Razor's Edge


File:Razor's Edge.SGU

Key=D , Tempo 40, Length (m:s)=2:48

Style is _MORTALS.STY (Mortals Soul Pop Soloist)

RealTracks in song: 3546:Bass, Electric, AmericanaSlow12-8SteveAB Sw 040
RealTracks in style: 3088:Piano, ElectricVintage, Rhythm AmericanaSlow128Mike Sw 040
RealTracks in style: 3722:Guitar, Electric, Rhythm PopSoulHeldSlow128Brent Sw 040
RealTracks in style: 3723:Guitar, Electric, Soloist PopSoulGritSlow128Brent Sw 040
RealTracks in song: 3086:Organ, Rhythm AmericanaSlow128Mike Sw 040
RealDrums [in Song:AmericanaSlow128^04-a:Kick Hihat Quarter, b:Kick Snare

A very slow Pop-Rock Blues in 12/8 time signature.

I was going give you a rather detailed explanation of how I approached genesis and assembly of this song, as I did on my previous song. But I thought it might bore you, so I decided not to.

I replaced the original bass and drums from the style and wrote a completely new chord pattern. I gave the solo guitar a slight bit more echo/delay than the indigenous track for the style, plus quite a bit more distortion. I then added the organ for a more spatial sound. That's probably all you might want to know, rather than the full approach I used.

I attempted to model the guitar solo similar to the style and sound characteristics of Tak Matsumoto, a Japanese Blues guitarist I like quite a bit.

Hope you enjoy it.

Alan


BY REQUEST, HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS AS I PUT THIS ONE TOGETHER:



After selecting the style to match the song idea in my head, I wrote a whole new chord pattern, changed the bass and drum tracks. I then added the organ. I wasn’t sure, at first, if it was a good idea to use an organ and electric piano together. But after playing around with them for a while, I thought it sounded okay, so I kept both. The organ gives a little more depth to the distant ambience. The electric piano fills the left side of the soundstage, opposing the rhythm guitar on the right. The electric piano and the guitar sit in front of the organ.

My deeper thoughts as I mixed this: A broken heart, represented by the solo guitar, is crying out, but weakly so, as it has been thrown onto the razor’s edge by devastation. The lead guitar is in the middle of the front-to-rear depth. I wanted it to sound as if the other tracks were cradling and soothing it, soothing it from the cut of the razor’s edge, thus placing it a little further back in the mix than what is typical/usual. The drums are more forward than I usually mix them in this sort of song. They’re also simple. I wanted them to represent the heart beating loud, above the anguish, as though calling out for comfort. The bass has a few fill runs, my effort to further expose the drama of the heart’s pain. I gave the guitar a little more echo/delay and turned up the distortion a bit. The solo guitar is generic to the style. I just manipulated it somewhat.

It might seem a little silly to some folks, but that’s how I approached this song. I attempted to personify the broken heart to tell it’s tale of woe to the listener. As I write most of my my instrumentals, I usually have a little movie playing in my head and I try to capture that movie in sound.

I tried to give the guitar the sound that Tak Matsumoto most often uses. If you’re not familiar with him, he’s a Japanese guitarist I like a lot. His sound and style is somewhat similar to that of Gary Moore and, perhaps, a little Jeff Beck.

Hope that information is worthwhile to a few of you!

Alan

Last edited by Al-David; 02/03/21 02:25 PM.
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