Time to Say Goodbye
Hi Forum Friends, I’ve been away from here for a while but here’s a new song from me.
Time to Say Goodbye is inspired by the WH Auden poem, Stop All the Clocks.
The poem was featured in the memorable funeral scene in the movie, Four Weddings and a Funeral.
Though a sad and mournful song in the beginning, Time to Say Goodbye builds to portray a celebration of life.
I would be grateful if you would give it a couple of listens and share any comments about the song - composition, arrangement, production etc.
The WH Auden poem can be viewed at https://web.cs.dal.ca/~johnston/poetry/stopclocks.html
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As all my songs are instrumentals, I get used to comments about how the track needs words/vocals.
Well this song has words!
I originally intended to write a melody to Auden’s "Stop All The Clocks" poem but soon found some of the verses were less “musical” than others (and I didn't dare change his words), so I wrote the melody to suit the first verse and a separate melody for what I refer to as the middle 8.

So those who are interested can sing Auden's beautiful words to the following sections of my song, Time to Say Goodbye
Enjoy...

Verse: from 50.2sec to 1min:22
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Middle 8: from 1min58 – 2min34
He was my North, my South, my East and (my) West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

For the full poem, visit https://web.cs.dal.ca/~johnston/poetry/stopclocks.html


THE BAND
The piano, viola, strings, brass, organ and some drums are Kontakt instruments
RT1849:Bass, Electric, ModernCountrySync Ev16 100
RealDrums-NashPopBallad^01-SStCHHK2,SnLHHK
RealDrums-CountryPopEv16^07-SSCH,SnrCHV2

Not my kind of stuff ! . Think on the best side, you will know what i mean .

Thanks

Nice one Mike,
lots happening but not overcrowded, (though the toms do roll over things a bit), and it does develop along the lines you suggested.
All that reference to text left me wanting to read or hear some words though.

Been a while since I've heard something from you but if memory serves, this is easily my favorite of yours. The melody and arrangement flow easily and are memorable. Very cinematic and worthy of some video but I never felt like the lack of words brought it down. Excellent work!

Thanks for listening and for your kind comments Ray.
As all my songs are instrumentals, I get used to comments about how the track needs words/vocals.
Well this song has words!
I originally intended to write a melody to Auden’s "Stop All The Clocks" poem but soon found some of the verses were less “musical” than others (and I didn't dare change his words), so I wrote the melody to suit the first verse and a separate melody for what I refer to as the middle 8.

So those who are interested can sing Auden's beautiful words to the following sections of my song, Time to Say Goodbye
Enjoy...

Verse: from 50.2sec to 1min:22
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Middle 8: from 1min58 – 2min34
He was my North, my South, my East and (my) West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

For the full poem, visit https://web.cs.dal.ca/~johnston/poetry/stopclocks.html

Mike,

You instrumentals are always well thought out. And it is obvious how much work you put into them.

Excellent arrangement. Nice build and release.

There is something about the viola that "sounds like a VST"... the notes all have a "sameness" that gives it a less-than-real quality to my ear. That might be because I know it is a Kontakt instrument - a listener who is "just listening" might not have to same reaction.

A very enjoyable listen.

fj

Such emotion cannot adequately be portrayed in words, but you found some that add a special touch, Mike. So very well arranged to swell the emotion right to the end. Love it!!

Hello Mike
There is a lot going on in your great song
I am inspired by the strings
You really did a great job
Thanks for sharing
Many greetings
Andi ;-)

Hey Mike Good to hear from you. As one who produces mostly instrumentals this is definitely my kind of stuff. Beautiful backtrack and instrumentation. Well done....

Mike,
Nice to see you on the fields of the Showcase! Very nicely composed and arranged tune. Listens very well. The only thing I would try to tackle is the flute. It is a king of the show, but the tone of sounds a bit synthetic or detached from the mix. I would either try to eq + reverb or possibly find another patch. In any case, nice work! Thank you for sharing.

Misha.

HI Mike ...

It's been a long time! So good to have you back posting.

Such a lovely production! You must have spent considerable time putting this together. Dramatic. It has a gentle power that works so nicely. Excellent! Take care ...

Alan

Mike,

Lovely composition—sweet and sad and pretty. Definitely would love to hear it with the vocal to see how that impacts the emotion of the tune. Great lift with the orchestra at about 2:40 or so. Well done, Mike. Good stuff!

All my best to you,

Deej

Thanks TuneMonger for taking the time to listen. I really appreciate your comments.
Cheers,
Mike

As always, thanks for your support Floyd.
It's funny you should mention the viola because I find the Kontakt version to be most expressive. Ah well. to each his own.
Cheers mate,
Mike

Really beautiful and melancholic instrumental, reflects nicely the mood of the inspiring poem. The piano sounds great, I enjoyed the dynamic arrangement, doesn't sound repetitive at any moment. Would work very well in a movie, in a goodbye scene.

Janne

Absolutely beautiful and moving piece.

The mood of the music in the beginning (as you noted on SC) matches the poem. At 1:25 the celebration is clearly conveyed. The change at 3:50/ending brings closure.

Brilliantly composed.

I like this a lot! Plenty of interesting ideas, and well orchestrated.

I agree with floyd jane about the viola - it's very good, and in small doses is very convincing.

But after a bit, you can hear there's no arc to the sound, and the phrasing is a bit flat. Typically, you can drive expression on these instruments via the mod controller. Perhaps adding in some automation would help?

Otherwise, you end up having to play to the instrument's baked-in arcs, which can sound really good but is more the cart leading the horse.

Personally, I use a breath controller with my solo strings, and it helps a lot. But that works best if you're using a library that's designed to work with a breath controller.

Anyway, well done!

Thanks Marty. I always look forward to your comments. You always seem to say exactly what I want to hear. Cheers, Mike

Thanks for listening Andi. Your comments are much appreciated.
Cheers, Mike

Hi Scott, Thanks for having a listen. Glad you liked it. Keep up the good work. We instrumental writers need to stick together.
Cheers,
Mike Thanks for your comments and advice Misha. Much appreciated.
Re the flute: When it is first introduced, the organ is doubling the melody. Perhaps that's the synthetic sound you hear. It could also be the Ezy-Mix effect I used. Interesting point though. I will investigate.
Cheers,
Mike Thanks for your kind words Alan. Two phrases I particularly enjoyed in your comments: "lovely production" and "gentle power". That'll do me! Thank you.
Keep well,
Mike

Thanks for listening Deej. Your kind words are appreciated.
Cheers,
Mike

That's a pretty powerful arrangement.

Personally, I prefer the simpler parts.

Nicely done.

moto

Thanks so much for listening Janne. Your encouraging words made my day.
Cheers,
Mike

Wow, thank you Mr Storm
I really appreciate those comments. I should frame them.
In Australia we have a saying when we get something worthwhile: "This is going straight to the pool room".
Cheers,
Mike

Mike, I almost missed this one but I'm glad that I didn't. Everything already has been said so all I can add is "this is the best instrumental I have heard on these forums"! Excellent chops and Kontakt sounds.

Loved it.

There are a host of accolades that could be said about this fine arrangement and mix.

For us suffice it to say, "contemplative. emotive and lovely."



J&B

Mario thank you so much - high praise indeed from the high priest of instrumentals.
This means a lot to me, coming from a veteran of the User Showcase Forum.
Cheers and stay well,
Mike

Thanks guys. It's always good to get feedback from you.
Cheers,
Mike