You, but after those 4 bars you took it on a brilliant path of enjoyment.

Very original creative tune. I really like the chord progression, so many exciting turns, like expressing the different scenes when wandering around the world. The band supports perfectly the exciting journey, the acoustic instruments really shine creating very positive feelings, the piano is especially nice. The arrangement is lovely, different type of sections are bound together very well, the break at 2:35 is the highlight. Thanks for this uplifting musical scenery.

Janne

Sweet tune and arrangement . Thanks for sharing .

Lovely song Mike. Love the changeup in the chorus. Well done.

Mike,

What a great intro! Immediately captures the listener’s attention. I know it’s an instrumental, but with that melody and lovely mix, it’s begging for some lyrics—just one guy’s opinion. Really nicely done!

Kindest regards,

Deej

Nice song, with some especially standout bits. Having a second listen right now.

Minor nits: The instruments sound like they're in different physical spaces, and the piano and guitar sound like they live in similar frequencies. The piano is bright and to my totally non-professional ears sounds a bit too bright and compressed. I'm guessing the fret buzz is from the NI guitar. Nice touch!

Again, these are only only really tiny nits.

Some cool changes, really like the break.

Actually, nice work on all the instruments - especially the piano and NI guitar.

OK, listening for a third time.

Thanks for listening Misha. Glad you enjoyed Wandering.
Cheers, Mike

Excellent tune. Nice and clean. I'll be going back to listen closer but very enjoyable on the first go round.

It's absolutely amazing what those tracks are capable of these days.


Edit: Man... Wow! What an impressive ending. The slowdown, and the chords... Every thing about that ending.... Loved it.

Mike,

Your instrumentals are ALWAYS impressive. It is obvious that you put a lot of thought into them (and a lot of love).

The piano is beautiful.
Excellent use of the Picked Acoustic. (I almost bought it when it was on sale this past xmas when it was on sale. This - and a couple of things that Greg has shared with me is REALLY making me regret that I did not!!).

Your compositions have great pacing. Love the stop! And the slow down ending.
Excellent production, arrangement and mix.

A great listen!

fj

Hi Mike,

There's plenty to like with this composition and its production.

I love the way you took me on a musical journey that was full of twists and turns, surprises and excitement. To accomplish this is very skillful. You work with MIDI and audio is very impressive.

I absolutely love the piano part that you wrote.

Regards,
Noel

Hi Mike,

Beautiful symbiosis between guitar and piano. It is very light and very pleasant. It is a very good composition. Well done.

Kindly regard
Derochette
aliasJaniJackFlash

Thanks for listening Marty. Your informed comments are always most welcome.
Cheers,
Mike

I enjoyed that little wander Mike...

Janne, your kind words and detailed comments are much appreciated.
Mike Thanks for listening Stratos.
Cheers,
Mike

Thanks Scott for your comments. Glad you liked the changeup in the chorus (I spent a lot of time on getting that where I wanted it).
Cheers,
Mike

I'm always impressed by the way you arrange these instrumentals you do! Very, very good indeed.

Man, that has to be the best ending I've ever heard here I think! Well done, enjoyed.

Go for it Deej. I would love it if someone wrote lyrics to Wandering.
Thanks for listening and for your kind words.
Cheers,
Mike

Very lively instrumental and excellent use of the software. Nice job!!

Glad you liked this, David. Thanks for giving it a few listens.
Cheers,
Mike

Thanks for listening, Herb. I appreciate your feedback.
Cheers,
Mike

Yowzers! That is one cool and creative composition.

Your performances and the RT/RD tracks meld like a polished band that has played together for years.

The piano sounds terrific on our monitors. Room filling but not dominating.

Great arrangement and mix also.

How you did this is above our production pay grade but we surely enjoyed it!

J&B

Thanks for your very generous comments Floyd.
I certainly appreciate your interest.
Stay safe,
Mike

Wow, thanks for your comments Noel.
As one of the more revered members of the forum, your words mean a lot.
Regards,
Mike

Really pretty. Exciting changes throughout, but not modulation for the sake of modulation. Everything fits into this adventurous whole.

Thanks Derochette/Jani for listening and for your kind words.
Cheers,
Mike
Thanks Chris. It's nice to have some local support as well.
Cheers,
Mike

Thanks Dave, for listening and for your encouraging and inspiring comments.
Cheers,
Mike

Thank for listening TuneMonger. Your comments are appreciated.
Cheers,
Mike

I really like this. I am in awe of the piano playing as well as the acoustic guitar, well done, I love it!!

Hi Mike,

Yes - I agree with all the others above - a very nice song and well played.

Piano - excellent - I guess that's you playing.

Other Instruments - spot on.

Acoustic Guitar solo - amazingly good for a Midi track.

Mix - Also spot on.

Please post more.

Best Regards
Nigel

Pretty and lively song!! Your piano playing sounds AWESOME!!! Very well done!! Take care. Greg

Thanks for listening TuneMonger. Your comments, as always, are most welcome.
Cheers,
Mike

Thanks guys. I really appreciate your listening and always thoughtful, insightful comments.
I'm especially glad you like the piano.
Cheers,
Mike

Mike,

This is very nice. Good easy going tempo, kept my interest all the way through. Nice job with the arrangement. Piano part is very nice. And a good mix, makes for a very enjoyable listen!

Steve

Now that was delightful. You had just enough variety to make it spicy. I especially liked that section before the break at 2:35, and then you just eased into where you were before. Excellent in my book!

Thanks for listening Soundchaser. I'm glad you like my song. Your kind words are most welcome.
Cheers,
Mike
Thanks Ronnie. I tried to keep this one fairly simple as I thought the piano and guitar worked well together. Glad you agree.
Cheers,
Mike

Nigel and Greg,
Thanks for listening and for your generous comments.
Re piano playing: I’m more of a composer/arranger than a pianist (though I do play guitar and bass), so I know what I want the piano player to play but I can’t play it live myself.
I created/programmed the piano part as a midi track and rendered it via Kontakt’s Concert Grand Piano. I’m so glad you both like the piano because I’m very happy with it too.
Nigel, re guitar solo, it’s not a midi track but a RealTrack I edited, featuring riffs from the great Brent Mason (RT2200:Guitar, Nylon, Background CountryBrent Ev 085).
Cheers, and thanks again for your interest,
Mike

Thanks Steve. I really appreciate your taking the time to listen and to comment.
Best wishes to you and your wife in this difficult time.
Mike "Spicy" - I like that. Thanks for listening. I'm glad you liked the section before the break - I put a lot of time into that.
Cheers,
Mike

Very Nice!
Something about that leaves me in a pleasant mood.

moto

Thanks for taking a listen Captain.
Cheers,
Mike